Matt Stairs

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Matthew Wade Stairs (born February 27, 1968 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada) is a professional baseball player who plays for The Toronto Blue Jays. He married Lisa Astle of Fredericton with whom he has three daughters, Nicole, Alicia and Chandler.^[1] In the off-season, he lives in Bangor, Maine where he coaches hockey for John Bapst Memorial High School, a private high school.

[edit] Early life

Growing up in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Matt Stairs showed athletic ability at an early age, playing Beaver League baseball a year before his age eligibility and excelling in hockey. After Bantam & Midget baseball, at age 16 and 17 he played for the local Marysville Royals of the New Brunswick Senior Baseball League, where he was voted "Rookie of The Year" in 1984 and the league's Most Valuable Player in '85. He was also named Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League MVP in 1987 and '88 playing for the Fredericton Schooners.

After attending the National Baseball Institute (NBI) in Vancouver, British Columbia for one year, he joined the Canadian Junior National team after graduating from Fredericton High School in 1988. From there he went on to play for the Canadian Olympic Team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. He played for Canada at the 1987 World Amateur Championships in Italy where he was named to the "World All-Star" team.

[edit] Professional career

Drafted as a pitcher/shortstop and signed by the Montreal Expos to a minor league contract, Stairs played AA ball in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania where he led the league in hitting and was voted the Eastern League’s 1991 M.V.P. In 1992 and 1993, he moved up to AAA ball (Indianapolis and Ottawa, respectively), with only brief appearances in the majors. On June 8, 1993, his contract was purchased by the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League. After the season, on December 15, 1993 was re-signed as a free agent by Montreal, before being sold on February 18, 1994 to the Boston Red Sox and assigned to Class AA New Britain for the 1994 season. He then started the 1995 season with the Pawtucket farm club until being called up to the major leagues in June 1995. At the end of the season, he accepted an offer to play with the Oakland Athletics. After being called up from AAA Edmonton, Stairs immediately joined a very elite circle when he tied a Major League Baseball record for driving in six runs in one inning.

After four more seasons with the Athletics, during which he hit 122 home runs and drove in 315 RBIs, on November 20, 2000 he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Eric Ireland. The trade was largely seen as a cost-cutting move by the cash-strapped Athletics -- Stairs was set to earn $3.2 million for the 2001 season, and his production had dropped in 2000, as he hit just .227 with 21 home runs and 81 RBIs.

He is only the second Canadian born player to ever hit more than thirty-five home runs in a season and only the second to hit more than 25 home runs and drive in more than 100 runs in back-to-back seasons. He ranks either first or second in power hitting categories of any Canadian to ever play in the Major Leagues. Along with former major league outfielder Larry Walker, Stairs is one of only two Canadian MLB players to hit more than 200 career home runs.

Stairs can play left field, right field, and first base, though his age and increasingly poor speed have earned him a reputation as a defensive liability in the outfield. He still possesses a strong throwing arm, however, and is considered a perfectly capable fielder at first.

At the 2006 Major League Baseball trade deadline, he was traded to the Rangers from the Kansas City Royals. On September 15, 2006, the Detroit Tigers claimed him off waivers from the Rangers.^[2] On the day he was claimed, he immediately went to Detroit, arriving at Comerica Park halfway through the game and immediately took Marcus Thames' place in the lineup.

On December 7, 2006, Stairs and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a one year minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training. He made the team and has seen significant playing time as the fourth outfielder, and replaced Lyle Overbay at first base during Overbay's time on the DL.

The 2007 season rejuvenated Stairs' career, due to increased playing time following injuries to Reed Johnson and Lyle Overbay. Unexpectedly playing everyday, he performed well above expectations, providing consistency at the plate and a valuable veteran presence in the Toronto dugout; team manager John Gibbons publicly stated "I don't know where we'd be without him".^[3] As of September 4, Stairs had the highest slugging average on the Jays at .606 and the highest batting average, hitting .312.

On August 8, 2007, Matt Stairs became the first Toronto Blue Jays player to hit five consecutive doubles in five at bats, and the first Major Leaguer to double in five straight at-bats in fourteen years since Charles Johnson accomplished the feat in 1993. [1] As of September 8, 2007, Stairs was playing quite well for the Blue Jays, with a team leading .315 average on the season and a .989 OPS.

On November 2, 2007, Stairs and the Jays agreed on a two-year contract worth $3,250,000.[2] the contract includes a $1.25 million signing bonus, Stairs will make $1 million in each of the 2 seasons. With performance bonuses, Stairs could make as much as $3.50 million based on plate appearances.

[edit] Career Statistics

[edit] See also

• Players from Canada in MLB
• Top 500 home run hitters of all time

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference

[edit] References

1. ^ http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=122644
2. ^ http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060915/NEWS99/60915026
3. ^ http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/228878