Tony Batista
Third baseman / Shortstop
Born: December 9, 1973 (1973-12-09) (age 35) Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 3, 1996 for the Oakland Athletics
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 2007 for the Washington Nationals
Career statistics
Batting average	.251
Home runs	221
Runs batted in	718
Teams
Oakland Athletics (1996–1997) Arizona Diamondbacks (1998–1999) Toronto Blue Jays (1999–2001) Baltimore Orioles (2001–2003) Montreal Expos (2004) Fukuoka Softbank Hawks (2005) Minnesota Twins (2006) Washington Nationals (2007)
Career highlights and awards
2× All-Star selection (2000, 2002)

Leocadio Francisco "Tony" Batista (born December 9, 1973 in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) is a former Major League Baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He played in the major leagues from 1996 to 2004 and 2006 to 2007, and with the Softbank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League in 2005. After the season ended, he was released by the Hawks because of his low on-base percentage, and the team's policy of raising young players.

His major league career began in 1996. He played for the Oakland A's, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Montreal Expos, before moving on to Japan for the 2005 season.

He has played first base, second base, shortstop, third base and designated hitter. He is known for his unique batting routine.

He has good power, hitting 221 home runs, but has only a .251 batting average. His biggest offensive problem is that he seldom walks, and he has a very low .298 OBP.

He was elected to the American League All-Star team twice (2000 and 2002).

[edit] Blue Jays years (1999–2001)

Tony Batista was acquired out of necessity by the Toronto Blue Jays when they learned that their starting shortstop Alex Gonzalez, would be lost to them for the season in June of 1999.^[1] Batista became a dependable player for the Jays but after two good seasons, he was released in 2001 and joined the Baltimore Orioles

[edit] Baltimore Orioles (2001-2003)

Batista played for the Orioles for 72 games in 2001 and the entire 2002 and 2003 seasons, being named an All-Star in 2002 and posting many season career highs. One of Batista's greatest moments as an Oriole was Opening Day 2002, the first post-Cal Ripken game. Batista hit a grand slam off Roger Clemens in a 10-3 win over the New York Yankees ^[2].

[edit] 2005 season

After the 2004 season, he signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Japan. In 2005, he batted .263, with 27 home runs and 90 RBI. He was released by the Hawks following the season.

On December 15, 2005, Batista signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Twins, worth $1.25 million if he made the team out of spring training. On June 13, 2006, the Twins designated him for assignment, ending his tenure with the team. He was replaced at third by Nick Punto.

[edit] Washington Nationals

On February 14, 2007, he signed a minor-league deal with the Washington Nationals. He joined the Nationals' major-league roster on May 8, 2007. He started a few games at first base, and was used mainly as a pinch-hitter. On December 17, 2007, the Nationals outrighted him to the minor leagues^[3], and on March 10, 2008, Batista signed a minor league contract with the Nationals, but was released in early May.

[edit] See also

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• List of Baltimore Orioles Opening Day Starting Lineups

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Tony Batista: A Man on a Mission (Minnesota Public Radio)
• Tony Batista startling a Japanese pitcher after getting hit by a pitch at YouTube (requires Adobe Flash)
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