Rowdy Tellez returns to face Blue Jays with Brewers

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Rowdy Tellez is back in town, and he’s got jokes.

The former Blue Jays first baseman, who was dealt to the Brewers in 2021 for Trevor Richards and Bowden Francis, has fully discovered his power stroke in Milwaukee. He’s coming off a 35-homer season with a chance to top that in 2023, but spending parts of nine seasons in the Blue Jays’ organization left a lasting mark on the big, boisterous kid from California.

As a prospect, Tellez would joke that fans only liked him because of his fun first name. What’s not to love, though, about a hulking first-base prospect named Rowdy who always wore the smile of the mischievous kid who sits at the back of the classroom?

“I had hair when I played here last,” Tellez joked, looking out at the Rogers Centre’s field.

He’s happy to be back. Besides, he said, he’s already been back to his favorite steakhouse.

A grand debut

Tellez debuted in September of 2018, just weeks after losing his mother, Lori, to cancer. This was an emotional time for Tellez, who was just 23, and returning as a 28-year-old man in his sixth MLB season allowed him to reflect on the journey.

“I’m grateful. This is humbling, everything that comes along with it,” Tellez said. “I was called up during probably the worst part of my life. It’s a special moment to be back here. I have a lot of memories here. I was just a young kid when I came up here. It was super, super special. There’s nothing but gratefulness. It was an honor to be part of that organization.”

Tellez hit .314 down the stretch with four home runs and a .943 OPS, igniting hope that Toronto had just found its newest slugger. He’d show flashes of that in the coming years but seems to be fully embracing the role now with the Brewers.

“Coach” Schneider

Tellez was supposed to be drafted high in 2013, but a strong NCAA commitment steered most teams away. The Blue Jays drafted him in the 30th round just in case, and when they had some money available, signed him to an $850,000 bonus, a mammoth number for that round.

Then, it was time for pro ball where he met his first manager, John Schneider.

“He still calls me coach. I met him as a young, strapping lad in the Gulf Coast League,” Schneider remembers. “I’ve known him for a while. He knows my wife and my boys. I’ve seen him grow up just like I have some of these guys in the clubhouse. He’s an awesome dude.”

Tellez remembers that he’d always worn his pants rolled up with high socks in high school. Schneider told a young Rowdy that it made him “look like a thumb.” He’s worn his pants rolled down ever since.

Schneider has seen Tellez’s offense carry him at many points in his career, but he cracks another wide smile when he remembers the early days of Tellez’s development.

“He could hit from the day we had him,” Schneider began. “You see the power now, but he could hit to the opposite field and he was pretty advanced for a young guy. I remember back in instructional league, we had him play defense only for six weeks. That was the old Clayton McCullough trick. He hated us for a month. I think it made him better.”

Rowdy and Vladdy

Tellez and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. share the same birthday, March 16. Tellez likes to joke that they’re twins.

When Guerrero transitioned across the diamond from third base to first, it was Tellez’s position. Everyone knew that Guerrero would be the future of whichever position he took, though, and Tellez had a front-row seat to his growth.

“He’s a Gold Glover now,” Tellez said. “I had a guy, in Justin Smoak, who did the same thing for me. He led me into playing first and taught me a lot.”

Rowdy won’t take the credit, but surely, he had a few jokes for Vladdy, too.