Matt Batts

Matthew Daniel Batts (October 16, 1921 – July 14, 2013) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher from 1947 through 1956 for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds. A slap hitter, Batts played mostly backup roles over the course of his career; during parts of ten MLB seasons, he appeared in 546 games with a .269 batting average, 26 home runs, and 219 runs batted in.

Early and personal life Batts was born in San Antonio, Texas. When his mother died, his father married his mother's sister.

Path to the majors

Growing up in the sandlots of San Antonio, Batts batted and threw right-handed. But in a fluke position change up, he found his niche behind the plate on a semipro team. He was a freshman at Baylor University and was recruited by Red Sox scouts. However, in 1942 when he signed with Boston in exchange for paying his tuition, the Baylor team dropped him.

Batts' first season in the minor leagues was 1942, when he played for the Canton Terriers, Boston's affiliate in the Class C Middle Atlantic League. In 126 games, he batted .294, while hitting 10 home runs. He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II from December 1942 through December 1945; he was stationed at Randolph Field in Texas and rose to the rank of sergeant.

In 1946, Batts played for the Lynn Red Sox in the Class B New England League, appearing in 98 games and batting .337 with 12 home runs. While with the Lynn Red Sox, Don Newcombe, future Most Valuable Player in the National League, recalled Batts as being a "redneck from the South," and Batts thought it was funny to follow the old racist custom of rubbing a Negro's head for good luck.

During 1947, Batts played for two Boston affiliates; the Scranton Red Sox of the Class A Eastern League, and the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Class AAA International League. He only appeared in 8 games with Scranton, losing playing time to another catcher, before transferring to Toronto when their catcher was injured. He appeared in 7 games before the end of the season, batting .500 (8-for-16).

During the season, as backup catcher to Birdie Tebbetts, Batts appeared in 46 games while batting .314 with 1 home run and 24 RBI. The Red Sox and Indians finished the season with identical records of 96–58, and had a playoff game that was won by the Indians. Batts was using sparingly down the stretch run, having only 12 plate appearances during September, and did not appear in the playoff game.

Batts had an increase in playing time the next two years; in he played in 60 games but only hit for a .242 average with 3 home runs and 31 RBI, while in he appeared in 75 games and raised his average to .273 with 4 home runs and 34 RBI. Batts was known for his anti-Semitic baiting of future MVP and four-time All Star Al Rosen, who challenged Batts but was interrupted by other players who rushed Batts away.

Manager Steve O'Neill took over the team, and Batts said "he didn't like me for some reason."

The following June, Ginsberg was traded, and Batts took over as starting catcher; for the 1953 season he appeared in 116 games with a .278 average, 6 home runs, and 42 RBI. He fielded 514 total chances, the most of his career, led all AL catchers in passed balls, with 13, the 24 stolen bases he allowed were 5th-most among all AL catchers, and he had a .986 fielding percentage, as his 7 errors at catcher were 5th-most of all NL catchers. He spent most of the season with a Reds' farm team, the Nashville Volunteers of the Class AA Southern Association, hitting .258 in 98 games. The next season in the minors he batted .222/.298/.278 for AA Birmingham.

After the majors Batts played a final season in the minor leagues; during 1957 he spent time with the Birmingham Barons and the San Antonio Missions, both at the Class AA level, appearing in a total of 89 games with a .243 average. Later, Batts and his wife Arlene moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after fans recruited him to coach baseball clinics and the sheriff recruited him to help with juvenile crime problems.