Tanner Scott Bio
Tanner Alexander Scott (born July 22, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). A left-handed reliever recognized for his high-velocity fastball and swing-and-miss strikeout ability, he has built a reputation as a late-inning arm capable of handling high-leverage situations. Scott has previously played in MLB for the Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins, and San Diego Padres, and he made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Orioles.
Across his major league career, Scott has served in setup and closer roles, accumulating saves while pitching for franchises in both the American League and National League. His performance peaked with his first All-Star selection in 2024, and he has since transitioned into one of the marquee bullpen signings of the 2024-2025 offseason.
Early Life and Background
Tanner Alexander Scott was born on July 22, 1994, in Howland Township, Ohio. He grew up in the same northeast Ohio community where he later attended high school, and the region produced a steady stream of multi-sport athletes during his youth. Scott attended Howland High School, graduating in 2012, and his frame and arm strength drew early attention from college baseball recruiters in the Midwest.
After high school, Scott continued his baseball development at the collegiate level, enrolling at Notre Dame College in 2013 before transferring to Howard College in 2014. Those two stops allowed him to face varied competition and refine his mechanics. He also spent a summer with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League, a well-known summer showcase for top amateur talent, further sharpening his profile before the MLB draft.
Path to Professional Baseball
Scott’s stock as a draft prospect rose steadily through his college years, and the Baltimore Orioles selected him in the sixth round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the organization on June 26, 2014, launching a minor league climb that moved him through several affiliates over the next three seasons. The Orioles used him as both a starter and a reliever during his development, gradually building his workload while evaluating his role at the highest level.
By 2017, Scott was pitching for the Bowie Baysox, where a 2.22 ERA in 24 starts convinced the Orioles to bring him to the majors. He was called up on September 17, 2017, and made his MLB debut on September 20, allowing two runs in one inning of work against the Boston Red Sox while recording his first MLB strikeout. That debut opened the door to a career that would eventually carry him across three different organizations.
Tanner Scott Career
Early Career with the Baltimore Orioles (2017-2021)
Scott spent his first several major league seasons bouncing between Baltimore and its Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk as the Orioles sorted out his role. In 2018, he appeared in 53 games for the Orioles, striking out 76 batters across 53 and one-third innings, while also logging scoreless relief appearances for the Tides. The shuttle between the majors and minors continued into 2019, when he posted a 4.78 ERA in 28 big-league outings and a 2.98 ERA in 30 Triple-A games.
During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Scott emerged as a reliable late-inning option, producing a 1.31 ERA with 23 strikeouts across 20 and two-thirds innings in 25 appearances. That progress was offset in 2021, when he recorded a 5.17 ERA with 70 strikeouts but also 37 walks in 54 innings. After the 2021 campaign, Baltimore decided to reshape its bullpen, and Scott was moved in a trade that sent him to a National League contender.
Miami Marlins Breakthrough (2022-2024)
On April 3, 2022, the Orioles traded Scott and Cole Sulser to the Miami Marlins in exchange for a Competitive Balance Round B draft pick and two minor league prospects. In his first season with Miami, he appeared in 67 relief outings, posting a 4.31 ERA with 90 strikeouts and 20 saves over 62 and two-thirds innings. The Marlins liked the results enough to commit to him as a core bullpen piece, and on January 13, 2023, Scott agreed to a one-year, $2.825 million contract to avoid salary arbitration.
The 2023 season marked a clear step forward. Serving as Miami’s closer, Scott appeared in 74 games, compiling a 9-5 record and a 2.31 ERA with 104 strikeouts and 12 saves in 78 innings. He also earned the National League Reliever of the Month Award for September/October and made his first postseason appearance, pitching a scoreless inning in the second game of the Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. In 2024, he was even more dominant before the trade deadline, registering a 1.18 ERA with 53 strikeouts and 18 saves across 45 and two-thirds innings in 44 appearances, and he was named an All-Star for the first time.
San Diego Padres Stint (2024)
On July 30, 2024, the Marlins traded Scott and Bryan Hoeing to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Robby Snelling, Adam Mazur, Jay Beshears, and Graham Pauley. Scott slotted into a setup role in San Diego and pitched 26 and one-third innings across 28 games, going 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA, 31 strikeouts, and four saves. He then delivered in the postseason, tossing four and one-third scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in five games, including four strikeouts of National League MVP Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the Division Series.
Los Angeles Dodgers Era (2025-Present)
On January 23, 2025, Scott signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a deal that also contained a conditional option for a fifth year tied to a potential serious injury. The contract reflected his growing reputation as one of the premier relief pitchers on the market. In his first game of the Dodgers season on April 5 against the Philadelphia Phillies, Scott became just the fifth pitcher on record to record a save on three pitches while facing three batters, joining Mariano Rivera, Steve Reed, Duane Ward, and Barry Jones in that feat.
Across the regular season, he pitched 57 innings over 61 games for Los Angeles, allowing 30 earned runs on 54 hits and 18 walks while striking out 60 and saving 23 games. The year was complicated by the fact that he led the league with 10 blown saves. Scott did not pitch in the first two rounds of the postseason and was removed from the Division Series roster after Game 3 following a lower-body abscess procedure, and he remained inactive for the rest of the Dodgers’ playoff run.
Driving Style and Strengths
Scott’s profile is built on a high-velocity fastball that plays up in the strike zone, paired with a sharp breaking ball that generates swings and misses. He has shown the ability to miss bats at a high rate throughout his career, and his strikeout totals have been a defining feature of his results. He has also displayed the temperament needed for late-inning work, embracing closer and high-leverage opportunities in both Miami and Los Angeles.
Notable Events and Milestones
His first All-Star selection in 2024, his three-pitch save against the Phillies in April 2025, and his postseason strikeouts of Shohei Ohtani during the 2024 Division Series all stand out as signature moments. He has also been a regular among National League save leaders, finishing the 2025 Dodgers campaign with 23 saves despite leading the league in blown saves.
Tanner Scott Career Wins
Tanner Scott has built his résumé primarily on relief work, and his win totals reflect a career spent in setup and closing roles rather than as a traditional starting pitcher. His save totals and high-leverage strikeouts have been the clearest measures of his impact, with his strongest stretch coming in 2023 and 2024 with the Miami Marlins.
MLB Highlights
Scott recorded 20 saves in his first season with the Marlins in 2022, then added 12 more in 2023 while earning the National League Reliever of the Month Award for September/October. In 2024, he notched 18 saves with Miami before a midseason trade to San Diego, where he added four more saves and contributed 3 wins. His first Dodgers season produced 23 saves alongside a 3-win contribution in the regular season ledger.
Other Performances
During his time in the Orioles system, Scott posted a combined 4-3 record and 3.83 ERA in 42 and one-third innings between Aberdeen and Delmarva in 2015, then went 5-4 with a 4.76 ERA in 43 relief appearances between Frederick and Bowie in 2016. Those developmental years laid the foundation for his late-inning success at the major league level.
Tanner Scott Family
Family Background and Origins
Scott was raised in Howland Township, Ohio, and graduated from Howland High School in 2012. He went on to attend Notre Dame College and later Howard College as he pursued his baseball development. Beyond these educational milestones, additional verified details about his parents or siblings are not publicly available in the reviewed sources.
Personal Life
Scott keeps much of his personal life out of the public spotlight, and verified information about a spouse, partner, or children is not available in the reviewed sources. He continues to be identified publicly as a resident tied to his major league assignments in Baltimore, Miami, San Diego, and now Los Angeles.
2025 Season Performance
Scott’s 2025 campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers represented the largest contract of his career, a four-year, $72 million deal signed in January. He quickly delivered a headline moment on April 5 against the Phillies, becoming just the fifth pitcher on record to record a save on three pitches while facing three batters. Over the course of the regular season, he appeared in 61 games and 57 innings, striking out 60 while converting 23 saves.
The season also came with turbulence, as Scott led the majors with 10 blown saves, the highest total in the league. That volatility cost him late-inning trust at times and shaped the narrative around an otherwise strong cumulative stat line. The Dodgers continued to deploy him in leverage spots while also managing his workload through the summer months.
Scott’s postseason was cut short after a lower-body abscess procedure following Game 3 of the Division Series, leaving him inactive for the remainder of the Dodgers’ playoff run. The procedure and the missed time raised questions about durability heading into 2026, even as the organization publicly expressed confidence in his recovery. With multiple years remaining on his contract, Scott is expected to remain a central figure in the Dodgers’ bullpen plans as he works to stabilize his late-inning performance.