Matt Whatley (baseball) explained

Matt Whatley
Team:Texas Rangers
Number:89
Position:Catcher
Bats:Right
Throws:Right
Birth Date:7 January 1996
Birth Place:Claremore, Oklahoma, U.S.
Debutleague:MLB
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat3label:Runs batted in

Matthew Whatley (born January 7, 1996) is an American professional baseball catcher in the Texas Rangers organization.

Amateur career

Whatley attended Claremore High School in Claremore, Oklahoma. He received one offer to play college baseball in NCAA Division I, from Oral Roberts University.[1] He played for the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles.[2] [3] In 2016, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.[4] In 2017, he won the Johnny Bench Award.[5] [6]

The Texas Rangers selected Whatley in the third round of the 2017 MLB draft.[7] He signed with the Rangers, receiving a $517,100 signing bonus.[8]

Professional career

He spent 2017 with both the AZL Rangers and the Spokane Indians, posting a combined .295 batting average with six home runs and 28 RBIs in 44 games between the two clubs.[9] Whatley began the 2018 season with the Down East Wood Ducks of the High–A Carolina League[10] and was reassigned to the Hickory Crawdads of the Single–A South Atlantic League at the end of the season. In 52 games between both teams, Whatley hit .179 with three home runs and 14 RBIs.[11] Whatley was assigned back to Hickory for the 2019 season,[12] hitting .234/.349./321/.670 with four home runs, 49 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases.[13] [14] Whatley played in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros following the 2019 season.[15] Whatley was named the Texas Rangers 2019 Minor League Defender of the Year.[16] Whatley did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[17]

He spent the 2021 season with the Frisco RoughRiders of the Double-A Central, hitting .203/.316/.282/.598 with four home runs and 14 RBIs. He split the 2022 season between Frisco and the Round Rock Express of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, hitting a combined .228/.287/.328/.615 with 4 home runs and 16 RBI.[18] In 70 games for Round Rock in 2023, he batted .203/.290/.322 with 6 home runs, 25 RBI, and 5 stolen bases. Whatley elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2023.[19]

On November 27, 2023, Whatley re-signed with the Rangers organization on a minor league contract.[20]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Paul Suellentrop. Oral Roberts, Long Beach State, Louisiana Tech catchers candidates for Johnny Bench Award. The Wichita Eagle. February 1, 2017. June 29, 2017.
  2. News: Mike Brown. MLB Draft: ORU, former Zebras catcher Matt Whatley seems bound for next level. Tulsa World. June 12, 2017. June 29, 2017.
  3. Web site: The time has come for Matt Whatley. Claremore Daily Progress. May 19, 2017. Rick Heaton. June 29, 2017.
  4. Web site: Matthew Whatley . pointstreak.com . September 25, 2019.
  5. News: ORU catcher Matt Whatley a finalist for Johnny Bench Award. Tulsa World. June 5, 2017. Staff Report. June 29, 2017.
  6. Web site: Chase Shannon. ORU's Whatley wins Johnny Bench Award. KAKE. June 29, 2017. February 27, 2018.
  7. Web site: T.R. Sullivan. Rangers select Matt Whatley in third round. MLB.com. January 20, 2016. June 29, 2017.
  8. Web site: Sam Butler. Rangers sign eight more Draft picks. MLB.com. January 20, 2016. June 29, 2017.
  9. Web site: Matt Whatley Stats, Highlights, Bio. MiLB.com. November 10, 2017.
  10. Web site: Year two underway for Whatley, Howe, Battenfield. Claremore Daily Progress. May 24, 2018. Rick Heaton. May 24, 2018.
  11. Web site: Matt Whatley Stats, Highlights, Bio. MiLB.com. December 28, 2018.
  12. Web site: Crawdads Announce Opening Night Roster. Ashley Salinas. MiLB.com. March 27, 2019. March 27, 2019.
  13. Web site: Whatley using hot start in AFL as proving ground. Jim Callis. MLB.com. October 3, 2019. October 3, 2019.
  14. Web site: Crawdads to tangle with Legends for SAL championship. Mark Parker. Hickory Daily Record. September 8, 2019. September 11, 2019.
  15. Web site: Arizona Fall League rosters revealed. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Mike Rosenbaum. MLB.com. August 28, 2019. August 28, 2019.
  16. Web site: Rangers announce 2019 Minor League Award winners. John Blake. MLB.com. September 27, 2019. September 27, 2019.
  17. Web site: 2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled. December 8, 2023. mlb.com. en.
  18. Web site: Barry Lewis: Top prospects, experience lead to high expectations for Drillers.
  19. Web site: 2023 MiLB Free Agents. December 8, 2023. baseballamerica.com. en.
  20. https://www.milb.com/transactions/2023-11-27

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