Matt Stairs (born February 27, 1968 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada) is a Major League Baseball player. Growing up in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Matt Stairs showed athletic ability at an early age, playing Beaver League baseball a year before his age eligibility. After Bantam & Midget baseball, at age 16 he played for the Marysville team in the New Brunswick Senior Baseball league where he was voted "Rookie of The Year" and in his second year was named the league's Most Valuable Player.
After attending the Baseball Institute School in Vancouver, British Columbia for one year, he joined the Canadian Junior National team from where he went on to play for the Canadian Olympic Team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. He played for Canada at the World Amateur Championships in Italy where he was named to the "World All-Star" team.
Signed by the Montreal Expos to a minor league contract, Stairs played Double "A" ball in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania where he led the league in hitting and was voted the league’s 1991 M.V.P. In 1992, he moved up to Triple "A" ball in Indianapolis then played the following season in Japan(Chunichi Dragons). In 1995, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox and assigned to their Pawtucket farm club until being called up to the major leagues in June 1995. At the end of the season, he accepted an offer to play with the Oakland Athletics. After being called up from Triple "A" ball, Stairs immediately joined a very elite circle when he tied a Major League Baseball record for driving in six runs in one inning.
He is only the second Canadian born player to ever hit more than thirty-five home runs in a season and only the second to hit more than 25 home runs and drive in more than 100 runs in back-to-back seasons. He ranks either first or second in power hitting categories of any Canadian to ever play in the Major Leagues. He is one of only two Canadian MLB players to hit more than 200 career home runs.
Stairs is currently on the roster of the Kansas City Royals.
Stairs can play left field, right field, and first base, though his age and increasingly poor speed have earned him a reputation as a defensive liability in the outfield. He still possesses a strong throwing arm, however, and is considered a perfectly capable fielder at first.
Stairs played for Canada at the World Baseball Classic as the team's Designated Hitter.
