On November 3, 2011 the Braves acquired Joe Mather off waivers from St. Louis. Some fans might remember Mather from the marathon game between the Mets and Cardinals last Spring where he came in to pitch in the 19th and 20th innings and ultimately got the loss for St. Louis. After this, he was sent back down to the minors and not heard from again for the rest of the season.
So, who is Joe Mather? He only has 211 at bats in two brieft stints with St. Louis since 2008 and not great numbers to show for them. The 28 year old now finds himself in a much more important role with potential for many more plate appearances now that he is one of Atlanta’s utility players. Chipper Jones’ knee is unproven and Mather could find himself spending substantial amounts of time playing left field, as Prado would have to fill in for an injured Chipper at third. (knock on wood!)
The Braves must have some faith in Mather beyond his numbers if they signed him to fill this role.
Hitting only .233 in his big league at bats, fans might not have been too happy with the signing. Digging a little deeper and looking at Mather’s minor league stats shows that he just might have some potential to make things happen in a Braves uniform:
- Mather has been in the minors since 2001, racking up a total of almost 3,000 at bats
- In 2007, playing at the AA and AAA level, Mather hit 31 home runs and batted .271
- In 2010, Mather hit .275 while knocking in 46 in 376 at bats
There are also some negatives:
- Mather has a career .255 batting average and .332 OBP in the minors
- Consistency: after great power numbers in 2006-2007, Mather was quiet in 2008-2009 before making a slight resurgence in 2010.
It will be interesting to see what kind of role Mather plays for the 2011 Braves and if he succeeds at fulfilling that role. At the very least, we have a utility guy who has been playing professional baseball for 10 years and has a lot of experience under his belt. I don’t think he’s gotten his opportunity to shine in the bigs with only a few small stints with the Cards. 2011 will be a chance for Mather to prove he is worthy of playing and staying on a Major League roster.
