Tommy Pham's Biography
Thomas James Pham, born March 8, 1988, is a distinguished American professional baseball outfielder, currently affiliated with the Kansas City Royals of the Major League Baseball (MLB). Known for his impressive height and weight, standing six feet and one inch tall and weighing 223 pounds, Pham has carved a noteworthy place for himself in the world of baseball.
Born to 17-year-old Tawana and 19-year-old Anhtuan in Las Vegas, Nevada, Pham and his twin sister Brittany began their journey together when their father was incarcerated. His father, born to a Vietnamese mother and an African American father in Vietnam, later moved to the US where he was naturally gifted with American football but found himself tangled in an unfortunate lifestyle of drugs and crime.
Raised by their maternal grandparents due to their mother’s continuous work schedules, Pham and Brittany were often left in the care of others. At the tender age of two, his pediatrician suspected possible rickets, requiring him to wear leg braces for over a year.
Introduced to baseball in high school, Pham developed his love for the sport attending Gorman High School, Centennial High School, and finally, Durango High School. His pitch perfect skills on the field as a pitcher and his equally good skills as an infielder won him the title of the Class 4A All-State Player of the Year by the Reno Gazette-Journal and a second team All-American.
Initially committing to play college baseball at Arizona, before switching to Cal State Fullerton, Pham instead opted to embark on his journey into professional baseball when he was chosen by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 16th round of the 2006 amateur draft. With a signing bonus of $325,000, Pham kicked off his career in 2006, making quite an impact although he had to overcome several injuries.
Despite suffering from vision impairment in 2008 due to keratoconus, Pham made a remarkable recovery the following year thanks to contact lenses that restored his vision to 20/15 in both eyes. His resilience and unwavering determination saw him making his major league debut nine seasons after being drafted, a momentous event in his career.
Pham made baseball history in 2017 when he became the first Cardinals batter since 1900 to record at least a .300 batting average, 20 home runs, 20 doubles, and 20 stolen bases in the same season. Building on the success of his major league debut, he continued to set new records and impress baseball enthusiasts.
Pham’s career started taking off after his long struggle with injuries. His excellent fielding was quickly recognized and he was named the best defensive outfielder of the PCL for 2015 by Baseball America. Pham’s power-packed performance continued to dominate the 2017 season, where he was the third highest in the league in power-speed number (24.0). His performance led to the coining of the term “Pham-tastic” on field and off.
Despite experiencing a major injury in the form of blunt trauma to his head during a batting practice in 2018, Pham returned to action few games later, further solidifying his reputation for resilience.
Constantly striving for improvement, Pham attributes his high performance to frequent workouts and diligent use of technology like Statcast data. As he builds on his impressive career, Pham continues to leave an indelible mark on the baseball industry through his continuous performances on the field. His determination, resilience and skill have left fans eagerly anticipating his future games.
Moreover, Pham has had a remarkable series of games with numerous teams including the St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Chicago White Sox.
Constantly pushing through adversity, navigating injuries and personal battles, Pham has carved a name for himself in the MLB. His reputation of never backing down, coupled with his formidable skills on the field, is a testament to the impressive career of this accomplished baseball athlete. Despite the trials and tribulations that came his way, Pham continues to dominate the MLB, becoming one of the most noteworthy players in the league.
