Byron Mathews

Byron A. Mathews

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 175 lb.
• School University of Oklahoma
• High School Lafayette High School
• Born November 30, 1970 in St. Louis, MO USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Byron Mathews played in the Chicago White Sox system from 1992 to 1995 and in the Montreal Expos organization in 1996. He peaked at High A.

Originally, Mathews was taken by the Baltimore Orioles in the 44th round of the 1989 amateur draft, but opted not to sign. He did sign after being taken by the White Sox in the 3rd round of the 1992 amateur draft, a couple picks after pitcher David Manning and a couple ahead of pitcher Gus Gandarillas. He had previously made the 1992 College World Series All-Tournament team, with the other outfielders being Chris Powell and John Smith. The speedster hit .264/.332/.353 with 42 stolen bases for the Utica Blue Sox his first year to lead the New York-Penn League in steals (and times caught stealing, 15, tied with Demond Smith), then saw his batting averages slip to .245, .239 and .199 in the three succeeding years, respectively—though he still averaged about 23 stolen bases per year during that run. In 1996, he hit .263/.417/.263 in 19 at-bats for the West Palm Beach Expos to wrap up his career.

Overall, Mathews hit .237/.305/.309 with 365 hits and 110 steals in 412 games over 5 seasons.