Background and career
Miguel Descartes Batista Jerez (born February 19, 1971) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for 12 teams, spending multiple seasons with the Montreal Expos, Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, and New York Mets. Batista was versatile, serving as a starter, reliever, and closer in his career. He signed as an international free agent with the Expos. He made his major league debut in 1992, pitching one game for the Pittsburgh Pirates after being selected in the Rule 5 Draft. He returned to the majors in 1996 and won the 2001 World Series with the Diamondbacks. He signed multi-year contracts with the Blue Jays before the 2004 season and Mariners ahead of the 2007 season. He continued pitching in MLB through the 2012 season.
Batista began playing baseball at age 15. When he was 17, he attended a try out and signed with the Montreal Expos. He pitched in the Dominican Summer League in 1988 and 1989. He made his American debut in 1990, pitching for the Gulf Coast Expos and Rockford Expos. He returned to Rockford for the 1991 season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Batista in the 1991 Rule 5 Draft. He made his MLB debut on April 11, 1992, allowing a two-run home run to Rubén Amaro Jr. in two innings of relief. He was one of the youngest players in MLB that season. After that appearance, Pittsburgh sent him back to the Expos, and he would not return to the majors until August 1996.
Batista returned to the Expos farm system, pitching for the West Palm Beach Expos for the rest of 1992. He pitched for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators in 1993 and 1994. The Expos released him after the season.
On December 9, 1994, Batista signed with the Florida Marlins. He advanced to Triple-A, pitching for the Charlotte Knights in 1995 and 1996. Batista returned to the majors in August 1996. In nine relief appearances in one month, he had a 5.56 ERA and 6 strikeouts in 11+1⁄3 innings.
The Chicago Cubs claimed Batista off waivers on December 17, 1996. He started the 1997 season with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. That August, he returned to the majors. In 11 games, including his first six MLB starts, he was 0–5 with a 5.70 ERA, 27 strikeouts, and 4 home runs allowed in 36+1⁄3 innings.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
