The unfortunate saga of Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles has taken a sad turn, as Toles was found sleeping this week behind a Florida airport, then arrested and jailed when he turned down requests to exit.
Toles, 28, played for the Dodgers in 2018 and is currently on the restricted list. He never reported to spring training in 2019, citing an unspecified personal problem. The Dodgers put him on the restricted list to free up space on his 40-man roster, but technically he remains in the organization. In the past, you had a history of mental health problems.
According to the Miami Herald, Toles was found sleeping this week behind the Key West airport with only a black backpack. In his arrest report, the police mentioned his address as “the streets of Key West.”
Here’s more from the Herald:
Toles was sleeping behind the Federal Express building, located at Key West International Airport, 3491 S. Roosevelt Blvd. All he had with him was a black backpack, officers said.
Police said they gave Toles several opportunities to leave the area without being arrested, but that he would not leave, deputy Tomás Venegas wrote.
On Friday, Toles remained at the Stock Island Detention Center on $ 500 bail. He has a court date set for July 2 before County Judge Peary Fowler.
Andrew Toles in 2018 with the Dodgers and after his arrest this week in Key West, Florida (Getty Images / Monroe County Sheriff’s Office)
Toles was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays at Chipola College in Florida, where he was suspended from the team for breaking team rules. Eventually he asked for his release from the Rays and it was granted. According to a 2018 The Athletic profile, Toles spent time at a mental health treatment center.
Anxiety plagued his minor league career until then. Pedro Moura of The Athletic wrote:
He was imperfect and began to deal with paralyzing anxiety. He struggled to sleep. Regularly, he was late to the stadium and made mental errors on the field, and he regularly listened to manager Jared Sandberg.
After a year out of baseball, Toles signed with the Dodgers and did well in the minors, eventually making it to the big leagues in 2016. Remarkably, he did well in the 2016 postseason for Los Angeles. He divided the time between the minor and major leagues for the Dodgers. in 2017 and 2018.
