Tyson Gillies
Encyclopedia
Tyson Gillies is a minor league Outfielder in the Philadelphia Phillies
organization. He was the Seattle Mariners
' 25th round selection in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft
; signed by Mariners scout Wayne Norton. He graduated R.E. Mountain Secondary School in June 2006 and played for the Canadian national baseball team
in High School. Gillies grew up in the interior of B.C. in Kamloops where he also participated in hockey by playing at the highest level (AAA) for 4 years. After participating in the famous Kamloops International Bantam ice Hockey Tournament (2003), Gillies elected to focus on his baseball opportunities.
. He was transferred to the Short-Season Everett AquaSox
on August 31, recording five hits in eight at-bats. He participated in the Mariners 2007 Arizona Fall League
.
Gillies began the season with the Class-A Advanced High Desert Mavericks
. He appeared in 11 games where he only hit a dismal .200. He was then promoted to High A baseball where he hit only .233 with only 1 RBI and no Home runs.
, and J. C. Ramirez
as part of a three team trade that included Major League Baseball
All-Stars Cliff Lee
and Roy Halladay
. Gillies said this about the trade:
Gillies was added to the teams 40 man roster on November 18, 2011.
that has left him with 30 percent hearing in one ear and 50 percent in the other. Thanks to the use of hearing aid
s and an ability to read lips Gilles has little trouble overcoming his impairment. He said this about his disability:
On August 20, 2010, Gillies was arrested and charged in Clearwater, Florida
on felony cocaine possession. After attending a bar the night of the arrest, Gillies was offered a ride to his hotel by a police officer. Before entering the police cruiser, the officer searched Gillies for weapons and paraphernalia and did not find Gillies to be possessing anything illegal. Upon dropping Gillies off, the officer found a three-gram bag of a white powdery substance that appeared to be cocaine on the floor of the backseat of the cruiser and arrested Gillies for possession. Within hours of the arrest, Gillies underwent drug testing and showed no traces of cocaine, marijuana or opiates in his system.
The state attorney's office dropped all charges against Gillies because the backseat of the cruiser was not thoroughly searched before Gillies entered the vehicle, the officer failed to find the substance during a routine search of Gillies before he entered the vehicle, and because the substance failed two on-site drug tests.
Gillies said of the charges being dropped, “I’m glad that this ordeal is over, but I’m still very upset that it happened to me and that my character, which I’ve worked so hard to build, can even be questioned.”
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
organization. He was the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
' 25th round selection in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft
2006 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2006 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 6 and 7. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams.-First Round Selections:...
; signed by Mariners scout Wayne Norton. He graduated R.E. Mountain Secondary School in June 2006 and played for the Canadian national baseball team
Canada national baseball team
Canada has qualified for two Olympic games, in 2004 and 2008. Canadian teams also competed twice when baseball was a demonstration sport, in 1984 and 1988.-1984 Summer Olympics:...
in High School. Gillies grew up in the interior of B.C. in Kamloops where he also participated in hockey by playing at the highest level (AAA) for 4 years. After participating in the famous Kamloops International Bantam ice Hockey Tournament (2003), Gillies elected to focus on his baseball opportunities.
Seattle Mariners
He began pro career with the minor league Peoria Mariners in . He recorded a single in his first career at-bat, June 23 against the Arizona League Angels. He recorded three stolen bases on August 6 against the Arizona League RoyalsArizona League Royals
The Arizona League Royals are a minor league baseball team in Surprise, Arizona, USA. They are a Class R team in the Arizona League and have been a farm team of the Kansas City Royals since 2003. The Royals play home games at Surprise Stadium. Opened in 2002, Surprise Stadium seats 10,500...
. He was transferred to the Short-Season Everett AquaSox
Everett AquaSox
The Everett AquaSox are a minor league baseball team in Everett, Washington, USA. They are a Short-Season A classification team in the Northwest League, of which they are the current defending champions...
on August 31, recording five hits in eight at-bats. He participated in the Mariners 2007 Arizona Fall League
Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League is an off-season league owned and operated by Major League Baseball which operates during the fall in Arizona, United States at five spring training complexes...
.
Gillies began the season with the Class-A Advanced High Desert Mavericks
High Desert Mavericks
The High Desert Mavericks are a minor league baseball team in Adelanto, California, USA. Their Major League parent club is the Seattle Mariners. They are a Class A - Advanced team in the California League and had been a farm team of the Kansas City Royals since 2005 before the switch...
. He appeared in 11 games where he only hit a dismal .200. He was then promoted to High A baseball where he hit only .233 with only 1 RBI and no Home runs.
Philadelphia Phillies
On December 16, 2009, he was traded by the Mariners to the Phillies along with Phillippe AumontPhillippe Aumont
Phillippe Aumont is a minor league professional baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners 11th overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft...
, and J. C. Ramirez
J. C. Ramírez
Juan Carlos "J. C." Ramírez is a minor league baseball pitcher currently in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.-Seattle Mariners:...
as part of a three team trade that included Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
All-Stars Cliff Lee
Cliff Lee
Clifton Phifer "Cliff" Lee is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. Lee has also played for the Cleveland Indians, the Seattle Mariners, and the Texas Rangers....
and Roy Halladay
Roy Halladay
Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III , nicknamed "Doc", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies...
. Gillies said this about the trade:
Gillies was added to the teams 40 man roster on November 18, 2011.
Personal life
At age four, Gillies was diagnosed with a hearing impairmentHearing impairment
-Definition:Deafness is the inability for the ear to interpret certain or all frequencies of sound.-Environmental Situations:Deafness can be caused by environmental situations such as noise, trauma, or other ear defections...
that has left him with 30 percent hearing in one ear and 50 percent in the other. Thanks to the use of hearing aid
Hearing aid
A hearing aid is an electroacoustic device which typically fits in or behind the wearer's ear, and is designed to amplify and modulate sound for the wearer. Earlier devices, known as "ear trumpets" or "ear horns", were passive funnel-like amplification cones designed to gather sound energy and...
s and an ability to read lips Gilles has little trouble overcoming his impairment. He said this about his disability:
On August 20, 2010, Gillies was arrested and charged in Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
on felony cocaine possession. After attending a bar the night of the arrest, Gillies was offered a ride to his hotel by a police officer. Before entering the police cruiser, the officer searched Gillies for weapons and paraphernalia and did not find Gillies to be possessing anything illegal. Upon dropping Gillies off, the officer found a three-gram bag of a white powdery substance that appeared to be cocaine on the floor of the backseat of the cruiser and arrested Gillies for possession. Within hours of the arrest, Gillies underwent drug testing and showed no traces of cocaine, marijuana or opiates in his system.
The state attorney's office dropped all charges against Gillies because the backseat of the cruiser was not thoroughly searched before Gillies entered the vehicle, the officer failed to find the substance during a routine search of Gillies before he entered the vehicle, and because the substance failed two on-site drug tests.
Gillies said of the charges being dropped, “I’m glad that this ordeal is over, but I’m still very upset that it happened to me and that my character, which I’ve worked so hard to build, can even be questioned.”