Matthew Vincent LaPorta (born January 8, 1985) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

who played for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) from 2009 to 2012. LaPorta played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

Early years

LaPorta was born in

Port Charlotte, Florida Port Charlotte is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The population was 60,625 at the 2020 census, up from 54,392 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Punta Gorda, FL Metropolitan ...

. He attended Charlotte High School after transferring from

Port Charlotte High School Port Charlotte High School (PCHS) is a State school, public comprehensive U.S. high school located in Port Charlotte, Florida and is located adjacent to Charlotte Technical College. The school opened in 1981, graduated its first class in 1984, i ...

. He played fullback on his freshman

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team for the PCHS Pirates.

College career

LaPorta was originally drafted by the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

in the 14th round of the 2003 MLB Draft, but instead accepted an

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private school, private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the U ...

to attend the

in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Pat McMahon's

Florida Gators baseball The Florida Gators baseball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of baseball. Florida competes in Division I (NCAA), Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), and the of the Southeastern Conference ...

team from 2004 to 2007. In 2004, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

in the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, returned to the league in 2006 to play for the

Brewster Whitecaps The Brewster Whitecaps are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brewster, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Whitecaps play their home games at Stony Bro ...

, and was named a league all-star both seasons. He led NCAA Division I baseball with 26

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s, which garnered LaPorta

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors as he helped lead the team to the

2005 College World Series The 2005 NCAA Division I baseball tournament was held from May 30 through June 26, . Sixty-four NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in ...

final. In , his

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

dipped from .328 to .259. In June, LaPorta was drafted in the fourteenth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

, but he chose to stay at Florida for his senior year; during that season, he earned his second All-American selection. LaPorta batted .402 with twenty

s his senior season with the Gators. Also, LaPorta was recognized as the SEC Player of the Year. He graduated from Florida with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in health and human performance in 2009.

Professional career

Milwaukee Brewers

Minor leagues

LaPorta was drafted by the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

with the seventh overall pick of the

2007 Major League Baseball draft The 2007 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the first 25 rounds and was scheduled to be broadcast "l ...

. On June 25, the Brewers agreed to a contract with LaPorta, giving him a signing bonus of approximately $2 million. After rehabilitating his leg, LaPorta was sent to the Brewers' rookie-level affiliate, the

Helena Brewers The Helena Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pioneer League located in Helena, Montana, from 1978 to 2018. The team played their home games at Kindrick Legion Field, which was built in 1939. They were affiliated with the Milwaukee ...

. In his first

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

as a professional player, LaPorta hit a home run. He played 7 games with Helena in left field and as the

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

. Then in August, LaPorta was moved up to the Brewers' Single-A affiliate, the

West Virginia Power The Charleston Dirty Birds are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a MLB Partner League, partner league ...

. Laporta enjoyed success with the club, hitting 10 home runs in 23 games during the regular season. Like in Helena, he played mostly left field and designated hitter. The Power went on to make the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

playoffs and advanced to the finale, but lost to the

Columbus Catfish The Columbus Catfish were a minor league baseball team in Columbus, Georgia. They were a Class A team in the South Atlantic League, and were an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The Catfish relocated to Bowling Green ...

in a best of 5 series. LaPorta was selected by the Brewers to represent them in the

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

. He played with the

Mesa Solar Sox The Mesa Solar Sox are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games in Mesa, Arizona, at Sloan Park, which is also the spring training facility of the Chicago Cubs. The team was establi ...

for 30 games, and hit 6 home runs during that time, which was tied for the most in the league. IMG 3238 Matt LaPorta

In January, the Brewers announced that LaPorta would be invited to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. On the opening day game for the

Huntsville Stars The Huntsville Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Huntsville, Alabama, from 1985 to 2014. They competed in the Southern League as the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics from 1985 to 1998 and Milw ...

, LaPorta hit a

grand slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...

. By May, some wondered whether LaPorta might be the next

Ryan Braun Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right fielder, right ...

br>
Through June 13, , LaPorta was leading the Southern League (1964–2020), Southern League in home runs with 20 and was batting .288 with 66 RBI.

Cleveland Indians

On July 7, 2008, LaPorta was traded to the

along with Zach Jackson, Rob Bryson, and

Michael Brantley Michael Charles Brantley Jr. (born May 15, 1987), is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians and the Houston Astros. The son of former MLB player and hitting coach M ...

in exchange for

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to and causing it to be stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply l ...

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

CC Sabathia Carsten Charles Sabathia Jr. (born July 21, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, and New York Yankees. Sabathia batted and th ...

.ESPN – Sources: Indians agree to deal Sabathia to Brewers for minor leaguers – MLB
/ref> Upon his arrival to the

Akron Aeros The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,63 ...

, Cleveland's Double-A affiliate, he switched from

right Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...

to left field. LaPorta made his first appearance with the club on July 9. LaPorta was selected to play in the Futures Game on July 13 for

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

. On July 16, LaPorta was one of 24 players selected to represent the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

. Before the Olympics,

competed in exhibition games against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. LaPorta had three home runs and five RBIs in the four games against Canada. USA began play in the Olympics on August 13 against

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

. In a game against

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

on August 18, LaPorta suffered a mild concussion after he was struck in the head by a pitch by Chinese relief pitcher

Chen Kun Chen Kun ( zh, s=陈坤; born February 4, 1976), sometimes credited as Aloys Chen, is a Chinese actor, singer and producer. He rose to fame for the television series '' Love Story in Shanghai'' (2001) and '' The Story of a Noble Family'' (2003). He ...

at the start of the seventh inning. The beaning followed a controversial play in the sixth inning when American outfielder Nate Schierholtz made a hard slide home against backup catcher Yang Yang on a sacrifice fly. Yang was in the game after China's starting catcher Wang Wei left the game after suffering a left knee injury following a collision at the plate with LaPorta in the fifth inning. After being struck by the pitch, LaPorta was taken to a hospital for a precautionary CAT scan; Chen Kun and China's pitching coach Steven Ontiveros were ejected from the game. The United States went on to win the game 9-1. In the Bronze-Medal match against Japan, LaPorta had a solo home run as Team USA won the Bronze Medal. LaPorta attended

with the Indians; he was assigned to the Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

on March 24, 2009. LaPorta batted .333 with five homers, four doubles, two triples, 14 RBI and a 1.054 OPS in 21 games with the Clippers, and was called up to the Indians on May 2.

Major leagues

On May 3, 2009, LaPorta struck out in his first Major League at-bat against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

. The next day, LaPorta recorded his first major league home run hit off of the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

Brian Tallet Brian Curtis Tallet (born September 21, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Tallet played the majority of his career for the Toronto Blue Jays. He also played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cleveland Indians. He is 6' ...

. Going into spring training for the 2010 season, LaPorta was expected to transition to the role of starting first baseman. However, when the Indians signed

Russell Branyan Russell Oles Branyan (born December 19, 1975) is an American former professional baseball first baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians (two occasions), Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers (two occasions), Ta ...

and announced he would be the everyday first baseman, LaPorta instead became a contender for the left field position, along with

. Branyan's back problems limited him to no game action during spring training, causing him to begin the season on the 15-day disabled list. Consequently, LaPorta was moved back to the first baseman position. After Branyan was activated from the disabled list on April 20, LaPorta was moved primarily to the backup first baseman role, with some playing time in left field. In order for him to receive more at-bats and continue his development, LaPorta was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on June 7. On June 27 the Indians traded Branyan to the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners 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 ...

for outfielder

Ezequiel Carrera Ezequiel Manuel Carrera Reyes (born June 11, 1987) is a Venezuelans, Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, and Toronto Blue ...

and shortstop Juan Diaz, LaPorta was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to be the everyday first baseman for the Indians. According to Baseball Reference, LaPorta split the 2012 season between the

Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

(22 games) and Triple-A Columbus (101 games). On November 20, 2012, LaPorta was assigned outright to the Indians' Triple-A affiliate, the

. LaPorta spent the 2013 campaign split between Columbus and the rookie-level

Arizona League Indians The Arizona Complex League Guardians are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. The team is ...

. In 57 appearances for the two affiliates, he slashed a combined .249/.331/.517 with 14 home runs and 40 RBI.

Piratas de Campeche

On February 10, 2014, LaPorta signed a minor league contract with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

organization. He was released by Baltimore prior to the start of the season on March 21. On April 5, 2014, LaPorta signed with the

Piratas de Campeche The Piratas de Campeche (English: Campeche Pirates) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Campeche, Campeche, Mexico. History In 1980, the Alacranes de Durango moved to Campeche, and played their home games at Ven ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. In 32 games for Campeche, he batted .286/.366/.555 with seven home runs and 24 RBI. LaPorta was released by the Piratas on May 13. On April 12, 2015, LaPorta announced his retirement from professional baseball.

Awards and achievements

* 2005 and 2007 SEC Player of the Year * Two time Southern League Player of the Week in 2008 * 2008 USA Olympic Team * 2008 Futures Game selectionFutures Game rosters filled with top prospects, MILB.com
/ref>

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laporta, Matt 1985 births Living people Akron Aeros players All-American college baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American people of Italian descent Arizona League Indians players Baseball players from Charlotte County, Florida Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Brewster Whitecaps players Charlotte High School (Punta Gorda, Florida) alumni Cleveland Indians players Columbus Clippers players Florida Gators baseball players Helena Brewers players Huntsville Stars players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball left fielders Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Mesa Solar Sox players Mexican League baseball first basemen Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in baseball People from Port Charlotte, Florida Piratas de Campeche players Port Charlotte High School alumni West Virginia Power players Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players