Tyler Locklear Bio
Tyler Evan Locklear (born November 24, 2000) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Seattle Mariners. Locklear played college baseball for the VCU Rams before being selected by the Mariners in the second round of the 2022 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2024.
Early Life and Background
Tyler Evan Locklear was born on November 24, 2000, in Abingdon, Maryland, a community northeast of Baltimore. He grew up in that area and attended Archbishop Curley High School in Baltimore, where he developed into a notable baseball prospect. At Archbishop Curley, Locklear was named a 2018 Under Armour All-American and earned All-State honors after hitting .500 in his senior year. He was ranked by Perfect Game as the ninth-best prospect in Maryland in 2019.
Locklear came from a family with deep roots in baseball. His father, Todd Locklear, played college baseball at St. Andrews College, while his uncle, Jeff Locklear, pitched in the minor leagues within the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies systems from 1991 to 1995, reaching as high as High-A. His cousin, Gavin Locklear, played wide receiver for the NC State Wolfpack football program, where he is currently a coach. Locklear is also a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.
Path to Professional Baseball
Locklear started for the VCU Rams ahead of his freshman season, appearing in all 15 games in 2020 and batting .259 with eight runs batted in and 15 runs scored before the season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, he was redshirted and retained four years of collegiate eligibility. During his 2021 redshirt freshman campaign, Locklear helped lead the Rams to a 38–16 record, their best since 2015, an Atlantic 10 regular season and conference tournament championship, and the second seed in the Starkville Regional of the NCAA baseball tournament, their highest seeding in the event since 2001.
That 2021 season established Locklear as one of the top amateur players in the country. He led the Atlantic 10 in runs scored (69), runs batted in (66), on-base percentage (.515), and walks (46), with all four totals ranking in the top 10 in VCU single-season history. He also hit 16 home runs, a VCU freshman record and the second-most in a single season in program history, tying for the conference lead. He earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors, and was named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America, and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
After the 2021 season, Locklear played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he batted .256, tied for the league lead in home runs, and received the league’s 10th Player Award. Heading into his redshirt sophomore year, he was included on the 55-player preseason watchlist for the Golden Spikes Award and was named a preseason All-American by several outlets. In 2022, he slashed .402/.542/.799 with 20 home runs and 78 runs batted in while being hit by 23 pitches, leading the Rams to a repeat Atlantic 10 championship and earning additional All-American recognition.
Tyler Locklear Career
Minor League Development (2022–2023)
The Seattle Mariners selected Locklear in the second round with the 58th overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft. He signed with the club on July 23 and received a $1.28 million signing bonus. Locklear made his professional debut with the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Mariners before moving up to the Single-A Modesto Nuts, where he hit .282/.353/.504 across 29 games.
Locklear began the 2023 campaign with the High-A Everett AquaSox, but his season was interrupted on June 1 when he was hit by a fastball that broke a bone in his right hand. After a short rehabilitation stint with the ACL Mariners, he returned to Everett in August and was promoted to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers on August 24. Across 85 games in 2023, he hit .288/.405/.502 with 13 home runs, 52 runs batted in, and 12 stolen bases. Following the regular season, he played for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League and appeared in the 2023 Fall Stars Game. He transitioned to playing first base full time in 2023, after handling third base in college and during part of his first professional season.
MLB Debut with Seattle (2024)
Locklear opened the 2024 season with Arkansas and was promoted to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers in late May. In 51 games to start the year, he hit .293/.404/.520 with nine home runs and 33 runs batted in. On June 9, 2024, he was added to the Mariners’ 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues.
In his MLB debut that day against the Kansas City Royals, Locklear recorded his first major league hit, a double that drove in a run, leaving his bat at 100.1 mph and traveling 380 feet. He became the first Mariner making his MLB debut to have a go-ahead hit in the seventh inning or later since Mike Wilson on May 10, 2011, and he scored his first MLB run later in the inning on a single by Josh Rojas. On June 13, he hit his first major league home run off Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox.
Locklear’s first taste of the majors was brief, as he was optioned back to Tacoma on June 24 when Jorge Polanco came off the injured list. He was recalled again on July 23 after Ty France was designated for assignment, then returned to Tacoma on July 30 after the Mariners acquired fellow right-handed first baseman Justin Turner. In 16 games with the Mariners in 2024, he hit .156/.224/.311 with one double and two home runs, striking out in 40 percent of his plate appearances, though he was more productive in the minors, batting .272/.382/.468 with 16 home runs and 9 stolen bases in 112 games with Tacoma and Arkansas.
Arizona Diamondbacks (2025)
Locklear was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma to begin the 2025 season, where he slashed .316/.401/.542 with 19 home runs, 82 runs batted in, and 18 stolen bases across 98 games. On July 31, 2025, the Mariners traded Locklear, Juan Burgos, and Hunter Cranton to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Eugenio Suárez. In 31 appearances for the Diamondbacks, he batted .175/.267/.262 with three home runs, six runs batted in, and three stolen bases. On October 3, it was announced that Locklear would require surgeries to repair a ligament tear in his elbow and a labrum injury in his shoulder.
Notable Events and Milestones
Locklear’s MLB debut on June 9, 2024, produced a historic moment for the Mariners, as he became the first player in the franchise to record a go-ahead hit in the seventh inning or later in his debut since Mike Wilson in 2011. His first major league home run came four days later, off White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet, and his first major league hit was a 100.1 mph double that traveled 380 feet. He also set a VCU freshman record with 16 home runs in 2021, the second-most in a single season in program history.
Tyler Locklear Career Wins
While Tyler Evan Locklear’s professional resume is still developing, he has collected notable individual honors at both the collegiate and minor league levels. His selection as the 58th overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft and his $1.28 million signing bonus reflect the high expectations placed on him as a power-hitting first baseman.
Minor League and Amateur Highlights
Locklear’s strongest stretch came in 2021 at VCU, when he was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, and was recognized as a freshman All-American by multiple outlets. In the Cape Cod Baseball League that summer, he tied for the league lead in home runs and received the 10th Player Award for his work as a teammate and community member. Across the minor leagues in 2024, he batted .272/.382/.468 with 16 home runs and 9 stolen bases, and he earned a spot in the 2023 Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game.
Tyler Locklear Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
Tyler Evan Locklear comes from a family with significant baseball connections. His father, Todd Locklear, played college baseball at St. Andrews College, and his uncle, Jeff Locklear, pitched in the minor leagues within the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies systems from 1991 to 1995, reaching as high as the High-A level. His cousin, Gavin Locklear, played wide receiver for the NC State Wolfpack football program, where he is now a coach. Tyler Locklear is also a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.
2025 Season Performance
Tyler Evan Locklear opened the 2025 season with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, where he produced one of the most productive stretches of his career, slashing .316/.401/.542 with 19 home runs, 82 runs batted in, and 18 stolen bases across 98 games. That performance was strong enough to position him as a key trade chip, and on July 31, 2025, the Mariners dealt him, along with Juan Burgos and Hunter Cranton, to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Eugenio Suárez.
After joining Arizona, Locklear struggled to find the same offensive rhythm, batting .175/.267/.262 with three home runs, six runs batted in, and three stolen bases in 31 appearances. On October 3, it was announced that he would require surgeries to repair a ligament tear in his elbow and a labrum injury in his shoulder, procedures that will likely shape his offseason recovery and availability heading into 2026.