Blue Jays: Former pitcher Mat Latos in court for alleged assault case

Mat Latos, briefly a Toronto Blue Jay in 2017 and principally known as a member of the San Diego Padres and the Cincinnati Reds, has been the subject of a domestic assault scandal, recent reports revealed.

According to Yahoo! Sports, who obtained their source material from TMZ Sports, former Blue Jay Mat Latos has been told by a Florida judge that he must stay more than 500 feet away from his ex-girlfriend (who declined to name herself) after a series of harsh cases of domestic assault.

The documents note these incidents, which took place as recently as August, included choking, violent threats, physical abuse and consistent verbal abuse. The victim claims that the incidents occurred as early as September of last year.

Latos, 30, appeared in three games for the Jays in 2017, where he pitched to a 6.60 ERA in 15 innings of work. After being signed as a minor-league free agent, he worked his way up to the bigs thanks to a short, but effective string of minor league starts.

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Prior to joining the Jays, Latos pitched three seasons for the San Diego Padres, which included an excellent 2010 campaign (184.2 IP, 2.92 ERA, 189 SO, 1.083 WHIP) that saw him place eighth in the NL Cy Young voting. He also pitched for the Reds from 2012 to 2014.

After short stints in the Dodgers, Angels, Marlins and White Sox organizations, he signed with the New Jersey Jackals of the Independent Can-Am League. He played for the Jackals during the 2018 campaign, appearing in 29 games.

Unfortunately, Latos’ case represents yet another alleged incident of domestic assault among professional baseball players. Gruelling and brutal, the experiences lived by the victim are revoltingly terrifying, and are something that no one should ever have to experience.

Latos, who was born in Alexandria, Virginia, was previously married, but divorced in 2017. He also has a son from his marriage.