Historical Orioles Player Retrospectives- Tony Batista

Perhaps the most unique batting stance from a player covered so far, Tony Batista would stand with a completely open stance before bringing his lead leg around for the pitch.

Batista signed with the Oakland Athletics out of the Dominican Republic during the winter of 1991. He would rise through the minors fairly steadily, reaching a new level every season before making his debut on June 3rd 1996.

Batista struggled defensively at shortstop for the A's and was replaced by Miguel Tejada in 1997. Left unprotected, he was picked by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the expansion draft. During a hitless streak in the Dominican winter league, Batista adopted a unique wide-open stance, which revived his hitting. In 1998, he hit 18 home runs for the Diamondbacks, playing multiple infield positions. After a trade to the Blue Jays in 1999, Batista hit 26 homers. His best season came in 2000, with 41 home runs and 114 RBIs, earning his first All-Star appearance, but he slumped in 2001, batting just .207 with 13 homers.

Batista joined the Orioles on waivers, his fourth team in five seasons, and hit .266 with 12 home runs for the rest of the year. In 2002, he played 161 games, batted .244 with 31 homers, and earned his second All-Star selection. On Opening Day that year he hit a grand slam off Roger Clemens for a 10-3 win, the first Orioles game without Cal Ripken on the opening day roster since 1981. This would be considered one of the best Opening Day performances by an Orioles in Baltimore history. In 2003, he played another 161 games, hitting .235 with 26 home runs.

After the season, he signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Expos, his fifth team in seven seasons, batting .241 with 32 home runs and 110 RBIs, seventh in the NL. Despite hitting 89 home runs and driving in 296 runs over three seasons, and with interest from several other clubs on major league deals, Batista opted for a two-year, $15 million contract with Japan's Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, which included a $5 million signing bonus—far more than any MLB offer. At 31, he played 135 of 136 games, batting .263 with 27 home runs. However, his laid-back style earned him the nickname "Mr. Nonchalant," and despite strong stats, his performance didn’t justify his high salary. The Hawks, seeking younger talent, bought out his contract for $4.5 million instead of paying another $15 million.

Two days after his release from Japan, on December 15, 2005, Batista signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the Minnesota Twins, expected to fill a power gap as a third baseman and designated hitter. However, in 50 games, he batted just .236 with 5 home runs and was released on June 14. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire explained, "If you are not going to hit home runs, then you’ve got to be able to run. We were hoping that Tony would hit a few more home runs."

After his release he would spend time in a couple different minor league organizations and play internationally again. He would make a brief appearance with the Nationals as a first baseman, playing half a season before eventually also being released. After his playing career was over Batista spent some time coaching both in Japan and the Dominican Republic, but his main focus in life is Christian missionary work.

Batista didn't play long enough to be eligible the Hall of Fame and probably wouldn't have even made the ballot if he could, but he was the Orioles lone All Star in 2002, joining players like Ty Wiggington, George Sherrill, and BJ Ryan as guys that make you go “hey remember when he was an All Star in the 2000s”