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

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

in the

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

organization. He has previously played in

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) 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

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, Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 40,869 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut, Naugatuck Valley ...

and the New England region at the 2008 Little League World Series.

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 New England town, town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut, Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, and borders on the cities of Bridgeport, Co ...

, and 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, ...

Quinnipiac University Quinnipiac University ( ) is a private university in Hamden, Connecticut, United States. The university grants undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. It also hosts the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. History What became ...

. 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 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 June 12, while the remai ...

Professional career

San Diego Padres

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

Arizona League Padres The Arizona Complex League Padres or ACL Padres are a Minor League Baseball team based in Peoria, Arizona. The Padres compete in the Arizona Complex League as a rookie-level affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Peor ...

and

Tri-City Dust Devils The Tri-City Dust Devils are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States ...

, 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 based in Lake Elsinore, California. The Storm compete in the California League as the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond, w ...

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Missions compete in the Texas League as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Nelson W. W ...

, and

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team based in El Paso, Texas. The Chihuahuas compete in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) as the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Sou ...

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 downtow ...

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 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 ...

for the

Peoria Javelinas The Peoria Javelinas are a baseball team based in Peoria, Arizona, that competes in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex. The ballpark is also the spring training facility for the S ...

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

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

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

single off of Ryan Borucki of 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 ...

. 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. 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 (born July 1, 1980), nicknamed "Boomstick", is a Dominican-American former professional baseball designated hitter and right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Ranger ...

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. Back ...

of the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

. 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. Batten appeared in one game for the Padres in 2024, and was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

on August 23. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to El Paso on August 25. Batten elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Atlanta Braves

On February 21, 2025, Batten signed a minor league contract with the

.https://www.milb.com/transactions/2025-02-21

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 21st-century American sportsmen El Paso Chihuahuas players Peoria Javelinas players Gwinnett Stripers players Florida Complex League Braves players