Joe Bateman

Infobox MLB player


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name =Joe Bateman
team =Milwaukee Brewers
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position =Pitcher
birthdate= birth date and age|1980|5|06
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throws =Right
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Jamie W. "Joe" Bateman (born May 6, 1980 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts) is a minor league baseball pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

College

Bateman was a standout at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, Massachusetts from 1999 through 2002. In one of his first starts as a freshman, the three-time All-Conference pitcher tossed a no-hitter against Salem State College.

Minor league career

Bateman was first signed by the San Francisco Giants on June 7, 2002. He began the by|2002 season with their Class A (Short Season) affiliate, the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. After playing there again in by|2003, he was promoted to the Class A Hagerstown Suns in by|2004. During the season, he was promoted to the Double-A Norwich Navigators. During his only at bat of the season, Bateman became the the first pitcher in Navigators history to hit a home run.

In by|2005, he played for the Giants' Class A-Advanced San Jose Giants. In by|2006 and by|2007, he again played for their Double-A club, which had changed to the Connecticut Defenders. In six seasons in the Giants' minor league system, Bateman achieved a 26-24 win-loss record, recorded a 3.07 ERA, tossed 382 strikeouts, and recorded 38 saves. He has been an All-Star three times; in 2004 with Hagerstown (Low A),in 2005 with San Jose (High A), and 2008 with Huntsville (AA).

During the 2007 Rule 5 draft, he was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the Triple-A phase and was assigned to their top farm club, the Nashville Sounds. Prior to the start of the by|2008 season, he was reassigned to their Double-A Huntsville Stars, but was later called back to Nashville mid-season.

Bateman posted the best season of his career in 2008. In Huntsville, he appeared in 26 games (44 2/3 innings) with a 2.47 ERA. He struck out 39 batters while walking only 13. After being called up mid-season to Nashville, he appeared in 23 games, (33 2/3 innings) with a 1.60 ERA and converted all four of his save chances. He struck out 37 batters while walking only 9. Bateman finished the season on a scoreless streak spanning 20 2/3 innings. He allowed only 12 hits during the streak which spanned 15 outings.

References

* [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/Joe-Bateman.shtml "Joe Bateman Statistics".] "The Baseball Cube". 2 February 2008.