Saturday, January 8, 2022

Scott Tedder played basketball, turned pro in baseball

Scott Tedder 1990 Sarasota White Sox card

Ohio Wesleyan's Scott Tedder had just helped his team to a Division III tournament semifinal win as he hit 13 of 22 from the field and sunk eight free throws, The Lincoln Star wrote.

His coach Gene Mehaffey couldn't help but talk up Tedder afterward to The Star.

"I've coached long enough to know that it's not the offense, it's the people you have running it," Mehaffey told The Star. "If Tedder gets out in the open floor, you're not going to stop him many times."

Tedder eventually helped Ohio Wesleyan on to the title that year. He also soon helped himself on to the pros - in baseball. Tedder worked on his baseball offense over eight seasons. He made AAA, but missed the bigs.

Tedder's career began that year in 1988, taken by the White Sox in the 21st round of the draft out of Ohio Wesleyan.

At Ohio Wesleyan, Tedder averaged 24.3 points per game over his four years playing basketball. He also won All-American honors twice and earned Division III player of the year honors in 1988. He made the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. He was also an All-American in both basketball and baseball and he hit .434 and caught the eye of the White Sox.

With the White Sox, Tedder started in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He hit .341 over 58 games. He  then moved to single-A Sarasota for 1989 and returned there for 1990. He hit .283 there his second year.

Tedder made AA Birmingham for 95 games in 1991, where he hit .294. He then saw Birmingham each year through 1994. He also saw 47 games at AAA Nashville for 1993. He hit .288 there.

At Birmingham in 1994, Tedder got to play alongside another two-sport star, Michael Jordan. That April, he spoke to The Nashville Tennessean about life on the Jordan-provided team bus and expectations for games.

"I think it's exciting," Tedder told The Tennessean. "Everywhere we go it's gonna be jam-packed, exciting crowd."

He hit .265 over 86 games for Birmingham that year. He then moved to the Cubs mid-year and saw 34 games at AA Orlando. For 1995, he played at independent Bend. He hit .350 over 88 games to end his career.

Scott Tedder 1990 Sarasota White Sox card


1990 Minor League Tally 
Players/Coaches Featured:3,821
Made the Majors:1,286-33.7%
Never Made Majors:2,535-66.3%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:526
10+ Seasons in the Minors:321

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