Miami Marlins Season in Review: Tomas Telis’ 2018 Report Card

Throughout the 2018/2019 offseason, Marlin Maniac will devote one article each for every player who appeared in the Miami Marlins system for the 2018 season. Every. Single. Player. This is Part 35 of 286. Stay tuned.

Tomás Telis is a 5’8″, 175 lb. catcher from Tigre Estado, Venezuala, Born on June 18th, 1991, he was signed as an undrafted amateur free agent by the Texas Rangers in 2007, for a $140,000 signing bonus.

Telis reported to the DSL Rangers, in the rookie-level Dominican Summer League after signing. For the next seven seasons, he gradually worked his way up through the Rangers system, making four mid-season all-star teams. He was selected in 2011 for the Hickory Crawdads, in the single-A South Atlantic League, in 2013 and 2014 for the Frisco RoughRiders, in the double-A Texas League, and in 2015 for the Round Rock Express, in the triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL). He also had a few cups of coffee for the Rangers in 2014 and 2015, slashing .241/.268/.266 in 24 games, with 10 RBI. Soon after his then-most-recent all-star selection, the Rangers traded Telis and reliever Cody Ege to the Miami Marlins for RHP Sam Dyson.

Since his acquisition, Telis has moved back and forth between the New Orleans Zephyrs/Baby Cakes, in the PCL, and the Miami Marlins. He’s spent at least part of each season with each over the last four years. He had his most prolific major league season in 2017, hitting .240/.279/.346 in a career-best 48 games. He was also selected to his fifth mid-season all-star team for his time that season with the Baby Cakes.

In 2018, Telis opened the season with the Miami Marlins, as one of three catcher / first basemen, along with Chad Wallach and Bryan Holaday. This was because incumbent starter J.T. Realmuto was still on the disabled list.

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Telis got into 23 of the Miami Marlins first 25 games, with 17 pinch hitting appearances, three starts behind the plate, two at first base, and once at designated hitter. He had his biggest positive impact (by WPA) on March 31st, in a 10-6 loss to the Chicago Cubs, when he singled and eventually scored a run in the bottom of the fifth to tie the score at 5-5. On April 17th, he collected a single, a double, and an RBI in a 9-1 victory over the New York Yankees. The Marlins sent him outright to the Baby Cakes on May 2nd, and he wouldn’t rejoin Miami again through the season. The Marlins were 5-18 (.217) when Telis played, and 58-80 (.420) when he didn’t. Telis racked up a -0.1 WAR during 2018.

Telis put up a pretty good statline during his time this year with New Orleans, slashing .309/.357/.397 in 76 games, with four homers, 47 RBI, and only 30 strikeouts in 306 plate appearances.

Telis will still be just 27-years-old when the 2019 season starts, and he has finally exceeded one year of service time. He isn’t signed at this time, and it seems likely the Miami Marlins will move on without his services.

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Throughout the 2018/2019 offseason, Marlin Maniac will devote one article each for every player who appeared in the Miami Marlins system for the 2018 season. Every. Single. Player. This is Part 35 of 286. Stay tuned.

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