Miguel Batista

Playing career

Batista began playing baseball at age 15 and signed with the Montreal Expos after a tryout at 17. He pitched in the Dominican Summer League in 1988 and 1989, then made his American debut in 1990 with the Gulf Coast Expos and Rockford Expos, returning to Rockford in 1991. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the 1991 Rule 5 Draft, and he made his MLB debut on April 11, 1992, allowing a two-run home run to Rubén Amaro Jr. in two relief innings. After that appearance, Pittsburgh returned him to the Expos, and he did not return to the majors until August 1996.

He pitched for the West Palm Beach Expos in 1992, then for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators in 1993 and 1994 before being released. On December 9, 1994, he signed with the Florida Marlins and advanced to Triple-A with the Charlotte Knights in 1995 and 1996. He returned to the majors in August 1996, making nine relief appearances with a 5.56 ERA and 6 strikeouts. The Chicago Cubs claimed him off waivers on December 17, 1996; he started 1997 with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs and returned to the majors that August, going 0–5 with a 5.70 ERA in 11 games, including his first six starts.

Montreal Expos (third stint)

On December 12, 1997, the Cubs traded him to the Montreal Expos for Henry Rodríguez in a cost-saving move. Batista spent the entire 1998 season with the Expos, joining the rotation in late April and earning his first MLB win on May 15; he finished with a 3–5 record and 3.80 ERA in 135 innings. In 1999, he pitched his first complete game on April 14, allowing 1 run and striking out six Milwaukee Brewers batters, and threw his first complete game shutout on June 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays, finishing 8–7 with a 4.88 ERA over 39 games.

Arizona Diamondbacks

He started the 2000 season with Montreal but pitched poorly, allowing 13 earned runs in relief innings. The Expos traded him to the Kansas City Royals for Brad Rigby on April 25, 2000, where he had a 2–6 record and 7.74 ERA, starting 9 games and relieving in 5. His best seasons came with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 and 2002, when he went 11–8 and 10–9 with 3.36 and 3.54 ERAs respectively. He pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings at Yankee Stadium in Game 5 of the 2001 World Series and faced one batter in Game 7, getting the second out of the eighth inning before Randy Johnson finished the game.

Batista signed a three-year, $13.1-million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays in December 2003, posting a 4.80 ERA and leading the American League with 94 walks in 2004. In 2005, he was the Jays closer with career highs of 31 saves and 8 blown saves. The Blue Jays traded him back to the Diamondbacks after the 2005 season along with Orlando Hudson for Troy Glaus and prospect Sergio Santos; his record in Arizona was 11–8 with a 4.58 ERA, and he led the National League with 14 wild pitches.

In 2008, he had the lowest percentage of quality starts in the majors at 25% and the fewest innings per start at 4.6, and threw strikes on 57% of his pitches, the lowest rate in the majors. In 2009, he was moved to a long relief role. On January 29, 2010, he agreed to a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals; on July 27, he replaced the injured Stephen Strasburg ten minutes before game time and threw 5 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits and recording 6 strikeouts.

New York Mets

He finished the season with a 3.87 ERA. He signed a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on January 14, 2011, and made the opening day roster.

Personal life

Batista kept a photo of Albert Einstein in his locker in 2001. Manager Bob Brenly said Batista was 'extremely well read, extremely well spoken and a very thoughtful, caring human being.' On September 2, 2009, Batista was nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award for traveling throughout the United States and Latin America to deliver baseball equipment and medical supplies and speaking to kids about education and determination. During the offseason, Batista pitches for the Aguilas Cibaeñas of the Dominican Winter League.