Tyler O'Neill is known as much for his muscles as hitting home runs.
When the St. Louis Cardinals rookie outfielder hit his first major league walk-off homer in September, 2018, a no-doubter to left field, his teammates mobbed him at home plate, doused him with buckets of ice water and ripped his shirt off.
Tyler arrived with the Cardinals the season before in a trade with the Seattle Mariners, the team that drafted him in the third round in 2013, along with a well-earned reputation for crushing baseballs and the nickname "Popeye."
Despite a 5'11'', 210-pound frame, Tyler, 23, has been recorded squatting as much as 585 pounds. But his greatest strength as a ballplayer is not his muscles; it's his mind.
"My mental approach is my greatest strength," he said. "At the end of the day, it's your mind that pushes your body—giving you the control to excel and push forward through barriers and adversities."
The latter, his determination and work ethic, are traits he learned from his parents, Terry and Marilyn. "They taught me to have a strong head on my shoulders and to work hard. This led me to trust my ability and have confidence in myself on the field," said Tyler, the 2018 Hometown Hero. Tyler grew up in Maple Ridge attending Webster's Corners elementary, then Garibaldi secondary. He played minor hockey in Ridge Meadows until age 15. He was a centre and loved the game. He also played soccer and at age 10 started playing in the mosquito division with the Ridge Meadows Minor Baseball Association. He played all over the infield in his early years, and his team won a provincial championship in mosquito.
He played peewee through bantam in Ridge, then junior ball with the Langley Blaze, for which he was a catcher.
His power really started to develop in Grade 10, when he joined the Blaze of the Premier Baseball League. It was also around then that Tyler started seriously lifting weights. He learned how to lift from his dad, a former "Mr. Canada," the nation's best bodybuilder, in 1975. Lifting weights helped build strength to hit the ball hard, he said and "It taught me how to care for my body."
During grades 11 and 12, Tyler played in several US showcase tournaments, in front of college and Division 1 schools, as well as professional scouts. He also played for Team BC and junior Team Canada. He won silver with team BC in 2011. After being drafted, he suited up for Canada at the Pan American Games, earning a gold medal.
After two successful seasons in the minors where he hit 32 then 24 home runs, Tyler, was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. With 19 homers at the AAA level when traded, he hit 12 more with his new team, the Memphis Redbirds, with whom he won the Pacific Coast League championship. "The minor leagues are truly a grind," Tyler said, adding he had to make changes.
His first MLB game was April 19 in Chicago and he hit his first major league homer on May 19. Before his walk-off in September, Tyler hammered a ball 457 feet—third longest by a Cardinals player that season.
Tyler has always hit for power and to do that, he sticks to his training and preventative maintenance programs throughout the year.
Having his mind in the right headspace prior to a workout is also essential for him, as is eating clean—home-cooked meals based around proteins.
"The challenge is worth the reward. You just have to be willing to work for it."