Richard Anthony Batchelor (born April 8, 1967), is an American 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 ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather d ...

. He played 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) ...

(MLB) for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals h ...

and

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 ...

between 1993 and 1997. He also played 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 ...

(NPB) for the

Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Yom ...

in 1999.

Career

Born in Florence, South Carolina, Batchelor 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 ...

for the

USC Aiken Pacers The USC Aiken Pacers are the athletic teams that represent the University of South Carolina Aiken, located in Aiken, South Carolina, in intercollegiate sports at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primar ...

of his home state. Initially drafted by 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 ...

in the 1988 MLB draft, he did not sign with the team. He was later selected 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

1989 MLB draft First-round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1989 Major League Baseball draft on June 5. Supplemental first round selections Other notable players * Brian Hunter (outfielder), Brian Hunter, 2nd round, 35th overall ...

, and signed with them. Batchelor began his professional career in 1990, with the Class A

Greensboro Hornets Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

. He advanced through the Yankees' farm system, first reaching the Triple-A level in 1993 with the

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy merchant sailing vessels known as clipp ...

. That season, at the end of August, Batchelor was traded to the

for reliever

Lee Smith Lee Smith is the name of: Arts, entertainment and media *Lee Smith (fiction author) (born 1944), American author of fiction *Lee Smith (film editor) (born 1960), Australian film editor * Lee Smith (musician) (born 1983), American drummer * Lee Smi ...

. Batchelor made his MLB debut with the Cardinals on September 3, 1993. He pitched in nine games with the team through the end of the season, striking out four batters in 10

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning ...

while compiling an 8.10

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

(ERA). During the 1994 and 1995 seasons, Batchelor pitched exclusively for the

Louisville Redbirds Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

, the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate. He returned to the Redbirds in 1996, while also appearing in 11 games with St. Louis, registering a 1.20 ERA while striking out 11 batters in 15 innings of major-league pitching. Batchelor initially split time in 1997 between Louisville and St. Louis, including 10 games for the Cardinals with a 4.50 ERA. In mid-June, Batchelor was part of a multi-player trade that sent him to the

. Batchelor spent the remainder of the 1997 season with the Padres and their Triple-A farm team, the Las Vegas Stars. With the Padres, he appeared in 13 games with a 7.82 ERA. Overall in MLB during 1997, Batchelor struck out 18 batters in innings, and had a combined 5.97 ERA. After the season, he was released by the Padres and signed with 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) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

. He spent the 1998 season with the Indians' Triple-A team, the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

. In 1999, Batchelor played for Triple-A

Tucson Sidewinders , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, an affiliate of the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. ...

, and the

(NPB). He had a 7.94 ERA with the Swallows, appearing in seven games. Batchelor's final professional season was 2000, when he played eight games for the Yankees'

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

farm team, the

Tampa Yankees Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Coun ...

, recording a 5.87 ERA. Overall, Batchelor played in 43 MLB games, recording a 5–1

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

with 5.03 ERA, and 463

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in N ...

games, recording a 30–38 record with 3.44 ERA.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Batchelor, Rich 1967 births Living people Sportspeople from Florence, South Carolina Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from South Carolina USC Aiken Pacers baseball players St. Louis Cardinals players San Diego Padres players Yakult Swallows players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Greensboro Hornets players Albany-Colonie Yankees players Fort Lauderdale Yankees players Columbus Clippers players Louisville Redbirds players Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Tucson Sidewinders players Tampa Yankees players