Matt Wieters
Encyclopedia
Matthew Richard Wieters (born May 21, 1986) is a Major League Baseball
catcher
for the Baltimore Orioles
. Wieters was drafted 5th overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft
. Wieters played college baseball
for Georgia Tech
, and his agent is Scott Boras
. Wieters is a tall athletic hitter, standing 6 feet 5 inches tall. His ability to hit for power from both sides of the plate has drawn comparisons to Jorge Posada
and Jason Varitek
.
in Goose Creek, South Carolina. He played under Coach John Chalus, where Matt led the Knights to the AAAA state championship series. Wieters' high school team also featured Justin Smoak
. Matt then went on to play in the Aflac All-American Classic in Scottsdale, Arizona.
history to earn first-team All-America
honors on at least two occasions. He was named a first-team All-America by Rivals.com and first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference
in 2007, first-team All-America by Baseball America and second-team All-ACC in 2006, and the ACC Rookie of the Year, Freshman All-America and first-team All-ACC in 2005.
A switch-hitting
catcher who hits in the middle of the lineup, Wieters has a good eye at the plate and has great power to all fields. Wieters finished his junior season ranked tied for sixth in the Yellow Jacket record books with 54 career doubles
with 198 runs batted in
along with 16 saves in his three years on the Flats. He also ranked 13th with a .359 career batting average
and 418 total bases
, tying for 16th with 35 home run
s and 18th with 253 hits
in his college career. He finished 2007 having played in 169 consecutive games. Wieters served as Tech's primary closer for his first two years and as one of two closers his junior season.
with the 5th overall pick of the 2007 amateur draft
and signed a contract with a $6 million signing bonus on August 15, 2007. That winter, he played for the Honolulu Sharks
, hitting .283 in 31 games with one home run
,17 runs batted in, nine doubles
, one triple
, 44 total bases
, and 12 walks
.
on their 2008 Top 100 Prospects List and was the highest ranked catcher on the list. He attended spring training
with the Orioles, starting the season with their Class A affiliate the Frederick Keys
. He gained a midseason promotion to the Double-A Bowie Baysox
.
In 130 games for the Keys and Baysox, hit a combined .355 BA
/.454 OBP/.600 SLG with 27 home runs and 91 RBI. Wieters earned the 2008 Minor League Player of the Year
honors from Baseball America. According to Clay Davenport's
measure EqA, Wieters had one of the single best seasons in recorded minor league history. His EqAs of .301 and .349 were the highest marks in their respective leagues in the last 40 years (although this would later turn out to be partially a result of inflated league difficulty factors ).
Wieters participated in the 2008 Arizona Fall League
season, playing for the Surprise Rafters
. He was also selected to play in the Fall League's Rising Stars game. Wieters hit .343 in 35 spring training at bats for the Orioles in 2009, but was sent down to Triple-A Norfolk
to delay the start of his service time and extend the time until he becomes eligible for salary arbitration and free agency.
He was named the No. 2 prospect in MiLB by Minor League News in the MLN FAB50 Baseball 2009 rankings.
. Wieters' first major league hit came the next night, a triple
, off of Detroit's Justin Verlander
. Wieters hit his first career home run June 17, 2009 against the Mets
, a two-run home run off of Mets starter Tim Redding
. Wieters changed his jersey number after his rookie season from 15 to 32, which was what he wore in college at Georgia Tech.
Although Wieters disappointed some observers because of his difficulties handling the Baltimore pitching staff, he established himself as a solid defensive catcher in 2010, throwing out many runners, while also hitting for power and a fairly good average at the plate. Wieters earned a Fielding Bible Award
and a Gold Glove in 2011 as the best defensive catcher in MLB, and American League, respectively.
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...
catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
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...
. Wieters was drafted 5th overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft
2007 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 7 and June 8, 2007...
. Wieters played college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
for Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, and his agent is Scott Boras
Scott Boras
Scott Boras is an American sports agent, specializing in baseball. He is the founder, owner and president of the Boras Corporation, a sports agency based in Newport Beach, Calif. that represents roughly 175 professional baseball clients, including many of the game's highest-profile players...
. Wieters is a tall athletic hitter, standing 6 feet 5 inches tall. His ability to hit for power from both sides of the plate has drawn comparisons to Jorge Posada
Jorge Posada
Jorge Rafael Posada Villeta is a Major League Baseball player who is currently a free agent and has played his entire career for the New York Yankees. He served as the Yankees primary catcher for most of his career, though following off-season knee surgery, he was moved to designated hitter for...
and Jason Varitek
Jason Varitek
Jason Andrew Varitek is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. After being traded as a minor league prospect by the Seattle Mariners, Varitek has played his entire major league career for the Boston Red Sox...
.
Early life
Wieters was born on May 21, 1986 in Goose Creek, South Carolina. Wieters played high school baseball at Stratford High SchoolGoose Creek High School (Goose Creek, South Carolina)
Goose Creek High School is a public high school located in Goose Creek, South Carolina.Goose Creek High School serves grades 9 through 12, and is a part of the Berkeley County School District. Goose Creek High School has about 2,000 students. Their rival is Stratford High School. The school's...
in Goose Creek, South Carolina. He played under Coach John Chalus, where Matt led the Knights to the AAAA state championship series. Wieters' high school team also featured Justin Smoak
Justin Smoak
Justin Kyle Smoak is an American Major League Baseball first baseman for the Seattle Mariners.-High school career:...
. Matt then went on to play in the Aflac All-American Classic in Scottsdale, Arizona.
College
Wieters was a multi-talented star who earned numerous honors throughout his college career. He is one of just three players in Georgia TechGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Georgia Tech athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Atlantic Coast Conference...
history to earn first-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors on at least two occasions. He was named a first-team All-America by Rivals.com and first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
in 2007, first-team All-America by Baseball America and second-team All-ACC in 2006, and the ACC Rookie of the Year, Freshman All-America and first-team All-ACC in 2005.
A switch-hitting
Switch hitter
In baseball, a switch-hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed.-Baseball:Usually, right-handed batters hit better against left-handed pitchers and vice-versa. Most curveballs break away from batters hitting from the same side as the opposing pitcher. Such pitches are often...
catcher who hits in the middle of the lineup, Wieters has a good eye at the plate and has great power to all fields. Wieters finished his junior season ranked tied for sixth in the Yellow Jacket record books with 54 career doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
with 198 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
along with 16 saves in his three years on the Flats. He also ranked 13th with a .359 career batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and 418 total bases
Total bases
In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total....
, tying for 16th with 35 home run
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 and 18th with 253 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in his college career. He finished 2007 having played in 169 consecutive games. Wieters served as Tech's primary closer for his first two years and as one of two closers his junior season.
Professional career
Wieters was drafted by 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...
with the 5th overall pick of the 2007 amateur draft
2007 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 7 and June 8, 2007...
and signed a contract with a $6 million signing bonus on August 15, 2007. That winter, he played for the Honolulu Sharks
Honolulu Sharks
The Honolulu Sharks were a minor league baseball team in the Hawaii Winter Baseball league. They are based in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Sharks name comes from the large number of shark species native to the waters of Hawaii. They play their home games at the Les Murakami Baseball Stadium.-Team...
, hitting .283 in 31 games with one home run
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...
,17 runs batted in, nine doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, one triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 44 total bases
Total bases
In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total....
, and 12 walks
Base 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...
.
Minor leagues
Going in to the 2008 season, he was ranked 12th by Baseball AmericaBaseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
on their 2008 Top 100 Prospects List and was the highest ranked catcher on the list. He attended spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
with the Orioles, starting the season with their Class A affiliate the Frederick Keys
Frederick Keys
The Frederick Keys minor league baseball team is the "High-A" class A baseball affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for Star Spangled Banner poet Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. The team mascot is a coyote known as...
. He gained a midseason promotion to the Double-A Bowie Baysox
Bowie Baysox
The Bowie Baysox are a minor league baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the class-AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League...
.
In 130 games for the Keys and Baysox, hit a combined .355 BA
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
/.454 OBP/.600 SLG with 27 home runs and 91 RBI. Wieters earned the 2008 Minor League Player of the Year
Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award
Listed below in chronological order are the Minor League Baseball players chosen by Baseball America as recipients of the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award...
honors from Baseball America. According to Clay Davenport's
Clay Davenport
Clay Davenport, a native of Hampton Roads, Virginia, now living in Baltimore, Maryland, is a baseball sabermetrician who co-founded Baseball Prospectus in 1996. He co-edited several of the Baseball Prospectus annual volumes and is a writer for BaseballProspectus.com...
measure EqA, Wieters had one of the single best seasons in recorded minor league history. His EqAs of .301 and .349 were the highest marks in their respective leagues in the last 40 years (although this would later turn out to be partially a result of inflated league difficulty factors ).
Wieters participated in the 2008 Arizona Fall League
Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League is an off-season league owned and operated by Major League Baseball which operates during the fall in Arizona, United States at five spring training complexes...
season, playing for the Surprise Rafters
Surprise Rafters
The Salt River Rafters are a baseball team that plays in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick near Scottsdale, Arizona....
. He was also selected to play in the Fall League's Rising Stars game. Wieters hit .343 in 35 spring training at bats for the Orioles in 2009, but was sent down to Triple-A Norfolk
Norfolk Tides
The Norfolk Tides are a minor league baseball team in the Triple-A International League. They play at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia. Since 2007 they have been a farm team of the Baltimore Orioles; prior to that, they had a 38-year affiliation with the New York Mets.-Franchise history:The...
to delay the start of his service time and extend the time until he becomes eligible for salary arbitration and free agency.
He was named the No. 2 prospect in MiLB by Minor League News in the MLN FAB50 Baseball 2009 rankings.
Baltimore Orioles
Matt Wieters played his first Major League game on Friday May 29, 2009, against the Detroit Tigers2009 Detroit Tigers season
The 2009 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 109th season. The Tigers' new slogan for 2009 is "Always a Tiger." It replaces the 2006–2008 slogan "Who's Your Tiger?"...
. Wieters' first major league hit came the next night, a triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, off of Detroit's Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander
Justin Brooks Verlander is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball....
. Wieters hit his first career home run June 17, 2009 against the Mets
2009 New York Mets season
The 2009 New York Mets season was a season in American baseball. It was the franchise's 48th season, and the team's first year at Citi Field, which opened on April 13 against the San Diego Padres...
, a two-run home run off of Mets starter Tim Redding
Tim Redding
Timothy James Redding is an American professional baseball pitcher, who is currently a free agent. He has also pitched for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, and New York Mets.-Biography:...
. Wieters changed his jersey number after his rookie season from 15 to 32, which was what he wore in college at Georgia Tech.
Although Wieters disappointed some observers because of his difficulties handling the Baltimore pitching staff, he established himself as a solid defensive catcher in 2010, throwing out many runners, while also hitting for power and a fairly good average at the plate. Wieters earned a Fielding Bible Award
Fielding Bible Award
A Fielding Bible Award recognizes the best defensive player for each fielding position in Major League Baseball based on statistical analysis. John Dewan and Baseball Info Solutions conduct the annual selection process...
and a Gold Glove in 2011 as the best defensive catcher in MLB, and American League, respectively.