Honky Tonkin: The Resurgence of Michael Tonkin

Michael Tonkin was drafted by the Minnesota Twins with the 906th pick in the 30th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft. It took him six years in the minor leagues before he finally cracked the major league roster. During his five-year stretch with the Twins, Tonkin had a 3-3 record with a 4.43 ERA in 141 appearances.

On November 8, 2017, Michael Tonkin was released by the Minnesota Twins. Since 2017 he hasn't seen any time at the Major League level. As a matter of fact, he actually spent time overseas. He played in the Japan Pacific League, Japan Eastern League, Mexican League, and the Dominican Winter League. He spent a lot of time outside of America likely wondering if he would ever get a chance to play on the grandest stage of them all once again.

Between 2017-2023, he did get signed by three different major league teams. The Texas Rangers, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Arizona Diamondbacks all took a flyer on Tonkin and gave him a minor-league deal. He spent two months each with the Rangers and Brewers and he spent nine months with the Diamondbacks before being released each time. 

On January 11, 2022, Tonkin was signed to a minor league deal by the Atlanta Braves. He appeared in 47 games for the Stripers in 2022, finishing with a 5-2 record and a 3.17 ERA. He proved that, even at 32 years old, his stuff was still solid. That led to him being called up to Atlanta this year. After five long seasons of uncertainty, he found his way back to the Bigs.

He has made the most of his opportunity this season, working mainly as a long reliever, Tonkin has a 5-2 record with a 3.38 ERA. That's the best ERA he has posted since his rookie year with the Twins in 2013. He only appeared in nine games that season and had a 0.79 ERA. He has appeared in 33 games for the Braves this year and has been the backbone of an injured pitching staff. Sure, he hasn't been perfect, but he has been reliable. That's exactly what Atlanta needed him to be.