Tyler Marincov Comes Through In The Clutch

What outfielder Tyler Marincov does best does not appear on a scouting scale, or even always in the stats column.

Marincov excels at situational hitting—get them over, get them in.

As cleanup hitter for Double-A Midland, he led the Texas League through May with 40 RBIs in 49 games. He did that while hitting .266/.359/.474.

“He’s a productive player, very productive,” farm director Keith Lieppman said. “Tyler knows how to get the job done. He works very hard at using the whole field. He has a lot of good team outs to advance runners and get runners in. He’s willing to sacrifice himself to help the team.”

The Athletics drafted Marincov, 25, in the eighth round in 2013 out of North Florida. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound righthanded batter and thrower is a legitimate right fielder, with an accurate arm and a long record of throwing out runners. He also impresses on the bases.

“He’s a (Josh) Donaldson kind of runner,” Lieppman said. “A good baserunner who is aggressive and understands situations. He can steal a base when you need him to, and he can take the extra base. He’s a heady player.”

Marincov made a big splash helping Midland to the TL championship last year, going 14-for-32 in the playoffs.

“I think a lot of that had to do with the entire team” Marincov said. “We had a great group, and we all fed off each other’s energy.”

It is almost a fluke Marincov is even playing baseball now. He quarterbacked for Timber Creek High in Orlando and yearned for a football scholarship. He even considered quitting baseball his sophomore year before his parents talked him out of it.

When high school ended, his only scholarship offer came from North Florida—for baseball. So that was the course he pursued.

— Casey Tefertiller is a writer based in Oakland