Joe Mather
Joseph Paul Mather
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 4", Weight 195-210 lb.
- High School Mountain Pointe High School
- Debut May 30, 2008
- Final Game October 1, 2012
- Born July 23, 1982 in Sandpoint, ID, USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Joe Mather was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 3rd round of the 2001 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Manny Guerra and made his pro debut that summer.
Mather was called up by the Cardinals in late May of 2008 and played quite a bit in the outfield from that point on, getting into 54 games and hitting 8 home runs in 133 at-bats. Unfortunately, his season ended early when he broke his left wrist while attempting to check his swing in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 1; he had hit a home run earlier in that game. The injury, similar to one suffered by Ryan Zimmerman a year earlier, required corrective surgery.
On April 17, 2010, Mather was pressed into action as a pitcher after the Cardinals had run out of pitchers in a marathon game against the New York Mets. Mather took the mound in the 19th inning of a scoreless game, succeeding infielder Felipe Lopez who had pitched a scoreless 18th inning, with the game still scoreless. He gave up a run to the Mets on a sacrifice fly by Jeff Francoeur, but the Cardinals tied the game again in the bottom of the inning against Francisco Rodriguez. So Mather came back to pitch the 20th, and gave up another run, on another sac fly, this time by Jose Reyes, and was saddled with the 2-1 loss.
Mather became a manager with the Missoula Osprey in 2015. He was a coach for the Jackson Generals in 2017. In 2020, he was named to his first major league coaching position as assistant hitting coach of the Cincinnati Reds, staying until the end of the 2021 season. In 2022, he moved to the Arizona Diamondbacks as hitting coach.
Year-By-Year Managerial Record[edit]
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Missoula Osprey | Pioneer League | 42-33 | 2nd | Arizona Diamondbacks | League Champs |
| 2016 | Missoula Osprey | Pioneer League | 33-42 | 7th | Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| 2018 | Visalia Rawhide | California League | 70-70 | 3rd | Arizona Diamondbacks | Lost League Finals |
We're Social...for Statheads
Every Sports Reference Social Media Account
Site Last Updated:
Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction?
Subscribe to our Free Email Newsletter
Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE
Your All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database
Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports? We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Find out more.