Matthew Albert Batten (born June 22, 1995) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

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 made his MLB debut in 2022.

Early life

Batten was a member of the Shelton National Little League team that represented

Shelton, Connecticut Shelton is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 40,869 at the 2020 United States Census. History Origins Shelton was settled by the English as part of the town of Stratford, Connecticut, in 1639. On May 15, ...

and the New England region at the

2008 Little League World Series The Little League World Series, was held in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It began on August 15 and ended August 24. Eight teams from the United States and eight from throughout the world competed to decide the winner of the 62nd installment ...

Amateur career

Batten attended

St. Joseph High School St. Joseph's School, St. Joseph's Catholic School, St Joseph's School, St Joseph's Catholic School, and variants are frequently used school names, and may refer to: Africa * St Joseph's School, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Asia * St Joseph Higher Secon ...

Trumbull, Connecticut Trumbull is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders on the cities of Bridgeport and Shelton and the towns of Stratford, Fairfield, Easton and Monroe. The population was 36,827 during the 2020 census. Trumbul ...

, and played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

Quinnipiac University Quinnipiac University () is a private university in Hamden, Connecticut. The university grants undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees through its College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Engineering, School of C ...

. During his senior season at Quinnipiac, he set the record for most hits in program history with 249, most stolen bases with 65, and also led the team with a .305 average. After his senior year, he was selected by the

in the 32nd round of the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on J ...

Professional career

Batten signed with the Padres and split his first professional season between the

Arizona League Padres The Arizona Complex League Padres are a Rookie-level affiliate of the San Diego Padres, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona, which is also the ...

and

Tri-City Dust Devils The Tri-City Dust Devils are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels. Tri-City plays their home gam ...

, batting .241 with one home run and twenty RBIs over 49 games. In 2018, he played with the

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The Storm plays their home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond (Pete Lehr Field), which opened in 1994; the park se ...

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded. ...

, and

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in El Paso, Texas, and play their home games at Southwest University ...

with whom he hit .272 with two home runs, 22 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases over 78 games. He returned in 2019 to play two games with the

Amarillo Sod Poodles The Amarillo Sod Poodles, nicknamed the Soddies, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Amarillo, Texas, and play their home games at Hodgetown in downtown ...

and 109 games with El Paso, finishing the season batting .298 with six home runs, 48 RBIs, and twenty doubles over 111 games. After not playing a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season, he split the 2021 season between San Antonio and El Paso and slashed .293/.368/.382 with six home runs, 41 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases over 123 games. He was selected to play in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

for the

Peoria Javelinas The Peoria Javelinas are a baseball team that plays in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. The Javelinas play their home games in the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility for the Sa ...

after the season. He opened the 2022 season with El Paso. On June 30, 2022, the Padres selected Batten's contract and promoted him to the major leagues; he made his MLB debut that night as a pinch runner versus the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. On July 4, Batten recorded his first career hit, a

pinch-hit In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...

single off of

Ryan Borucki Ryan Joseph Borucki (born March 31, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization. He previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. High school Borucki attended Mundelein High Sch ...

of the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

. On August 5, Batten made his first career pitching appearance in a game against the

. In the outing, he recorded his first career strikeout as a pitcher, punching out Dodgers starter

Tyler Anderson Tyler John Anderson (born December 30, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirate ...

. Batten was optioned to Triple-A El Paso to begin the 2023 season. On July 4, 2023, Batten was recalled by the Padres, after

Nelson Cruz Nelson Ramón Cruz Martínez Jr. (born July 1, 1980) is a Dominican-American professional baseball designated hitter and right fielder who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas ...

was designated for assignment. In his first at-bat of the 2023 season, he hit a 2-run homerun to left field on July 8 vs. LHP

David Peterson David Robert Peterson (born December 28, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20th premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990. He was the first Liberal officeholder in 42 years, ending the so-called Tory dynasty. Backgro ...

of 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 ...

. In 43 games for San Diego, Batten hit .258/.355/.358 with 2 home runs and 11 RBI. He was again optioned to Triple–A El Paso to begin the 2024 season.

References

External links

Quinnipiac Bobcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Batten, Matthew 1995 births Living people People from Shelton, Connecticut Baseball players from Fairfield County, Connecticut Major League Baseball infielders San Diego Padres players Quinnipiac Bobcats baseball players Arizona League Padres players Tri-City Dust Devils players Lake Elsinore Storm players San Antonio Missions players Amarillo Sod Poodles players El Paso Chihuahuas players Peoria Javelinas players