Matt Wieters

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Matthew Richard Wieters (born May 21, 1986) is a baseball catcher[1] who was selected by the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball 5th overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft.[2] He played in college for Georgia Tech, and his agent is Scott Boras.[3][4] Wieters is a tall athletic hitter, standing 6 feet 5 inches tall. He has drawn comparisons to Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek because of their size, skill, and ability to switch hit;[5] in addition, both played for Georgia Tech.

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[edit] Early life

Matt Wieters was born on May 21, 1986 in Goose Creek, South Carolina. Wieters played high school baseball at Stratford High School in Goose Creek, South Carolina. He played under Coach John Chalus, where Matt led the Knights to the AAAA state championship series. Matt then went on to play in the Aflac All-American Classic in Scottsdale, Arizona.[6]

[edit] College

Wieters was a multi-talented star who earned numerous honors throughout his college career. He is just one of three players in Georgia Tech history to earn first-team All-America honors on at least two occasions.[6] 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, just a few of the honors he has been awarded. A switch-hitting catcher who hits in the middle of the lineup, Weiters has a good eye at the plate and has great power to all fields.[6]

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 runs and 18th with 253 hits in his college career. He finished 2007 having played in 169 consecutive games.[6]

Wieters served as Tech's primary closer for his first two years and as one of two closers his junior season.[4] He has excellent command on the mound.

[edit] Professional

[edit] Draft

Wieters was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles with the 5th overall pick of the 2007 amateur draft and signed a contract with a $6 million signing bonus on August 15, 2007.[4][7]

In the winter of 2007 Wieters played for the Honolulu Sharks. He hit .283 in 31 games with one home run,17 runs batted in, nine doubles, one triple, 44 total bases and 12 walks.

He attended Spring Training with the Orioles before the 2008 season, and started the season with their Class A affiliate the Frederick Keys.

He was ranked 12th by Baseball America on their 2008 Top 100 Prospects List and was the highest ranked catcher on the list.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Draft Report for Matt Wieters. minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-08.
  2. ^ MLB.com 2007 Draft Tracker. MLB.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-08.
  3. ^ Kubatko, Roch. "Boras might hear name called when O's draft 5th", baltimoresun.com, 2007-06-07. Retrieved on 2007-06-09. 
  4. ^ a b c Ginsburg, David. "Orioles Draft Georgia Tech Catcher With 5th Pick", AP, wjz.com, 2007-06-07. Retrieved on 2007-06-09. 
  5. ^ Schlabach, Mark. "GaTech's Wieters a rare talent in the MLB draft", ESPN, 2007-06-07. Retrieved on 2007-06-08. 
  6. ^ a b c d Player Bio: Matt Wieters. RamblinWreck.com. Georgia Tech Athletic Association. Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
  7. ^ Kubatko, Roch. "O's catch a good one in Wieters", baltimoresun.com, 2007-06-08. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.