Here are a couple recent additions to my Matt Batts collection. As a collector of "Matt" cards, the best "Matt" to play the game is Matt Williams (or maybe an argument could be made for Christy Mathewson, but that missing "T" makes all the difference) but good old Matt Batts holds sentimental value just for the name alone.
As a Matt Flaten, I appreciate Batts' name that also sounds like an action...and a baseball action at that.
Batts was a Boston Red Sox prospect just before the U.S. became involved in World War II and he served in the Air Force from December 1942 to December 1945. He made his pro debut in 1947 with the Red Sox and also played for the Browns, Tigers, White Sox and Reds before retiring after the 1956 season.
Batts was a dependable back stop, who had a career .269 batting average with 26 home runs and 219 RBIs.
While playing for the Browns in 1951, Batts caught for Satchell Paige, who became the American League's first black pitcher that year.
This one is a facsimile autograph in black and authentic pen autograph underneath it. I found this photocard at the National in Chicago in 2019.
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