Tonkin hopes to continue his career in baseball
Palmdale grad Tonkin considers future in baseball
Right-handed pitcher Michael Tonkin was hoping to have a solid season and work his way back to the major leagues when he joined the Arizona Diamondbacks for spring training this year.
The Palmdale High grad bounced around to three different organizations in 2019 starting with the Rangers, then the Brewers and finally ended up with the Diamondbacks.
Then the Coronavirus pandemic happened and everything stopped.
Tonkin was part of a mass release by the 30 major league teams on May 22.
“I kind of saw it coming, I guess, with getting released. Not so much saw it coming, but I knew it was definitely a possibility,” Tonkin said. “It’s hard for me to just sit back and wait. With how much I bounced around last year, it kind of presses (the question) should I transition or what?”
Several different things have factored into Tonkin’s life to make him ask that question.
The 31-year-old became a father last year. His daughter Layla he shares with wife Becky just turned a year old in November. The pressure to succeed has gotten stronger with this new life he is charged with taking care of.
“I can’t just sit here and do nothing for eight or nine months and then sign with a team to get released and be in the same position a year from now,” Tonkin said.
But the fact that he did make it to the majors is pulling him in the other direction.
Tonkin had five stints in the majors as a relief pitcher with the Minnesota Twins from 2013-17, posting a career ERA of 4.43 in 146.1 innings pitched. He was drafted by the Twins in the 30th round of the 2008 draft.
The Twins released him at the end of 2017 and he spent 2018 playing in Japan.
“It was a good experience. It has pros and cons just like everything else,” Tonkin said about Japan. “It was awesome to be in another part of the world and experience the culture and see all that. But there’s times where you get slightly homesick and you’re ready for just your comforts, things you’re used to.”
Being in another country posed everyday challenges, Tonkin said, including getting groceries and talking to family in the states with the time difference.
But it was ultimately a good experience and brought him back to professional baseball in the states.
That pull to get back to the majors is still very much alive in Tonkin.
“If I were 30 and hadn’t had any big league experience, I would imagine I probably would have made this decision prior to this. … But because I played in the major leagues, I still think I can play there,” Tonkin said. “I put in a lot of work this off
season to get myself ready for this season. I feel like it helped. It’s kind of a shame that I didn’t get to see that work pay off.”
So many seasons were derailed by the pandemic, especially in the minors as the entire system’s season was canceled.
“It’s definitely been a shame for absolutely everyone,” Tonkin said. “There’s no point in complaining and running around saying how hard you have it, because everyone has it hard.”
Because the pandemic is worldwide and has affected nearly every industry, finding other employment will also be a factor in Tonkin’s decision.
“This has kind of affected everyone, it’s not just baseball, so there aren’t many openings elsewhere,” Tonkin said. “It’s a tough decision without a doubt. We’ll see what comes up and see what opportunities I have.”
In the meantime, Tonkin has loved spending time with his wife and daughter. He has been able to watch Layla’s milestones in person.
“She’s been great, it’s awesome. She keeps us busy and she’s always happy,” Tonkin said. “Feels like every day it’s something new, she’s fun. She’s growing fast.”
Tonkin is also still busy working on his craft. Until he got released he was playing catch six days a week. After that, he started playing catch a couple of times a week.
He also works out in his home gym on the west side of Lancaster, oftentimes with fellow professional baseball player Jonathan Teaney, a Quartz Hill grad with the Cleveland Indians organization.
Tonkin was supposed to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic, but that too was derailed because of budget cuts due to the pandemic.
There’s no telling what next year will hold, if the minors can even get started again.
Tonkin is just going to keep playing it by ear and weighing his options.
“This kind of forces me into making a decision earlier than maybe I planned on,” Tonkin said. “I guess, I’m not quite there yet. We’ll see.”