Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Tim Tawa flashes a smile before taking infield practice at the Salt River Fields in Scottsdale on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Photo by Samuel Nute/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – Quiet settles into the Arizona Diamondbacks clubhouse three hours before first pitch. Second baseman Tim Tawa is in a reflective mood, thinking back on high school days in West Linn, Oregon.
The town isn’t exactly a bursting metropolis with a population of 26,000 people, but it’s a small factory for big-time athletes. Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, Denver Broncos offensive lineman Alex Forsyth, ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt and now Tawa have put the city on the map as the list grows.
Tawa grew up inspired by the talent that grew in his backyard and believed that the big leagues were possible.
“I root for those guys, and they were big parts of helping me get to where I am right now, so really grateful for them and their coaching, their expertise, and their guidance,” Tawa said.
But unlike many big leaguers whose careers were built on perfecting one position, Tawa took a detour with twists, turns and versatility.
Drafted by Arizona in the 11th round in 2021, Tawa climbed through the minors by any means necessary. Last season, he played every position on the field except catcher in Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno. That flexibility became his ticket to the major leagues.
On April 5, he made his MLB debut on the road against the Washington Nationals and recorded a hit, drew a walk and drove in a run. Since then, he has been consistent at the plate, added more hits and RBI to his stat line.
“Tim’s a good baseball player, he’s a very heady baseball player. He’s just got good baseball instincts and he was swinging the bat really well in Triple-A,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said.
Part of Tawa’s good baseball instincts come from his strong academic record in high school and college. His parents always wanted him to attend an Ivy League university not only for athletics, and when graduation grew closer, West Linn baseball coach Joe Monahan offered a hand.
“I talked to his father about his education, and he didn’t want Tim to play at an average academic school … And that is when I reached out to Stanford for him,” Monahan said.
Stanford offered the perfect fit academically and athletically. It also meant the end of Tawa’s two other passions: football and basketball. Monahan remembers the first time he met Tawa. He was 4 years old.
“Tim’s dad, John, recognized me when he said, ‘Coach I need you to play catch with my son.’ (I said,) ‘Your son, how old is he?’ He is four years old, he is going to be the best player.’”
Fast forward to today, and that prediction is accurate. Tawa’s journey to his debut isn’t just a milestone – it’s a moment of gratitude.
“Pretty surreal, exciting to be here just to be a part of this team and get this opportunity and I feel very fortunate and excited for the opportunity,” he said.
After attending baseball camps growing up, football caught his eye in middle school and his talents took off in high school. Former West Linn football coach Chris Miller, also a three-sport star in Oregon, told a story about the first time he met Tawa and his father, John.
Miller had been offered the coaching job at West Linn but hadn’t quite made his decision yet.
John sent a letter to Chris that ultimately sealed the deal.
“Tim’s dad, John, sent me about a two thirds page email saying this is what you would be getting if you came up to West Linn,” said Miller, who spent 10 years as an NFL quarterback. “He listed all of Tim’s middle school accomplishments. … It was really funny.”
Heading into his sophomore season, Tawa competed for the starting quarterback position. West Linn opened the 2014-2015 season against the second-ranked team in the state, Oregon City High School.
Tawa started the season on the bench for the first half. At halftime, West Linn trailed 14-7, and Miller and his staff had a tough decision to make.
Keep the current quarterback in or switch to Tawa?
“We were talking about which quarterback to play and one of my coaches said, ‘Hey, Tim brings us more of his escape ability and athleticism.’ So we went with him and never looked back,” Miller said.
Tawa gave them no reason to look back. He finished the season with 2,943 passing yards and 38 touchdowns that season. Additionally, Tawa had a 137.7 QB rating that not only led West Linn to a state quarterfinals appearance, but earned him Oregon’s Gatorade Player of the Year Award as the first player in the school’s history to earn the honor.
While Tawa’s sophomore year was impressive, it was only the start to one of Oregon’s top high school football careers.
The junior broke Oregon’s single-season passing record with 4,420 yards in 2015. Along with the passing yards record, Tawa also landed in the top 10 in passing touchdowns in a season with 50.
As a senior, national recognition began to roll in. He became one of the nation’s best quarterbacks with 3,394 passing yards and 55 touchdowns. Following his illustrious senior season, Tawa was named to the Max Preps-All American team as an all-purpose player and the MaxPreps National Male High School Athlete of the Year.
Even after setting multiple state football records and compiling numerous awards, Tawa still elected to continue his athletic career on the basketball court, where he didn’t receive significant playing time but still made an impact.
“Tim got some minutes, but it wasn’t like he got major minutes, but he was a great teammate,” West Linn basketball Eric Viuhkola said. “He worked his ass off, went in, wasn’t scared of Peyton (Pritchard) and would challenge him. It was just two great athletes going at it all the time in practice.”
Tawa played basketball to strengthen his skills on the baseball diamond and improve his conditioning and agility.
“I always just admired him so much for that. For him to make that sacrifice, to be part of a team, when he knew he wasn’t going to have an integral role, but still wanted to be part of the team. … I think it said a lot about him and the competitor he is, and just an all around athlete,” Viuhkola said.
The additional work in other sports only helped Tawa on the baseball field. In his freshman season, Monahan told Tawa that he would have to start in center field. His athleticism that came from the basketball court would suit him for the demands of the position.
After leading the team in hitting and playing a pivotal role toward league championship as a freshman, Monahan had no choice but to slot Tawa in at shortstop.
“(The) next year, I asked him to play shortstop and I explained to him and his father, when you look at right hitting outfielders, a good majority of them played shortstop in high school,” Monahan said.
Sophomore year saw Tawa return to the outfield. Just three games into the season, Tawa put in a request with Monahan that would stick to this day.
“Tim came to me and said to the coach, ‘I am ready to go back to shortstop,’” Monahan said.
That decision paid off. Tawa went on to hit .434 and post a jaw-dropping 0.69 ERA over 33 innings to earn Oregon’s Gatorade Player of the Year. It was clear before the age of 5 that he wasn’t just another mult-sport athlete. He was different.
Now, years later in the major leagues, Tawa has the same drive and humility.
“I’ll try and follow along as best I can with, you know, the baseball team, basketball team, football team. Just see how you know the high school alma mater is doing,” he said. “I root for those guys, and they were big parts of helping me get to where I am right now, so really grateful for them and their coaching, their expertise, and their guidance.”
