Joseph Paul Mather (born July 23, 1982) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

and current

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He is the hitting coach for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He previously was a coach for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. He played in MLB for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

Early life

Mather was born on July 23, 1982, in

Sandpoint, Idaho Sandpoint (Kutenai language: kamanqukuⱡ) is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Bonner County, Idaho, Bonner County, Idaho. Its population was 8,639 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Sandpoint's major economic contributor ...

. At

Mountain Pointe High School Mountain Pointe High School is a secondary school located in Ahwatukee, Arizona one of eight public high schools serving the Tempe Union High School District. History The Ahwatukee area of Phoenix experienced explosive growth in the 1990s. The K ...

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

,ƒ he played

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

and was also an All-State performer in

. He also set the school record for the most RBI and

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s in a career. Mather also earned nicknames such as "Joey Bombs", "Jo-Jo" and Joe

Cotton Mather Cotton Mather (; February 12, 1663 – February 13, 1728) was a New England Puritan clergyman and a prolific writer. Educated at Harvard College, in 1685 he joined his father Increase as minister of the Congregationalist Old North Meeting H ...

, a reference to the 17th century puritan minister.

Professional playing career

Minor leagues

In 38 games with the

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

before his promotion to the St. Louis Cardinals, Mather

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

.315 with 12 home runs, 24 RBI, and slugged .671.

St. Louis Cardinals

On May 30, , Mather was promoted from Triple-A to the Major league club after outfielder

Chris Duncan Christopher Edwin Duncan (May 5, 1981 – September 6, 2019) was an American professional baseball left fielder and first baseman. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2005 through 2009. He was the younges ...

was optioned to Triple-A . On the same day as his call-up, he was in the starting lineup as the

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

for the Cardinals. He picked up his first major league

and RBI in the 7th inning, driving in the game-winning

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

. He was the last man cut in April

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, for the team to get to the 25-man roster before Opening Day (Apr. 6). On April 17, 2010, Mather came in for a stint as pitcher in the 19th and 20th innings against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

, picking up the loss in the game when the Mets won 2–1 in the 20th.

Atlanta Braves

Mather was claimed by the Atlanta Braves on November 3, 2010. After failing to make the Braves' 2011 Opening Day roster, the organization placed him on outright waivers. He cleared waivers and was sent to Triple-A

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...

. On April 28, he had his contract purchased from the minors by the Braves, a move that general manager,

Frank Wren Franklin E. Wren (born March 17, 1958) is an American front office executive in Major League Baseball. He began his baseball career as a minor league player for the Montreal Expos and later joined the team as an executive. Wren moved to the Florid ...

, described as a "necessity." He had a career-high four-hit, four-RBI night when the Braves faced the Angels on May 21, 2011. He was designated for assignment on June 19 and was later outrighted to Triple-A, but he instead opted for free agency.

Colorado Rockies

On July 4, 2011, Mather signed with the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

Chicago Cubs

Mather signed a minor league contract with the

on January 4, 2012. With a successful spring, Mather made the Cubs opening day roster.

Philadelphia Phillies

The

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

signed Mather to a minor league contract but he did not make the team and was released.

Lancaster Barnstormers

He subsequently signed with the

Lancaster Barnstormers The Lancaster Barnstormers (colloquially known as the Stormers) are an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league ...

in the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

Cincinnati Reds

On May 6, 2013, the

signed Mather to a minor league contract and assigned him to the Double A

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home games at Admiral Fetterman Field. In 2012, the team rel ...

Bridgeport Bluefish

Mather signed with the

Bridgeport Bluefish The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...

for the 2014 season.

Coaching career

Mather joined the

organization in 2015, and served as a coach for the

Missoula Osprey The Missoula PaddleHeads are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Missoula, Montana, and play their home games at Ogren Park ...

in 2015 and 2016. He served as the bench coach for the

Jackson Generals The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (1964–2020), Southern League (SL) as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliat ...

in 2017. He served as the manager of the

Visalia Rawhide The Visalia Rawhide are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Visalia, California, and have played their home games at Valley Strong Ballpark since their ...

in 2018. He spent the 2019 season as the Diamondbacks minor league field and hitting coordinator. Mather was hired by the

to serve as their assistant hitting coach on December 17, 2019. On October 28, 2021, the

hired Mather as their hitting coach for the 2022 season.

Personal life

Mather resides in

, and enjoys playing

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

in his free time. Joe has one daughter, Maddy Mather, now four years old. He is also expecting a second child due in 2022.

References

External links

Mather player profile at Scout.com
*http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/sections/sports/sports/article_288564.php *http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-79854352.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Mather, Joe 1982 births Living people People from Sandpoint, Idaho Baseball coaches from Idaho Baseball players from Idaho Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball hitting coaches St. Louis Cardinals players Arizona Diamondbacks coaches Atlanta Braves players Chicago Cubs players Cincinnati Reds coaches Johnson City Cardinals players New Jersey Cardinals players Bridgeport Bluefish players Peoria Chiefs players Mesa Solar Sox players Algodoneros de Guasave players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Swing of the Quad Cities players Palm Beach Cardinals players Memphis Redbirds players Springfield Cardinals players Gulf Coast Cardinals players Gwinnett Braves players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Lancaster Barnstormers players Minor league baseball coaches Minor league baseball managers