Matthew Lawton III (born November 3, 1971 in Gulfport, Mississippi) is a right fielder in Major League Baseball who has joined the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 2005 season. Previosly, he played for the Minnesota Twins (1995-2001), New York Mets (2001) and Cleveland Indians (2002-04). He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.
In a 10-season career, Lawton is a .269 hitter with 125 home runs and 577 RBI in 1182 games.
As a leadoff batter, Lawton is among the game's most patient hitters, unafraid to take several pitches before he sees something he likes. Capable of handling almost any type of pitch, he is equally adept at pulling inside pitches or taking outside pitches the opposite way. Lawton has some pop in his bat and runs the bases well, and continually flirts with the 25-25 mark. In the field, his defensive work is adequate and he has a good and secure arm.
Lawton blossomed in 1998, when he posted career-highs in home runs (21), doubles (36) and triples (6), hitting .278 with 91 runs. In 2000 he made the American League All-Star team, and finished the season with .305, 88 RBI and a .406 on base percentage, all career-highs.
After two injury-filled years, in 2004 Lawton played so well in the first half that he made the All-Star team for the second time in his career. After hitting .305 with 15 home runs and 49 RBI at the break, he cooled in the second half but still finished with 20 home runs, 70 RBI, a .277 average and a career-high 109 runs in 150 games.
Lawton was signed by the Pirates as a free agent before the 2005 season. From the leadoff spot, he should help offset the void left after catcher Jason Kendall was traded to Oakland.
External links
- ESPN - profile and daily updates
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