Life in baseball is nothing if not a journey.
That’s certainly the case for Mansfield native Tyler Dalton.
Dalton had dreams of playing in the big leagues, and now he’s one just step away, but in a different role than he originally imagined. Dalton is in the middle of the action now in the Atlanta Braves organization as the assistant pitching coach for Triple-A Gwinnett.
Dalton emerged as one of the better arms in southeastern Massachusetts during his time as a Hornet under head coach Joe Breen. His high school career peaked in unison with his team in his senior season in 2018. Dalton won Hockomock League Player of the Year when he hit .391 while he pitched to a 1.70 ERA on the mound. Led by Dalton, Mansfield earned a MIAA Super 8 berth.
“Yeah, that was definitely a good time and a good season for me,” Dalton told the Herald. “I missed my junior year with a stress fracture in my back and I was very disappointed because I put in a lot of work that offseason and just unfortunately got hurt and missed the whole year. …That season definitely meant a lot to me. I played well and we had a great squad. I look back on those days and have just really good memories of it.”
His potential on the diamond earned him the chance to play collegiate baseball at UMass. His athletic career at UMass never reached the level of his production at Mansfield as injuries and inconsistencies diminished his impact on the mound.
“The goal was to win at UMass, to go on to play professional baseball, and man, did that take a hard turn,” Dalton said. “I missed my first two years from Tommy John. Basically, I injured my elbow right as a freshman. It happened, of course, right before the season started. I pitched really well that winter. I was going to have a big role.”
Another injury, this time resulting in ankle surgery, later in college all but brought his playing career to a close. Little did Dalton know how much more he had to give to the game.
The time off the field rehabbing helped him grow as a student of the game. From coaching at RBI Baseball Academy based in Foxboro to interning with Cressey Sports Performance, Dalton got to work understanding an entirely new side of the game. He interned in departments focused around pitching as well as body mechanics and physical performance.
The challenges of his playing career at UMass had drained so much from the Mansfield star and his energy around the game. These new opportunities reignited that passion to make an impact. Dalton went from working to get hitters out himself to understanding the modern analytics that help pitchers do just that.
“I think what’s cool is that we continue to see that the game is ever evolving,” Dalton said. “There’s always new things coming out, whatever it is, new statistics, new ways of coaching, new philosophies. And I think that’s great for the game. Over the past however many years, we as an industry have gotten so much better at training guys, whether it’s to throw harder, to throw with better command, learning pitch design and stuff like that.”
UMass pitcher Tyler Dalton pitches during an NCAA baseball game against Navy on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, in Annapolis, Md. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)
As Dalton entered the home stretch of finishing his master’s degree at UMass, he continued his baseball journey and applied to several entry-level player development positions. He interviewed for a role within the Braves organization. That recorded interview eventually made its way around to the pitching department, and pretty soon after, Dalton interviewed for a different role than the original position and landed a job as a pitching coach for the organization in the Florida Complex League.
That role, beginning for him in 2024, brought on responsibilities of forming critical relationships with young players, many of whom were Spanish-speaking. Dalton found himself learning new approaches and a new language on the fly.
“There are so many variables that go into those younger guys that it really does make it like a whole project at points for guys,” Dalton said. “And it’s a lot of fun to help pave those. It’s a great growth opportunity being at the complex. I really did learn so much being down there for two years.”
Dalton made the jump to Triple-A Gwinnett this season after completing two years with the FCL Braves. The makeup of this staff is a bit different with ascending top arms in the system paired with veteran arms ready to taxi back and forth from the big leagues. The roster moves are frequent in exchanges with Atlanta. Those realities slightly altered the priorities Dalton brings to work on a daily basis.
“I think one of the most important things is just being able to adapt,” Dalton said. “There are going to be a lot of moves here, a lot of up and down, especially with pitchers. And I think just being able to adapt and to respond to those moves and not panic if something happens and two guys need to go up quickly and all of sudden we’re down a couple arms.”
Ultimately, the goal across his coaching journey is the same: help as many pitchers as possible and get them to the show. For Dalton, getting himself to a MLB staff one day is in the back of his mind as well.
“I’m just taking it one day at a time right now,” Dalton said. “I’m really enjoying what I’m doing. Ultimately, the goal is to help as many pitchers achieve their goals in this game as possible. I think that’s No. 1. But, you know, in terms of some personal goals, I would say being a big league pitching coach is probably first for me. I think being a league pitching coach and just helping a major league organization win a World Series.”