Tony Tarasco

Tony Tarasco, who played eight seasons with six different teams in Major League Baseball and has been on the staff of three professional organizations, was hired as an assistant coach for the San Diego State baseball program, as announced by head coach Shaun Cole on Sept. 25. 2023.

Tarasco remains in the region after serving a five-year stint as the San Diego Padres’ Minor League High Performance and Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator from 2016-20. He also spent the two past two seasons as head varsity baseball coach at Great Oak High School in nearby Temecula, California.

Between his tenures with the Padres and Great Oak High, Tarasco worked one season as the New York Mets’ first base coach and outfield/baserunning coach in 2021.

“Tony is one of the most respected minds in baseball and his teaching skills and baseball knowledge will be a great asset to our program on and off the field,” Cole said. “Tony has experience at all levels of baseball and will bring a unique big-league experience to our student-athletes.”

With the Padres, Tarasco became the first administrator for an MLB organization to hold dual assignments for a full season at an affiliate team as manager and roving coordinator when he skippered the Lake Elsinore Storm during the 2019 campaign, leading his squad to the California League Southern Division championship. He also managed the Charros de Jalisco of the Mexican Pacific League in 2017.

In addition, Tarasco served as the Padres’ coordinator at the 2020 COVID-19 Instructional League and the COVID-19 Alternate MLB player site.

“I’m excited for my first collegiate opportunity and the chance to impact student-athletes,” said Tarasco whose coaching career crossed paths with Cole in the Padres organization from 2016-18. “I’m here to help SDSU baseball win. With an emphasis on winning conference championships and contending on the national stage, I plan to focus on student-athletes’ growth on and off the field.”

Among his numerous responsibilities with the Aztecs, Tarasco will coach third base and oversee outfield and baserunning development while assisting with hitters and recruiting.

Tarasco began his coaching career with a 10-year stint in the Washington Nationals organization, including the final three seasons (2013-15) as the parent team’s first base and outfield coach. With Tarasco on staff, the Nationals captured the NL Eastern Division crown in 2014 and finished as the best baserunning team in the majors that season.

Additionally, Tarasco worked as Washington’s minor league outfielder and baserunning coordinator from 2011-12, leading outfield transitions for such players as Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Taylor. He also served as hitting instructor for the Hagerstown Suns in the Class A South Atlantic League from 2008-10 and the Vermont Lake Monsters of the Class A Short Season New York-Penn League from 2006-07.

Tarasco was selected by Atlanta in the 15th round of the 1988 MLB Amateur Draft out of Santa Monica (Calif.) High School and made his big-league debut with the Braves on April 30, 1993, when he went 2-for-4 at the plate vs. the St. Louis Cardinals.

In addition to the Braves, Tarasco played for the Montreal Expos (1995), Baltimore Orioles (1996-97), Cincinnati Reds (1998), New York Yankees (1999) and New York Mets (2002). He also spent the 2000 campaign as a member of the Hanshin Tigers in the Japanese Central League.

Tarasco played 457 games in the major leagues during his career, batting .240 with 46 doubles, 34 home runs, 39 stolen bases and 118 runs batted in. With the Expos in 1995, he enjoyed one of his most productive seasons, hitting .249 with 18 doubles, 14 homers, 40 RBIs and 24 stolen bases in 126 games.

Tarasco twice won his team’s Community Service Award, earning such honors with the Braves in 1994 and the Orioles in 1997. As a member of the Expos in 1995, he was a finalist for the Roberto Clemente Award, presented annually to the MLB player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.