Conversations with the Herd: Tanner Andrews

By: Brian Frank

Newest Blue Jays hurler Tanner Andrews’ baseball journey has finally brought him to the ultimate destination. The 30-year-old right-hander is now a major leaguer. Andrews was called up to Toronto and made his major league debut Monday night at Rogers Centre against the team that originally drafted him—working a perfect ninth inning against the Miami Marlins. Andrews spoke with The Herd Chronicles at Sahlen Field before being promoted to the Blue Jays.

The 6’3” hurler was an incredible athlete growing up in Indiana. A three-sport star at Tippecanoe Valley High School in Akron, Indiana, Andrews starred on the gridiron, where he was named first-team all-state as a defensive back his junior season and all-state wide receiver his senior year. He also excelled on the basketball court, earning second-team all-state honors his senior year, when he averaged 20 points and nine rebounds per game.

“In high school I really gravitated more toward football and even basketball at times,” Andrews said. “I'd say my number one sport was football, definitely. Behind that, it was probably basketball, and then baseball was kind of third. But I loved playing it, I loved baseball.”

As a highly touted high school athlete, Andrews made many recruiting visits when he was deciding what college to take his talents to.

“I visited everywhere,” he recalled. “Everywhere in the Midwest, I felt like. My parents took me on a bunch of visits—mostly football visits to be honest with you. My first visit was at Purdue and I fell in love, and knew from that moment that I was hopeful to go to Purdue.”

He originally planned on playing football at Purdue.

“The offensive coordinator there, John Shoop—we had a good relationship,” Andrews remembered, “and I even thought about going back (to football) after my freshman year when I didn't pitch much. It was always there, but I think I was led and guided to baseball, and I think it was the right decision.”

Andrews has a 1.35 ERA for the Herd this season. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles.

Andrews was such a good athlete that even after committing to baseball, there was still a question whether he would be a position player or a pitcher. He hit over .400 in all four of his high school seasons, including .496 his junior year and .601 his senior season.

“I was hoping to (be a position player) at Purdue, but I got hurt in the fall of my freshman year,” Andrews said. “They came to me and said you're not going to get many ABs, you might as well focus on pitching. So I focused on pitching—didn't get many innings. Then I went and played summer ball. I hit a little in the summer but mostly pitched and kind of took off on the mound—and the rest is history.”

Playing baseball in the Big Ten Conference brought a high level of competition.

“It was really cool,” he said. “A lot of good players. A lot of good programs. It's growing now too. I had a coaching change there. I'm thankful for all my coaches there that really supported me, but my coach that I finished with was Mark Wasikowski, who's now at Oregon—and you see the success that they're having. Actually, he was Josh Kasevich's coach at Oregon, so there's a connection there. But, yeah, I loved it. It was really, really good baseball and good academics at Purdue. It was a really good fit.”

Andrews pitched in 60 games for Purdue over four seasons, helping lead the Boilermakers to an NCAA Tournament appearance his senior year—going 7–5 with a 2.94 ERA in 17 games (16 starts).

“Definitely going to a regional my last year at North Carolina, and the run we went on in the Big Ten Tournament,” he said of his best college baseball memories. “I don't know the exact number, but we swept a few weekends in a row, won a lot of games in a row—and just the camaraderie of the guys that I played with, formed bonds with, and are lifelong friends. It was pretty special.”

He was selected in the tenth round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Miami Marlins.

“I just got back home,” he said of the day he was drafted. “We'd just gotten back from the regional the day before. I was at my parent's house with my brother, my girlfriend at the time, wife now, and my family. It was a special moment with my family.”

He reported to Batavia, New York, to play his first professional season with the Batavia Muckdogs of the New York–Penn League. He posted a 3.72 ERA in 12 games (two starts), striking out 25 batters in 29 innings.

“To be honest with you, it was quite the shock,” he said. “Going from the Big Ten facilities and travel to the New York-Penn League was tough, but it was also part of the process, and a dream come true—being a professional baseball player and the new journey and all the guys I met along the way. It's been cool.”

Andrews worked his way up through the Marlins' system, reaching Double-A Pensacola in 2021 before suffering a setback. What began as a stiff elbow eventually led to Tommy John surgery.

“It was definitely something you never want to go through, but it's part of baseball,” he said. “I'd been moved from a starter to reliever that year. When I went to being a reliever my velo really jumped up, and I felt like I was really getting ready to make some good strides. But I woke up one morning and my elbow felt really stiff, so I went through the process of having Tommy John.”

“Then midway through that Tommy John process, I was traded—well first a Rule Five Draft to the Braves and then traded the same day from the Braves to the Giants. So it was an overall win. I'm thankful for the Marlins and my time there, but also for the Giants PT staff. They poured a lot into me, and I felt like they did a really, really good job of with my recovery."

Once he recovered from his surgery, he spent two seasons at the Giants' Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento. In his second season at Triple-A, he posted a 6.95 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, Andrews knew he had to make some adjustments if he was going to realize his dream of getting to the big leagues.

“I struggled in 2024 with the Giants, ending early—and I just went back home, and my dad and I kind of just restarted,” he said. “Just be an athlete. Don't worry about pitching. Just throw a baseball, what feels good. It was day in and day out with my dad in a pole barn in the winter in Indiana. It really felt good. I ended up playing winter ball in Puerto Rico. I threw the ball okay, but it was definitely something to build off. I came home and kept building, kept building. It just clicked… Just kind of going back to the basics and being athletic. Being as athletic on the mound as I can be instead of robotic and mechanical.”

Andrews on the Sahlen Field mound. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

Andrews signed with Staten Island in the Atlantic League to begin the 2025 season in an attempt to keep his dream alive. He completely dominated, not allowing a run in 13 2/3 innings, and striking out 25 batters while walking only two.

“It was challenging,” he said of his time in the Atlantic League. “Definitely tested me as far as my mental state and really for me, my faith. I really prayed about it and felt led to keep playing baseball. I was one of the guys who said I would rather hang 'em up than play in indy ball or play in the Atlantic League. I just felt led, like I wasn't done playing. I'm thankful I stuck with it. I had the encouragement of my wife. My family was like—hey I think you need to stick this out. My coach there, Coz (Mark Minicozzi), he was awesome. He did a lot for me and my teammates there. It really made me fall in love with the game of baseball again, to be honest with you. First and foremost, it's win the game that day, and that's why you fall in love with baseball, the competitive aspect of it.”

His stint in the Atlantic League led to a contract offer from the Minnesota Twins organization. In 16 2/3 innings pitching at the Twins' Double-A affiliate in Wichita last season, he posted a 3.78 ERA with 18 strikeouts and only three walks.

His successful 2025 campaign led Andrews to sign with the Blue Jays last offseason. He’s been one of many bright spots in the Bisons' bullpen this season, posting a 1.35 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 20 innings. He leads the Bisons with five saves, which ranks third in the International League.

“I think I'm throwing the ball good right now—just build off of it,” he said. “Each outing find something to get better, whether it's first pitch strikes, whether it's two out of three, or whether it's 0-and-2, 1-and-2 put away, whatever it is, just find a way to get better each time I go out, and just build off what we've been doing. We have a really good staff here, as far as coaches and as far as the pitching staff too. Just feeding off ideas off each other and watching the game and just using these experiences and moments to try to get a little bit better each and every single day.”

Now, Andrews is a major leaguer—and his long journey through the minor leagues has given him a whole new perspective on the game he loves.

“I'm just so thankful,” he said just days before finding out he was being promoted. “I'm thankful to put a jersey on every day. I'm thankful for the camaraderie in the clubhouse. I'm thankful for my family for supporting me—my wife, and I have a daughter now that's in Buffalo with me. Just the support that they give me on a daily basis. I'm just really, really thankful.”