Matt Murton
| Matt Murton | |
|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs – No. 19 | |
| Outfielder | |
Bats: right Throws: right | |
| debut | |
| July 8, 2005, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Career statistics (through Through June 10th, 2007) | |
| Batting average | .296 |
| Home runs | 21 |
| Runs batted in | 84 |
| Teams | |
| |
Matthew Henry Murton (born October 3, 1981 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is an outfielder who currently plays Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs. Murton went to and played baseball for Eagle's Landing High School in McDonough, Georgia and later for the Ramblin' Wrecks of Georgia Tech. Murton was acquired (in 2004) from the Boston Red Sox along with Nomar Garciaparra in the famous 4-team deal with the Boston Red Sox to bring Garciaparra to Chicago and was a single-A outfielder at the time. He spent the rest of the year on the single-A Daytona Cubs. He started 2005 with the AA West Tenn Diamond Jaxx and on July 8, he was called up along with Adam Greenberg replacing the struggling Corey Patterson, and Jason Dubois. On the same day, he went 2 for 2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly against the Florida Marlins in his major league debut.
He continued his success in the majors, hitting .321 with two stolen bases, seven home runs, and an on base percentage of .386 in 51 games in 2005 and became one of the only highlights of a disappointing end to the Cubs 2005 season. His surprise success, as well as red hair and clutch hitting made him a fan favorite and earned him nicknames, such as "Thunder Matt", "Big Red" and "The Big Murt". He went from being one of the less well-known prospects in the Cubs organization in early 2005 to being the starting left fielder on the Cubs 2006 team. Due to an acquisition of left fielder Cliff Floyd, Murton has seen his playing time decrease in the 2007 season.
On August 3, 2006, Murton went 4 for 4 with 4 doubles and 5 RBI in game 2 of a double-header against the Arizona Diamondbacks, matching a Major League record for doubles in a single game. He finished the year leading the Cubs in batting average, at .297, with 13 home runs and 62 runs batted in.
External links
- Template:Espn mlb
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference
- Template:Mlb.com
- Thunder Matt's Saloon (Fan site)
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