Education
Tilson attended New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois.
Tilson attended New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois.
He played both baseball and football. Tilson was drafted by the Saint Louis Cardinals in the second round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft. He signed with the Cardinals rather than play college baseball at the University of Illinois.
Tilson made his professional debut that season with the Gulf Coast Cardinals and also played for the Johnson City Cardinals.
He missed the 2012 due to an injury to his shoulder. He returned in 2013 to play in 109 games for the Peoria Chiefs and Palm Beach Cardinals.
He batted.302/.352/.388 with four home runs. Tilson returned to Palm Beach in 2014.
In July he was promoted to the Double-A Springfield Cardinals.
In 120 games, he hit.289/.333/.389 with seven home runs. Tilson started the 2015 season with the Springfield Cardinals of the Texas League. He was a mid-season All-Star selection with a.288 average, seven doubles, four triples with 11 Reserve Bank of India and 36 run scored.
Further, he had hit streaks of eight and 12 games.
The Cardinals added him to their 40-man roster after the season.