Matt Kata
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Pirates — No. 6 | |
| Utility player | |
| Born: March 14, 1978 Fairview Park, Ohio |
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| Bats: Switch | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| June 15, 2003 for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2007) |
|
| Batting average | .242 |
| Home runs | 12 |
| Runs batted in | 58 |
| Teams | |
Matthew John Kata (born on March 14, 1978 in Fairview Park, Ohio) is a Major League Baseball infielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
Kata graduated from St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio in 1996 and attended college at Vanderbilt University. He was selected by Arizona in the ninth round of the 1999 amateur draft and made his major league debut for the Diamondbacks June 15, 2003. He also played briefly for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2005 and the Texas Rangers in 2007.[1]
Along with Robby Hammock, Alex Cintron and Brandon Webb, he was one of the "Baby Backs" who were called up when a surge of injuries hit Diamondbacks veteran players in 2003. The Baby Backs were popular and contributed to a winning season, but ultimately failed to make the playoffs.[2]
Kata was signed to a minor league contract by the Texas Rangers in November 2006[3] and was a non-roster invitee to their 2007 spring training camp. He earned a spot on the team's opening day roster as a utility player.[4] He appeared in 31 games for Texas before he was designated for assignment June 5 when the Rangers activated pitcher John Rheinecker and infielder/outfielder Jerry Hairston from the disabled list.[5] After clearing waivers, he signed a minor league contract with Pittsburgh on June 15 and was recalled by the Pirates June 30. Kata became a free agent after the season.
On December 21, 2007, the Colorado Rockies signed Kata to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Kata did not make the team and opted for free agency. On March 30, 2008, Kata rejoined the Pittsburgh Pirates organization by signing a minor league contract.
[edit] References
- ^ Texas Rangers 2007 Media Guide. Major League Baseball, pgs. 89-90. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
- ^ McManaman, Bob. "2003: Finest moment", The Arizona Republic, March 27, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
- ^ MLB.com (November 8, 2006). "Texas Rangers sign infielder/outfielder Matt Kata". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
- ^ Sullivan, T.R. (April 1, 2007). Notes: Rangers finalize 25-man roster. MLB.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
- ^ Sullivan, T.R. (June 5, 2007). Notes: Teixeira part of team's future. MLB.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Career statistics and player information from MLB
- The Baseball Cube player page
