Tuivailala attended Aragon High School in San Mateo, California. He was a pitcher and infielder for the baseball team along with being a quarterback on the football team, as well as playing basketball.. He committed to play college baseball at Fresno State University. As a senior, he threw a no-hitter in which he struck out 17 batters.\n', 'He is of Tongan and Mexican descent. He grew up a San Francisco Giants fan.\n', '

Tuivailala was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his professional debut for the Gulf Coast Cardinals. Tuivailala played in the outfield, shortstop and third base during his first two seasons in the Cardinals organization. After hitting only .178/.335/.256 in 42 games in 2010 and .253/.331/.329 in 44 games in 2011, he was converted into a relief pitcher before the 2012 season.\n', '

Tuivailala made his pitching debut for the Johnson City Cardinals in 2012. He appeared in 11 games and had a 4.15 earned run average (ERA) in 13 innings with 23 strikeouts, but issued 13 walks. The next season, he played for the Peoria Chiefs where he was 0-3 with a 5.35 ERA 28 relief appearances. Tuivailala started the 2014 season with the Palm Beach Cardinals. In July, he was promoted to the Springfield Cardinals, and in August he was promoted to the Memphis Redbirds. In 48 relief appearances between the three teams he was 2-2 with a 3.15 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. He was promoted to the major leagues on September 8. He made his MLB debut on September 9, and played in two games his rookie season.\n', '

Return to Sam Tuivailala Autograph Profile