Craig Tatum
Craig Browning Tatum is a retired American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles from 2009 through 2011.
Early years
Tatum attended Hattiesburg High School where he played baseball as a catcher and pitcher. He was named the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year after hitting a team-best.435 with 51 hits and 54 Runs Batted In. He had a 7-3 pitching record with a save and a 3.94 earned run average and 80 strikeoutsCollege career
Tatum attended Mississippi State University, where he played for the Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team. In 2002 Tatum was redshirted before be the team's starting catcher. In 2004, Tatum hit.325 with 13 home runs and a team-leading 60 RBI, en route to second-team All-All-SEC honors as a sophomore. He majored in Banking and Finance.MLB career
Cincinnati Reds
Tatum was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the third round of the 2004 MLB draft.Image:Craig Tatum.jpg|thumb|right|Tatum playing for Cincinnati Reds in 2009
Tatum was called up from the minors from Triple-A Louisville Bats on July 19, 2009, after starting catcher Ramón Hernández had a knee injury. On July 21, 2009, he made his Major League debut against Los Angeles Dodgers, he went 0-2 and was the last player retired in the game. On July 25, Hanigan was scratched from his scheduled start to a stiff neck which allowed Tatum took his first Major League start against the Chicago Cubs. On July 28 against the San Diego Padres, Tatum notched his first Major League hit and first career RBI with a single that scored Laynce Nix On August 29, 2009, Tatum hit his first career home run, a line drive off knuckleballer Charlie Haeger.