Matthew Littleton Winters (born March 18, 1960) is a former

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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

player from

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. He played part of one season in

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) ...

with the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...

, and four seasons with the Nippon Ham Fighters in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formatio ...

Career

Winters was drafted by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

in the first round of the 1978 amateur draft, and spent most of his career in the minor leagues. He was released by the Yankees in 1985, and signed with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

, before being returned to the Yankees in a trade for cash and several minor league players. He signed with the

in 1987, and made his major league debut in 1989 with the Royals. He played in 42 games in 1989 before being released at the end of the season. He signed with the Fighters in the Japanese Pacific League in 1990 and quickly emerged as the team's best power hitter, hitting over 30 home runs each of his first four seasons in Japan. He recorded the second most home runs in the league for three consecutive years, behind Orestes Destrade. He also attracted attention from fans for his avid personality; he frequently participated in between-inning dance performances, and performed magic tricks whenever a game was stopped due to rain. His antics and clutch hitting made him one of the most popular players in the league. He dropped to 22 home runs in 1994, and announced his retirement during the off-season. He worked as a scout and coach in the minor leagues before becoming a scout for the Fighters.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winters, Matt 1960 births Living people Albany-Colonie Yankees players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Baseball players from Buffalo, New York Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Columbus Clippers players Fort Lauderdale Yankees players Greensboro Hornets players Kansas City Royals players Major League Baseball outfielders Memphis Chicks players Nashville Sounds players Nippon Ham Fighters players Nippon Professional Baseball designated hitters Omaha Royals players Oneonta Yankees players