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FARGO, N.D. ⁠— The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, along with the American Association, are deeply saddened to learn of Tyler Herron’s passing at the age of 35. The veteran pitcher played for the RedHawks, the Lincoln Saltdogs, the Sioux Falls Canaries and the Winnipeg Goldeyes in the American Association, as well as serving as a player-coach in 2020 for Sioux Falls. 

 

Herron played 16 seasons of professional baseball and appeared in every level of professional minor league baseball. In 68 appearances (62 starts) for the RedHawks spread over five seasons, Herron went 32-17 with a 3.45 ERA and 369 strikeouts. Herron is the RedHawks’ all-time leader in shutouts and ranks in the top 10 for wins, starts, ERA, complete games, and innings pitched. His 425.2 innings pitched rank seventh all-time among RedHawks pitchers.

 

Drafted by St. Louis in the first round (46th overall) of the 2005 MLB Draft out of Wellington High School in Wellington, Fla., Herron spent his first five seasons of professional baseball with the Cardinals organization. He spent the 2010 season with the Kalamazoo Kings in the independent Frontier League before taking the 2011 season off due to injury. 

 

Herron returned to baseball in 2012 and came to Fargo-Moorhead. In his first season with the RedHawks, Herron went 12-3 with a 3.29 ERA in 23 games. He logged 123 innings pitched, striking out 123 batters while only surrendering 45 earned runs to help Fargo-Moorhead to a 65-35 record and its first American Association North Division Championship.

 

“He was quite a guy and a competitive player that you wanted on your team,” said former RedHawks manager Doug Simunic. “He never wanted to come out of a game and he lived to play baseball, 365 days a year.” 

 

Simunic had kept in contact with Tyler since their days in Fargo and added, “it’s a sad day as Tyler was a good person and teammate and was well liked both in the clubhouse and by the fans.”   

 

Following the 2012 season, Herron had his contract purchased by the Washington Nationals organization. Herron spent two seasons in the Nationals system, reaching the Triple-A level for the first time with the Syracuse Chiefs in 2014. After a brief stint with the Somerset Patriots in the Atlantic League, Herron returned to Newman Outdoor Field for the 2015 season. After posting a 0.80 ERA and 5-1 record in seven starts for the RedHawks in 2016 — including the fourth one-hitter in RedHawks history on June 1, 2016 against the Sioux City Explorers — Herron’s contract was purchased again by the New York Mets. After spending two months with the Double-A Binghamton Mets, Herron reached Triple-A again late in the 2016 season with the Las Vegas 51s.

 

“Tyler was a true pro and he was a selfless clubhouse leader,” former RedHawks manager and coach Michael Schlact said. “He was easy to coach because of his work ethic and his drive to improve. Off the field and in the clubhouse, I knew he would take the rookies under his wing and show them the ropes of professional baseball. I’m heartbroken to learn of his passing and I offer my prayers for peace to his family, friends, teammates, and all others close to him.”

 

Herron was stellar in his return to Fargo-Moorhead in 2017 after playing for Team Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, pitching 15 starts with a 9-3 record and 2.92 ERA. After being traded to Lincoln in the off-season, he appeared in 18 games split between the Saltdogs and Winnipeg Goldeyes in 2018. Herron returned to the Atlantic League in 2019 with the High Point Rockers before joining the Sioux Falls Canaries for the final month of the season. Herron played and served as the Canaries’ pitching coach for the 2020 season, going 7-1 with a 4.60 ERA to help lead Sioux Falls to its first AA Finals appearance in a decade. He made three appearances in 2021 for the RedHawks.