One Year After His Trade To Milwaukee, Rowdy Tellez Has Found A Home

Toronto will always be a special place for Rowdy Tellez.

It’s where he got his first chance to be a big league baseball player. Where he got his first taste of action, his first hit, his first memories.

For that, and so much more, Tellez will always be grateful to the city and the team that calls that city home.

“It was learning how to grow up,” Tellez said. “I signed at 18. I was in big-league camp when I was 19. Being around that environment, I’ve been fortunate to grow up and learn how to handle yourself and then have people in your corner to help you through tough stuff on and off the field.

“Being able to communicate with everybody and knowing that they’re not always gonna be against you, the coaching staff isn’t trying to hold you back. Everybody wants the best for everybody. Just understanding that was big for me.”

While Toronto will always be where Tellez got his start, Milwaukee — where he was traded last July — has quickly become his home.

For the first time in his career, Tellez has become an everyday player and that, more than anything, is what Tellez credits for his career-best production so far. Through 70 games, he’s batting .248 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs while posting a .797 OPS, not to mention some impressive work at first base where he’s made just one error this season.

It’s exactly the kind of production the Brewers were hoping for when they sent the Blue Jays two pitchers for jis services last July and again during the offseason when they opted against bringing back Daniel Vogelbach, essetnially making the starting job Tellez’s to lose.

And it’s also exactly the kind of production Tellez thought he was always capable of but recognized wouldn’t be possible if he was mired in a backup role. And with Vlad Gurrero Jr. emerging as a future superstar at the position in Toronto, Tellez knew that a change of scenery might be the only way to take the next step in his career.

So, he took the bold step of sitting down with Blue Jays GM Russ Atkins to discuss his future.

“I told him, ‘Hey, I love my organization, I love my team, I love everything about it here. But at some point I want to further my career,’ ” Tellez recalled last week before facing his former team for the first time. “I didn’t specifically say, ‘Hey, Ross, I want to be traded.’ I did not say that. But I said, ‘If there’s a chance, I believe in myself more than being in triple-A.”

A few days later, the Blue Jays sent Tellez to Milwaukee and the rest is history.

“I’ve definitely had a smile on my face all day today. I get to see all the guys I came up with, coaching staff that I dealt with. I spent a lot of time with the major-league staff even before I got to the big leagues. It’s just good to see everybody again,” Tellez said. “As soon as I walked out there [on the field,] everybody was wearing me out. Nothing new. It’s just really good to see the guys.”

Along with establishing himself as a key member of the Brewers’ core, Tellez has also endeared himself to the local fans who’ve made a habit of chanting his name every time he comes to the plate.

The chants etched themselves into franchise history last fall when Tellez homered in Game 1 of the NL Division Series against Atlanta, a blast that drove the sold-out crowd into a frenzy and resulted in a curtain call.

The cheers returned Sunday when Tellez bashed home runs in back to back at-bats against his old team, while helping his new team to a 10-3 victory.

All in all, it’s not too bad for a former 30th-round draft pick.

“Coming here, it’s just been kind of a blessing,” Tellez said after that game. “Everybody wants to be somewhere where they can hear their name chanted and be wanted. It’s just great. The fans are awesome here. They’re loyal. I couldn’t ask for a better environment to be in.”