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|image=JohnOdom.jpg
|image_size=200px
|caption=Odom with the [[Laredo Broncos]].
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|bats=Right
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|death_place=[[Roswell, Georgia]]
}}
'''John C. Odom''' (January 6, 1982 – November 5, 2008) was a [[minor league baseball]] right-handed [[pitcher]] notable for being traded for ten [[baseball bat]]s. Becausewhile ofplaying thisin eventthe heindependent was[[Golden knownBaseball toLeague]] fansin asMay "Bat2008. Man,"Before "Bathis Guy"stint andin "Batthe Boy."<refGolden name="salon">{{citeBaseball webLeague, |last=Walker|first=Ben|date=2009-03-03|Odom url=http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/us/2009/03/03/D96MPF700_bbo_death_of_a_bat_man/index.htmlplayed |baseball title=Aat tragic[[Tallahassee endCommunity forCollege]] and in the minor-league leaguersystem tradedof forthe batsSan |Francisco accessdate=2009-03-04}}</ref>Giants.
 
Because of the trade, Odom was known to fans as "Bat Man", "Bat Guy" and "Bat Boy."<ref name="salon">{{cite web|last=Walker|first=Ben|date=March 3, 2009|url=http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2009Mar03/0,4675,BBODeathofaBatMan,00.html|title=A tragic end for minor leaguer traded for bats|work=[[Fox News]]|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20170523043533/http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2009Mar03/0,4675,BBODeathofaBatMan,00.html|archivedate=May 23, 2017|url-status=live|accessdate=May 23, 2017}}</ref> Odom left baseball three weeks after the trade, and he died of an accidental drug overdose a few months later.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://deadspin.com/5163870/the-sad-demise-of-john-odom-the-player-traded-for-bats |title=The Sad Demise Of John Odom, The Player Traded For Bats |last=Chandler |first=Rick |date=March 3, 2009 |work=[[Deadspin]] |access-date=April 21, 2017 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20170421035833/http://deadspin.com/5163870/the-sad-demise-of-john-odom-the-player-traded-for-bats |archivedate=April 21, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Baseball career==
 
Odom, 6-foot-2, described himself as a "lost youth." He was kicked off of his high school baseball team in [[Roswell, Georgia]].<ref name="salon"/> He then played two seasons for the [[Tallahassee Community College]] baseball team, going 6-1 with a 2.75 ERA in {{by|2004}}.<ref name="volcanoes">{{cite web| url=http://www.volcanoesbaseball.com/Rosters%20&%20Players/2006_volcanoes_roster_and_bio.htm | title=2005 Volcanoes Roster and Bio | accessdate=2009-03-04}}</ref> In {{by|2003}}, he was drafted in the 44th round by the [[San Francisco Giants]].<ref name="salon"/> He played for the Giants' affiliates [[Salem Keizer Volcanoes]] in {{by|2004}} & {{by|2006}}, and the [[Augusta Greenjackets]] in {{by|2005}}.<ref name="espn">{{cite web| url=http://sports.espn.go.com/minorlbb/news/story?id=3409864 | title=Independent team deals pitcher for 10 maple bats |author=[[Associated Press]]|date=2008-05-26| accessdate=2009-03-04|publisher=[[ESPN.com]]}}</ref><ref name="bbr">{{cite web| url=http://minors.baseball-reference.com/players.cgi?pid=25585 | title=John Odom Statistics (Minor Leagues) | accessdate=2009-03-04|publisher=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref> He missed most of the 2005 season because of a right elbow injury, having [[Tommy John surgery]] in June 2005.<ref name="volcanoes"/> He did not play in {{by|2007}} due to a dislocated left shoulder.<ref name="salon"/> In three seasons and 140.1 career innings in the Giants' farm system, Odom compiled a 3.98 ERA and averaged 7.35 strikeouts per nine innings.<ref name="bbr"/> He was minor league teammates with [[Tim Lincecum]] and [[Kevin Frandsen]].<ref name="salon"/>▼
==Early life==
Odom, 6-foot-2, described himself as a "lost youth." He was kicked off of his high school baseball team in [[Roswell, Georgia]].<ref name="salon"/> He then played two seasons for the [[Tallahassee Community College]] baseball team, going 6-1 with a 2.75 ERA in {{baseball year|2004}}.<ref name="volcanoes">{{cite web| url=http://www.volcanoesbaseball.com/Rosters%20&%20Players/2006_volcanoes_roster_and_bio.htm | title=2005 Volcanoes Roster and Bio | accessdate=2009-03-04}}</ref> In {{baseball year|2003}}, he was drafted in the 44th round by the [[San Francisco Giants]].<ref name="salon"/>
 
==Career==
▲Odom, 6-foot-2, described himself as a "lost youth." He was kicked off of his high school baseball team in [[Roswell, Georgia]].<ref name="salon"/> He then played two seasons for the [[Tallahassee Community College]] baseball team, going 6-1 with a 2.75 ERA in {{by|2004}}.<ref name="volcanoes">{{cite web| url=http://www.volcanoesbaseball.com/Rosters%20&%20Players/2006_volcanoes_roster_and_bio.htm | title=2005 Volcanoes Roster and Bio | accessdate=2009-03-04}}</ref> In {{by|2003}}, he was drafted in the 44th round by the [[San Francisco Giants]].<ref name="salon"/> He played for the Giants' affiliates [[Salem Keizer Volcanoes]] in {{bybaseball year|2004}} &and {{bybaseball year|2006}}, and the [[Augusta Greenjackets]] in {{bybaseball year|2005}}.<ref name="espn">{{cite web| url=http://sports.espn.go.com/minorlbb/news/story?id=3409864 | title=Independent team deals pitcher for 10 maple bats |authoragency=[[Associated Press]]|date=2008-05-26| accessdate=2009-03-04|publisher=[[ESPN.com]]}}</ref><ref name="bbr">{{cite web | url=http://minors.baseball-reference.com/players.cgi?pid=25585 | title=John Odom Statistics (Minor Leagues) | accessdate=2009-03-04 | publisher=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] }}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He missed most of the 2005 season because of a right elbow injury, having [[Tommy John surgery]] in June 2005.<ref name="volcanoes"/> He did not play in {{bybaseball year|2007}} due to a dislocated left shoulder.<ref name="salon"/> In three seasons and 140.1 career innings in the Giants' farm system, Odom compiled a 3.98 ERA and averaged 7.35 strikeouts per nine innings.<ref name="bbr"/> He was minor league teammates with [[Tim Lincecum]] and [[Kevin Frandsen]].<ref name="salon"/>
 
===The trade===
The Giants released Odom during [[spring training]] {{bybaseball year|2008}}.<ref name="salon"/> He then signed in May with the [[Calgary Vipers]] of the [[Golden Baseball League]], but a mark on his [[criminal record]], a 1999 conviction for aggravated assault when he was a minor, prevented his [[Immigration|entry into]] [[Canada]].<ref name="salon"/> The Vipers offered Odom to the [[Laredo Broncos]] for a Bronco player, but that player refused to move to [[Calgary]]. The Broncos then offered $1000 cash for Odom, but the Vipers felt cash deals made the team appear financially unstable. The teams then came to an agreement on May 20 to exchange Odom for ten Prairie Sticks maple bats, worth a total of $665.<ref name="salon"/><ref name="espn"/>
 
In Laredo, they called him [[Batman|"Bat man"]], and played the [[Batman Theme]] when he took the mound. After a bad outing on June 5 in [[Amarillo, Texas]], the heckling from fans and even an umpire was more than he could handle. Although his following outing in [[San Angelo]] on June 10 went well, he decided to leave the team.<ref name="salon"/>
 
==His deathDeath==
On November 5, 2008 Odom died of an accidental overdose from [[heroin]], [[methamphetamine]], [[benzylpiperazine]] and [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]].<ref Therename=salon/> beingIt nowas policeelection reportnight, and noOdom's explanationfamily ofsaid howthat hishe bodyhad gotgone toout thepartying hospital,that thenight.<ref [[medicalname="Tribune">{{cite examiner]]news|last1=Walker|first1=Ben|title=Family had little to go on. Inspired byrep: Odom's tattoo,died whichafter readelection "Poenanight Parparty|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-bbo-death-bat-man-family-030409-2009mar04-story.html|accessdate=January Sapientia" (Pain equals wisdom)14, the2017|work=[[The medical examiner did aSan Diego Union-Tribune]]|agency=[[GoogleAssociated searchPress]]|date=March and4, discovered Odom's baseball past. In hindsight,2009}}</ref> Dan Shwam, Odom's former Broncos manager, suggests the media and fan response to the trade "drove him back to the bottle, that it put him on the road to drugs again."<ref name="salon"/>
 
The ten bats that the Vipers received for Odom were never used, and the Vipers planned to auction them off for charity, but [[Ripley's Believe It or Not!]] purchased them for $10,000.<ref name="salon"/>
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==External links==
*{{baseballstats|cube=John-OdomBaseballstats|brm=odom--001joh}}
*[http://www.volcanoesbaseball.com/Rosters%20&%20Players/John_Odom_Web.jpg 2006 Volcanoes picture of Odom]
*[http://blogs.augusta.com/files/u9551/OdomBat002.jpg Photo of one of the bats]
 
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Odom, John
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = January 6, 1982
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Roswell, Georgia]]
| DATE OF DEATH = November 5, 2008
| PLACE OF DEATH = [[Roswell, Georgia]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odom, John}}
[[Category:Minor league baseball players]]
[[Category:1982 births]]
[[Category:JuniorTallahassee collegeEagles baseball players in the United States]]
[[Category:2008 deaths]]
[[Category:Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players]]
[[Category:Augusta GreenJackets players]]
[[Category:Laredo Broncos players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Roswell, Georgia]]
[[Category:Drug-related deaths in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
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