:Jim Vatcher

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1966)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Jim Vatcher

|position=Outfielder

|image=1988 Grand Slam - James Vatcher (cropped).jpg

|caption=Vatcher {{circa}} 1988

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1966|5|27}}

|birth_place=Santa Monica, California, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=May 30

|debutyear=1990

|debutteam=Philadelphia Phillies

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=October 4

|finalyear=1992

|finalteam=San Diego Padres

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.248

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=1

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=11

|teams=

• Philadelphia Phillies ({{mlby|1990}})
• Atlanta Braves ({{mlby|1990}})
• San Diego Padres ({{mlby|1991}}–{{mlby|1992}})

}}

James Ernest Vatcher (born May 27, 1966) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) ({{by|1990}}–{{by|1992}}), for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and San Diego Padres.

Vatcher attended Palisades Charter High School in Los Angeles before beginning his college baseball career at West Los Angeles College. Vatcher then transferred to Cal State Northridge to play in NCAA Division II for the Matadors.{{cite news |last1=Monson |first1=Gordon |title=LITTLE IN A BIG WAY |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-05-15-sp-5108-story.html |access-date=27 May 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 15, 1987}} As a senior, he was voted to the All-California Collegiate Athletic Association First Team as well as the Division II All-America team after hitting .354, scoring 72 runs, hitting 15 home runs and stealing 14 bases.{{cite news |title=Vatcher Named Division II All-American |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-05-28-sp-2973-story.html |access-date=27 May 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 28, 1987}} In spite of that, largely because he stood only {{height|ft=5|in=8}} tall, professional baseball scouts did not show much interest in Vatcher and Gordon Monson wrote in the Los Angeles Times in 1987 that his "playing days [would] probably end" following his senior year at Northridge.

Vatcher was drafted by the Phillies in the 20th round of the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft and assigned to the Utica Blue Sox of the New York–Penn League to begin his professional career.{{cite web |title=Jim Vatcher Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics & History |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=vatche001jam |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=27 May 2021 |language=en}} He made his Major League debut on May 30, 1990, against the San Diego Padres at Veterans Stadium as a pinch hitter for Marvin Freeman.{{cite web |title=San Diego Padres at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score, May 30, 1990 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI199005300.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=27 May 2021 |language=en}} On August 9, he was sent along with Jeff Parrett to the Atlanta Braves as the player to be named later in the trade that had brought Dale Murphy to the Phillies.{{cite web |title=Jim Vatcher Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/vatchji01.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=27 May 2021 |language=en}}

In February 1991, the San Diego Padres claimed Vatcher off waivers from the Braves.{{cite news |last1=Patterson |first1=Don |title=Padres Sign Third Baseman Jim Presley |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-09-sp-609-story.html |access-date=28 May 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 9, 1991}} He spent all but 17 games in the minor leagues with the Las Vegas Stars. His contract was renewed before the 1992 season{{cite news |last1=Nightengale |first1=Bob |title=PADRES UPDATE : NOTEBOOK : Bones Has Strong Performance |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-10-sp-3339-story.html |access-date=28 May 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=March 10, 1992}} and he again spent almost the entire season in the minors. He appeared in only 13 games for the Padres, his last games at the big league level.

During 1994 and 1995, Vatcher spent time in the farm systems of the Phillies, Padres and New York Mets. By 1996, he had moved on to independent baseball, playing for the Madison Black Wolf of the Northern League. He played from 1999 until 2001 with Rimini of the Italian Baseball League, his final seasons in professional baseball.