Matthew Russell Downs Sr. (born March 19, 1984) is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He stands 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighs 190 pounds (86 kg). Previously, he had played for the San Francisco Giants and the Houston Astros. He bats and throws right-handed.\n', '

Downs attended Shelton State Community College and the University of Alabama; he was drafted out of Alabama by the San Francisco Giants in 2006. Despite being a 36th round draft pick, Downs reached the major leagues in 2009, starting at second base temporarily for the Giants during the season. He played a few games with them in 2010 before he was claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros in August. Downs spent the entire 2011 season in the major leagues, batting .276 and leading the major leagues with 15 pinch-hit RBI. In 2012, his average dropped to .202. Following the season, the Astros made him a free agent. He signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins in 2013, spending the season in the minor leagues before getting released. Currently, Downs is the head coach of Marion Military Institute baseball team.\n', '

Downs graduated from Bibb County High School in Centreville, Alabama, following which he played a year as a pitcher/infielder for Shelton State Community College in 2003. For the next three years, he played college baseball at the University of Alabama. He was used mostly as a pitcher in 2004 and 2005, posting a 2–1 record and a 4.91 earned run average (ERA). In 2006, used only as a batter, he batted .298 with seven home runs and 62 runs batted in (RBI). Downs helped Alabama win the Southeastern Conference Championship in 2006, earning a Player of the Week Award in May after his strong hitting against the University of Tennessee helped Alabama clinch the championship.\n', '

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