Matt Antonelli
Encyclopedia
Matthew Antonio Antonelli (born April 8, 1985 in Peabody, Massachusetts
) is an American professional baseball
second baseman
for the Baltimore Orioles
of Major League Baseball
. He bats and throws right-handed. He was called up from the Triple-A Portland Beavers
on September 1, during MLB September call-ups. Antonelli singled
in his first MLB at bat
against 350-game winner Greg Maddux
of the Los Angeles Dodgers
.
and hockey
, and was a runner-up for baseball in his senior year at St. John's Prep.
57 times as a sophomore, ranking seventh among collegiate hitters. He only struck out
38 times in 232 at bats, giving him one of the best strikeout-to-walk ratios in the nation.
out of Wake Forest University
by San Diego with the 17th pick of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft
. He has since moved to second base.
in the minors by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus
. In November 2007, Antonelli was ranked as the #1 second base prospect and #27 overall in baseball, on a list polling 20 members of the scouting community and compiled by Jonathan Mayo of minorleaguebaseball.com
Before the 2007 season, Antonelli was not considered to have much power potential after having zero home runs in over 200 professional at bats in . However, he hit 14 home run
s in 82 games for High A Lake Elsinore
, before moving up to Double A San Antonio Missions
to finish the 2007 season. In 534 at bats between the two levels, Antonelli finished 2007 with a BA/OBP/SLG line of .304/.404/.491 with 21 homers and 25 stolen base
s along with a 94/83 K/BB ratio. He won the Texas League
Championship with the Missions in 2007.
In 2008, Antonelli played for the Padres' AAA farm club, the Portland Beavers
. He struggled at the plate most of the year, hitting just .215, but kept his good eye and ended up with 76 walks. In August he found some success, hitting .290 for the month, with 4 home runs and a .393 OBP.
Matt was called up to the Padres on September 1, 2008, where he promptly laced a single off Greg Maddux
of the Los Angeles Dodgers for his first hit in the major leagues. He then went hitless in his next 20 at bats, but then got 7 hits in his next 13 at bats with 3 walks, including his first home run, on September 15, off of Colorado Rockies pitcher, Jason Hirsh
.
. He was added to the team's 40-man roster.
Peabody, Massachusetts
Peabody is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population is about 53,000. Peabody is located in Boston's North Shore suburban area.- History :...
) is an American professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
for the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. He bats and throws right-handed. He was called up from the Triple-A Portland Beavers
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
on September 1, during MLB September call-ups. Antonelli singled
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
in his first MLB at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
against 350-game winner Greg Maddux
Greg Maddux
Gregory Alan Maddux , nicknamed "Mad Dog" and "The Professor", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the first pitcher in major league history to win the Cy Young Award for four consecutive years , a feat matched only by Randy Johnson...
of the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
.
High school
Antonelli was the Massachusetts Player of the Year in both footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, and was a runner-up for baseball in his senior year at St. John's Prep.
College
In college, Antonelli displayed good plate discipline, walkingBase on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
57 times as a sophomore, ranking seventh among collegiate hitters. He only struck out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
38 times in 232 at bats, giving him one of the best strikeout-to-walk ratios in the nation.
Draft
Antonelli was originally drafted as a third basemanThird baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
out of Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
by San Diego with the 17th pick of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft
2006 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2006 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 6 and 7. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams.-First Round Selections:...
. He has since moved to second base.
San Diego Padres
In July , Antonelli was named the best second base prospectProspect (sports)
In sports, a prospect is any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team, or isn't established with the team yet. Prospects can sometimes be assigned to farm teams...
in the minors by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus
Baseball Prospectus
Baseball Prospectus is an organization that publishes a website, BaseballProspectus.com, devoted to the sabermetric analysis of baseball. BP has a staff of regular columnists and provides advanced statistics as well player and team performance projections on the site...
. In November 2007, Antonelli was ranked as the #1 second base prospect and #27 overall in baseball, on a list polling 20 members of the scouting community and compiled by Jonathan Mayo of minorleaguebaseball.com
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s in 82 games for High A Lake Elsinore
Lake Elsinore Storm
The Lake Elsinore Storm is a minor league baseball team in Lake Elsinore, California, USA. It is a Class A - Advanced team in the California League, and is a farm team of the San Diego Padres. The Storm plays its home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond...
, before moving up to Double A San Antonio Missions
San Antonio Missions
The San Antonio Missions are a minor league baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres major-league club. The Missions play in Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium, located in San Antonio...
to finish the 2007 season. In 534 at bats between the two levels, Antonelli finished 2007 with a BA/OBP/SLG line of .304/.404/.491 with 21 homers and 25 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s along with a 94/83 K/BB ratio. He won the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
Championship with the Missions in 2007.
In 2008, Antonelli played for the Padres' AAA farm club, the Portland Beavers
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
. He struggled at the plate most of the year, hitting just .215, but kept his good eye and ended up with 76 walks. In August he found some success, hitting .290 for the month, with 4 home runs and a .393 OBP.
Matt was called up to the Padres on September 1, 2008, where he promptly laced a single off Greg Maddux
Greg Maddux
Gregory Alan Maddux , nicknamed "Mad Dog" and "The Professor", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the first pitcher in major league history to win the Cy Young Award for four consecutive years , a feat matched only by Randy Johnson...
of the Los Angeles Dodgers for his first hit in the major leagues. He then went hitless in his next 20 at bats, but then got 7 hits in his next 13 at bats with 3 walks, including his first home run, on September 15, off of Colorado Rockies pitcher, Jason Hirsh
Jason Hirsh
Jason Michael Hirsh is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who is a free agent.Hirsh was a dominant minor league pitcher in 2005–06, winning the Double-A Texas League Pitcher of the Year Award and the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year Award in successive seasons, as he went...
.
Baltimore Orioles
On November 21, 2011, Antonelli signed with the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. He was added to the team's 40-man roster.