St. Louis Browns catcher, Matt Batts, was born on October 16, 1921 in San Antonio, Texas. Batts would a 13-year professional baseball career, with ten seasons in the major leagues. His best career offensive production came while wearing a St. Louis Browns uniform.
Matt Batts learned how to play baseball in the sandlots and later through s
St. Louis Browns catcher, Matt Batts, was born on October 16, 1921 in San Antonio, Texas. Batts would a 13-year professional baseball career, with ten seasons in the major leagues. His best career offensive production came while wearing a St. Louis Browns uniform.
Matt Batts learned how to play baseball in the sandlots and later through semipro leagues of San Antonio. He attended Baylor University (1941), before signing with the Boston Red Sox. He was assigned to the Canton Terriers in 1942 were he batted .294 in 126 games.
Like many ball players of the era, Matt Batts enlisted in the armed services during World War II. He joined the United States Air Force and was assigned to Randolph Air Force base. He reached the rank of sergeant and crew chief working on military and training aircraft.
Batts returned to the Red Sox organization after the war, playing for the Lynn Red Sox (1946), Toronto Maple Leafs (1947), and Scranton Red Sox (1947). He made his MLB debut with Boston on September 10 1947, and would be a member of their catching corp through 1951.
The Browns would acquire Matt Batts, RHP Jim Suchecki, RHP Jim McDonald, and $100,000 when they sent catcher Les Moss to Boston on May 17, 1951. Batts would join Sherm Lollar as the catching duo for the rest of the 1951 season. He would see action in 64 games at catcher and 16 as a pinch hitter. When Batts joined the Browns, he was batting just .133 with Boston. Over the second half of the season, he would hit .302 with the Browns, raising his total average to.285. His best game would come on August 18, in a 20-9 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Batts would go 4-for-6, with four RBIs and scoring four runs himself.
In the final seasons of the Browns in St. Louis, they would often be forced to trade away some of their best players to keep the team afloat. This may be why Matt Batts was included in a seven players deal with the the Detroit Tigers on February 2, 1952. The Browns sent Batts, LHP Dick Littlefield, OF Cliff Mapes, and 1B/PH Ben Taylor to Detroit for LHP Gene Beardon, LHP Bob Cain, and 1B Dick Kryhoski.
Batts would go on to play with Detroit (1952-54), Chicago White Sox (1954), and Cincinnati Reds (1955-56). He would finish his career in the minor leagues with the Indianapolis Indians (1955), Nashville Volunteers 91956), Birmingham Barons (1957), and San Antonio Missions (1958).
Matt Batts would retire from baseball and settle down in Baton Rouge to raise his family, build a printing business, and serve in the local sheriff's department.
TOP 100 BROWNS COUNTDOWN
This website has the only Top 100 list of famous St Louis Browns players. Please feel free to free to visit the tab about for the complete list. Here is a brief portion of the list that recognizes some of the best players in the history of the St. Louis Browns.
PLAYERS 96-100
TOP 100 BROWNS COUNTDOWN
This website has the only Top 100 list of famous St Louis Browns players. Please feel free to free to visit the tab about for the complete list. Here is a brief portion of the list that recognizes some of the best players in the history of the St. Louis Browns.
PLAYERS 96-100
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BROWNS BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1900 - LHP Ernie Wingard (1924-27)
The 1909 St. Louis Browns were a team coming off a promising season in 1908 where they won 83 games and finished in fourth place. The 1908 team drew 618,947 fans and introduced the first "Ladies Nights" that packed the stadium. Everyone in the American League was expecting the 1909 team to challenge for he pennant. It didn't happen that w
The 1909 St. Louis Browns were a team coming off a promising season in 1908 where they won 83 games and finished in fourth place. The 1908 team drew 618,947 fans and introduced the first "Ladies Nights" that packed the stadium. Everyone in the American League was expecting the 1909 team to challenge for he pennant. It didn't happen that way.
The 1909 Browns would drop to a 61-89 record, winning 22 games less than the year before. Everything that went right in 1908, did not carry over the next year. LF George Stone, the best hitter on the team, began the year late due to an arm injury. RF Roy Hartzell would lead the league in plate appearances, but would only hit .271. 1B Tom Jones started the season batting .249, which led to an unpopular trade to the Detroit Tigers. The pitching staff stumbled all season. Rube Waddell and Barney Pelty would only win 11 games each. Jack Powell would have a 12-16 season, while Harry Howell developed a sore arm and was later released by the team.
The poor play and disappointing record would cut the Browns attendance in half. Manager James McAleer, the only manager to lead the Browns, would resign after eight seasons. This was an outcome no one expected , but unfortunately would be a pattern for the franchise.