Matt Stites

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Matt Stites

|position=Pitcher

|birth_date={{birth date and age|1990|5|28}}

|birth_place=Festus, Missouri, U.S.

|bats=Left

|throws=Right

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=June 19

|debutyear=2014

|debutteam=Arizona Diamondbacks

|finaldate=October 2

|finalyear=2015

|finalteam=Arizona Diamondbacks

|statleague = MLB

| stat1label = Win–loss record

| stat1value = 0–0

| stat2label = Earned run average

| stat2value = 7.13

| stat3label = Strikeouts

| stat3value = 32

|teams=

Arizona Diamondbacks ({{mlby|2014}}–{{mlby|2015}})

}}

Matthew Steven Stites (born May 28, 1990) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2014 to 2015 for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Career

=Amateur=

Stites attended Festus High School in Festus, Missouri. He then enrolled at Jefferson College, where he played for the college baseball team. He had a 9–2 win-loss record and a 1.69 earned run average (ERA) as a sophomore and was named a junior college All-American. In 2010, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League.{{cite web|url=https://baseball.pointstreak.com/player.html?playerid=63329&seasonid=239 |title=#3 Matthew Stites |publisher=pointstreak.com |accessdate=September 23, 2021}} The Chicago Cubs selected Stites in the 33rd round, with the 1,000th overall selection, of the 2010 MLB draft.{{cite web|url=http://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/metro/stites-it-s-a-no-lose-situation/article_4a006c40-eea6-5fcd-bfe6-e5f43301bebd.html|title=Stites: It's a no-lose situation|work=SuburbanJournals|date=June 29, 2010|access-date=August 28, 2015}} Stites opted not to sign, and instead transferred to the University of Missouri, where he played for the Missouri Tigers baseball team. He led the team with 92 innings pitched.

=San Diego Padres=

The San Diego Padres selected Stites in the 17th round, with the 533rd overall selection, of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft.{{cite web|last=Corlija |first=Melvin |url=http://www.columbiatribune.com/sports/baseball/padres-choose-matt-stites/article_c35d40b7-478a-587e-8b9c-95c06cebf3d2.html |title=Padres choose Matt Stites - Columbia Daily Tribune | Columbia Missouri: Baseball |publisher=Columbiatribune.com |date=June 8, 2011 |access-date=August 8, 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2011/6/18/four-tigers-selected-mlb-draft/ |title=Four Tigers selected in MLB Draft – The Maneater |publisher=Themaneater.com |access-date=August 8, 2013}} He split his first professional season between the rookie-level Arizona League Padres and Low-A Eugene Emeralds.

Stites spent the 2012 season with the Single-A Fort Wayne TinCaps. In 42 appearances, he compiled a 2-0 record and 0.74 ERA with 60 strikeouts and 13 saves across {{fraction|48|2|3}} innings pitched.{{Cite web|title=Matt Stites - Stats - Pitching|url=https://www.fangraphs.com/players/matt-stites/12165/stats?position=P|access-date=April 19, 2025|website=fangraphs.com|language=en}} Stites began 2013 with the Double-A San Antonio Missions, logging a 2-2 record and 2.08 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 14 saves across 46 appearances.{{Cite web|title=Matt Stites - Baseball Statistics|url=https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player/156859/|access-date=April 19, 2025|website=thebaseballcube.com|language=en}}

=Arizona Diamondbacks=

On July 31, 2013, the Padres traded Stites along with Joe Thatcher to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Ian Kennedy.{{cite web|author=Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2013/07/31/ian-kennedy-trade-padres-diamondbacks/2603853/ |title=Diamondbacks deal Ian Kennedy to Padres |work=USA Today |date=July 31, 2013 |access-date=August 8, 2013}} He missed the remainder of the 2013 season following an emergency appendectomy.{{cite web|last=Piecoro |first=Nick |url=http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/20130805matt-stites-could-powerful-addition-arizona-diamondbacks-bullpen.html |title=Matt Stites could be a powerful addition to Arizona Diamondbacks' bullpen |work=The Arizona Republic |access-date=July 17, 2017}}

On June 19, 2014, Stites was recalled to Arizona's roster, replacing Tony Campana.{{cite web |url=http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140619&content_id=80563868&vkey=pr_ari&c_id=ari |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703153238/http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140619&content_id=80563868&vkey=pr_ari&c_id=ari |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 3, 2014 |title=Dbacks select Matt Stites from Reno, option Tony Campana to Reno |work=D-backs Press Release |date=June 19, 2014}} In 37 appearances for the Diamondbacks during his rookie campaign, Stites recorded a 5.73 ERA with 26 strikeouts over 33 innings of work.{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/cactus-league/2015/03/12/arizona-diamondbacks-relievers-addison-reed-matt-stites-road-back-action/70252202/ |title=Arizona Diamondbacks relievers Addison Reed, Matt Stites on the road back to action |work=USA Today |access-date=July 17, 2017}}{{Cite web|title=Matt Stites 2014 pitching Stats Per Game|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/gamelog/_/id/32614/year/2014/category/pitching|access-date=April 19, 2025|website=espn.com|language=en}} Stites began the 2015 season in the minors, and was recalled to the major leagues on June 30.{{cite web|url=http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2015/06/30/arizona-diamondbacks-demote-allen-webster-call-matt-stites/29546803/ |title=Arizona Diamondbacks demote Allen Webster, call up Matt Stites |work=The Arizona Republic |date=June 30, 2015 |access-date=July 17, 2017}} In 11 appearances for Arizona, he struggled to a 12.46 ERA with 6 strikeouts across {{fraction|8|2|3}} innings pitched.{{Cite web|title=Matt Stites 2015 pitching Stats Per Game|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/gamelog/_/id/32614/year/2015/category/pitching|access-date=April 19, 2025|website=espn.com|language=en}}

On January 13, 2016, Stites was designated for assignment following the acquisition of Cody Hall.{{Cite web|title=Diamondbacks Designate Matt Stites For Assignment|url=https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/01/diamondbacks-matt-stites-dfa.html|access-date=April 19, 2025|website=mlbtraderumors.com|language=en}} He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A Reno Aces on January 21.{{Cite web|title=Minor MLB Transactions: 1-21-16|url=https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/01/giants-sign-george-kottaras.html|access-date=April 19, 2025|website=mlbtraderumors.com|language=en}} In 47 appearances split between Reno and the Double-A Mobile BayBears, he posted a combined 5-2 record and 2.75 ERA with 46 strikeouts and 16 saves across {{fraction|52|1|3}} innings pitched.{{Cite web|title=D-Backs Farm Report: Matt Stites could be big-league relief option|url=https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/d-backs-farm-report-matt-stites-could-be-big-league-relief-option/749365/|access-date=April 19, 2025|website=arizonasports.com|language=en}}

Stites returned to Reno for the 2017 season, but struggled to a 5.93 ERA with 16 strikeouts in {{fraction|27|1|3}} innings pitched across 23 appearances out of the bullpen. Stites was released by the Diamondbacks organization on July 3, 2017.{{Cite web|title=Matt Stites Player Card|url=https://www.baseballprospectus.com/player/68693/matt-stites/|access-date=April 19, 2025|website=baseballprospectus.com|language=en}}

=York Revolution=

On March 22, 2018, Stites signed with the York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He announced his retirement on April 4, without making an appearance for the team.

Personal life

Stites grew up as a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. His older brother, Cody, serves in the United States Air Force.{{cite web|url=http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2014/06/26/diamondbacks-matt-stites-talks-festus-bad-golf/11441309/ |title=Pitch and catch with ... Diamondbacks' Matt Stites |work=The Arizona Republic |date=June 26, 2014 |access-date=July 17, 2017}}