Tyler Heineman

Career

Heineman attended the Windward School in Los Angeles, where he played for the school's baseball team. Lightly recruited by college baseball programs, Heineman received no scholarship offers. He enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and made the UCLA Bruins baseball team as a walk-on. He played sparingly as a freshman and sophomore, receiving eight at-bats as a freshman, and batting .261 in 23 games as a sophomore. Heineman became the Bruins' starting catcher in his junior year after starting catcher Steve Rodriguez and recruit Austin Hedges signed professional contracts. He was named All-Pac-12 Conference and a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, given annually to college baseball's best catcher.

The Houston Astros selected Heineman in the eighth round of the 2012 MLB draft. He played for the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League after signing, and his .358 batting average led the league. He played for the Lancaster JetHawks of the Class A-Advanced California League in 2013, and the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Class AA Texas League in 2014. After the 2014 regular season, the Astros assigned Heineman to the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League. Heineman began the 2015 season with Corpus Christi, and received a midseason promotion to the Fresno Grizzlies of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League. He finished 2015 with a .285 batting average along with 3 home runs and 30 RBI's. Heineman spent 2016 with Fresno as well, where he batted .259 with 3 home runs and 14 RBI's.

During spring training in 2017, the Astros traded Heineman to the Milwaukee Brewers for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Personal life

Heineman's younger brother, Scott, played college baseball for the University of Oregon. Scott is currently playing for the High Desert Maverics, California League A-Advanced affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Their father, Steve, is an officer in the Santa Monica Police Department.