Tony Batista
| Tony Batista | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Third baseman / Shortstop | |
| Born: December 9, 1973 Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| June 3, 1996 for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 2007 for the Washington Nationals | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .251 |
| Home runs | 221 |
| Runs batted in | 718 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Leocadio Francisco "Tony" Batista (born December 9, 1973) is a former Major League Baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He played in the major leagues from 1996 to 2004 and 2006 to 2007, and with the Softbank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League in 2005.
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[edit] Career
His major league career began in 1996. He played for the Oakland A's, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Montreal Expos, before moving on to Japan for the 2005 season. After returning from Japan he played for the Minnesota Twins and then the Washington Nationals.
He has played first base, second base, shortstop, third base and designated hitter. He is known for his unique batting routine.
He has good power, hitting 221 home runs, but has only a .251 batting average and seldom walks, with a .298 OBP.
He was elected to the American League All-Star team twice (2000 and 2002).
[edit] Blue Jays years (1999–2001)
Tony Batista was acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays when they learned that their starting shortstop Alex Gonzalez, would be lost to them for the season in June of 1999.[1] Batista was a solid player for the Jays, being voted to the 2000 American League All-Star Team and after two good seasons, was put on waivers in 2001 only to be immediately picked up by the Baltimore Orioles who were looking for someone to fill the legendary shoes of Cal Ripken, who was retiring at the end of that season. In one memorable incident, while playing with the Jays, Batista barely beat out a throw from third base for an infield single. Batista ran past first base, all the way down the first baseline to SkyDome's outfield wall, 328 feet away from home plate. After reaching the outfield wall, Batista walked all the way back to first base.
[edit] Baltimore Orioles (2001–2003)
Batista played for the Orioles for 72 games in 2001 and the entire 2002 and 2003 seasons, being named an All-Star in 2002 and posting many season career highs. One of Batista's greatest moments as an Oriole was Opening Day 2002, the first post-Cal Ripken game. Batista hit a grand slam off Roger Clemens in a 10–3 win over the New York Yankees.[2]
[edit] Montreal Expos (2004)
Batista played for the Expos in 157 games in the 2004 season. In the team's final year in Montreal, Batista was tied for first on the team in home runs with Brad Wilkerson, hitting 32 of them. Despite his .241, Batista was a fan-favorite for his power.
[edit] 2005 season
After the 2004 season, he signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Japan. In 2005, he batted .263, with 27 home runs and 90 RBI. After the season ended, he was released by the Hawks who wished to adhere to the team's policy of raising young players.[citation needed]
On December 15, 2005, Batista signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Twins, worth $1.25 million if he made the team out of spring training. On June 13, 2006, the Twins designated him for assignment, ending his tenure with the team. He was replaced at third by Nick Punto.
[edit] Washington Nationals (2007)
On February 14, 2007, he signed a minor-league deal with the Washington Nationals. He joined the Nationals' major-league roster on May 8, 2007. He started a few games at first base, and was used mainly as a pinch-hitter. On December 17, 2007, the Nationals outrighted him to the minor leagues,[3] and on March 10, 2008, Batista signed a minor league contract with the Nationals, but was released in early May.
[edit] See also
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of Baltimore Orioles Opening Day Starting Lineups
[edit] References
- ^ "Batista, Frascatore for Plesac trade". http://bvtn.blogspot.com/2007/12/batista-frascatore-for-plesac-trade.html.
- ^ "Erickson wins first game in 20 months; Clemens slammed". CNN. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2002/04/01/yankees_orioles_ap/. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
- ^ Tony Batista MLB Baseball at CBSSports.com
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- Tony Batista: A Man on a Mission (Minnesota Public Radio)
- Tony Batista startling a Japanese pitcher after getting hit by a pitch on YouTube
- [1]
- 1973 births
- Living people
- People from Puerto Plata Province
- Toronto Blue Jays players
- Baltimore Orioles players
- Oakland Athletics players
- Arizona Diamondbacks players
- Montreal Expos players
- Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players
- Minnesota Twins players
- Washington Nationals players
- American League All-Stars
- Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic
- Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Japan
- Major League Baseball third basemen
- Major League Baseball shortstops
- Edmonton Trappers players
- Columbus Clippers players
- Águilas Cibaeñas players
