By Sahar Chmais

Tayler Saucedo has been into baseball since he could walk; from throwing a ball around with his father, Andy Saucedo, to joining a tee-ball team, to pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays in the major league.

“It was an emotional rollercoaster,” Andy Saucedo, Kyle resident, said, adding that he cried when he found out his son was drafted. “Just imagine your son being president of the United States – that was the feeling. He made it and it has been a long grind for him.”

In 2015, Tayler Saucedo was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays as a relief pitcher and has been in the game several times, his father said. In June 2021, shortly before his 28th birthday, he joined the team in the majors as pitcher. He had played for several farm teams, leading up to his debut as pitcher on June 17, 2021. At that game, the left-hander pitched a scoreless inning against the New York Yankees and notched his first career strikeout.

Prior to joining the majors, he played for AAA Buffalo Bisons and pitched a 2-1 record and had a 2.2 ERA in 10 appearances.

The 6-feet 5-inch player has not skipped a game since he was a child. Even when he would visit his father in Kyle over the summers, he would seek out the nearest team to play.

“He was nine years old and playing with 12-year-olds doing the pitching,” Andy Saucedo said. “That’s where his pitching career started. I had to sign a waiver for him to do that because the only league they had was for 12-year-olds. He was about the same size, and he held his own against those kids.”

As a proud father, Andy Saucedo has been there for his son through the highs and lows of his career – he never pushed him, only supported his son through every decision. During his freshman year in college, Tayler Saucedo decided to quit, which was the first time he had ever walked away from the game. Andy Saucedo said that was because of a connection issue with the coach.

However, he did not to stay out of the game. One year after he left his college team, he was invited to other schools to play and Tayler Saucedo chose Tennessee Wesleyan University.

“There were times through his career where he wanted to quit and I supported that,” Andy Saucedo said. “I never was the type of dad who wanted to make him because it was a dream I didn’t accomplish or something. Whatever decision he made, I was behind it.”

But Andy Saucedo always knew that his son was working hard and accomplishing his goals. Recently, Andy Saucedo travelled to watch his son play live, an indescribable feeling, he said.

Not only did he get to watch his son in person, whose skills usually get displayed on television for the world to see, but interacting with fans was a new moment.

Andy Saucedo and a Toronto Blue Jays fan struck up a conversation, only for him to find out that the spectator picks Tayler Saucedo in a PlayStation MLB game as part of his team.

“He said Tayler was the best reliever out there and he picked him,” Andy Saucedo said. “It was really cool.”