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PERSONAL:
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- Wieter's father, Richard, played in the Braves and White Sox organizations from 1977-82, peaking in Double-A. He was drafted by the Braves in the 5th round in 1977.
Richard Wieters is still a legend on the fields and playgrounds of Charleston, South Carolina, where he hit many home runs and threw a lot of fastballs at the Citadel. - Matt's mother is a high school English teacher in Goose Creek, S.C.
- Richard Wieters, a Charleston accountant, has blessed his son with a thoughtful baseball mind as well as an ideal body.
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Matt's maternal uncle, Mike Shields, was a pitcher in the Braves' system. His grandfather, Bill Shields played semi-pro baseball in Kentucky. His sister, Rebecca, two years older and 6-foot-2, was an all-conference volley ball player at the College of Charleston. Matt's heroes growing up were Ken Griffey Jr. and Chipper Jones. So how did he end up behind the plate?
"The foot speed sort of moved me a little bit toward catching, and I've always loved it," he said.
And as far as switch-hitting, Chipper wasn't really the inspiration. Wieters said, "My dad actually started me switch-hitting when I was 5, so it was something he envisioned coming through the minor leagues. (Matt's father, Richard, was a righthander in the Braves and White Sox systems from 1977-81). He realized how rare a switch-hitting catcher could be."
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In 2004, Wieters graduated from Stratford High School in Goose Creek, South Carolina. That year, he was rated the #1 prospect in South Carolina and #60 in the nation. He was an all-America, all-state, and all-region selection after hitting .407 with seven home runs and 34 RBI as a catcher.
On the mound, he had a 5-2 record with a 2.76 ERA, recording 72 strikeouts in 51 innings. Wieters was used as the closer for Georgia Tech, stepping from behind the plate and going to the mound to wrap things up with his 94-98 mph fastball. In the summer of 2006, Wieters hit .307/.417/.533 in the Cape Cod League, finishing second in on-base percentage and third in slugging.
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Matt finished his college career with a .358 batting average and a .477 on-base percentage at Georgia Tech, where he followed Boston's Jason Varitek as the only All-American catchers in school history.
Wieters was very consistent during his college career, batting above .350 with 10 homers or more in all three of his college seasons. He also reached base in 55 consecutive games this year and finished sixth in school history in doubles (54), seventh in RBIs (198) and 13th in batting average (.359). Matt is an intense competitor. But he is also a true leader, an impressive person. He just plain looks like he belongs on a Major League field, moving with confidence without being cocky. He is just the right mix of confidence and humility.
He has excellent makeup, knows how to play the game, but also absorbs instruction. He has the instincts for the game scouts love to see. He is a level-headed, intelligent leader with outstanding makeup.
"The best tool he's got is the one between his ears," Norfolk manager Gary Allenson said in 2009. "For someone who has been written about so much and the expectations are so high, he has handled himself well."
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June 2007: Wieters was the 5th player selected in the Amateur Draft, out of Georgia Tech. He signed with the Orioles for a bonus of $6 million, via scout Dave Jennings.Though Wieters signed too late to play during the regular season in 2007, he went to Hawaii Winter Baseball in the fall and ranked as the league's top prospect, batting .283/.364/.415 with 9 doubles, a home runad and 17 RBI in 106 at-bats.Matt is very likable. And he is also very coachable—eager to learn. he is a first-class professional all the way.During the winter before 2008 spring training, Baseball America rated Matt as the #1 prospect in the Orioles' farm system.
And Wieters was again at #1 when B.A. ranked the Baltimore organization's prospects before 2009 spring camps.
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"Mr. Wieters is what we'd probably call a complete player," said Frederick Keys hitting coach J.J. Cannon, soon after Matt joined the team in 2008. "When he came here, he was already advanced. You don't change anything with a guy like him." What makes Wieters' future so heavy with potential is not just his talent on the field but the intangibles that make him a well-rounded person. Even for your average student, adjusting to life after college can be trying. Add to that the pressure of a $6 million investment from a Major League ballclub, and things have the potential for becoming overwhelming. But Wieters seems to be making the transition seamlessly: filling his time that is no longer occupied by school work with more focus on improving, adjusting and honing his game, to help get himself to the next level.
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"I think the biggest adjustment maturity-wise and being ready to play every day is that you actually do play every day," Wieters said. "It's catching five, six games a week and DHing the other day. You come from college where you play four, maybe five games a week and now you're playing seven, every week. As the summer goes on, it's going to take that much more to keep your body in shape and stay ready to play. "It's tough, but at the same time, I think school does a great job of preparing you for that because it keeps you where you have to stay busy—whether you're playing baseball or in school. It's the same thing when you're not playing baseball. There are some things you can get into trouble doing if you get too much down time. School and baseball always go together with you from little league all the way up through college, so I think that the biggest adjustment—especially for guys coming from high school—is having a way to occupy their free time."
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But Wieters, so far, has maintained focus on his game. And with the compliments pouring down on him from coaches and players alike, it seems almost everyone is simply waiting for the day when they can say, "I knew him when ..." "He's a rare specimen," Cannon said, comparing Wieters' prowess at the plate to former Orioles great Eddie Murray. "As far as switch hitters, big tall guys, somebody like [Murray]. Big guys, from both sides of the plate, that can hit for power. (June 16, 2008-Amanda Comak MLB.com) Wieters was the 2008 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year. And he received the Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year Award from the Orioles.
If he had enough at-bats to qualify, he would have led the Eastern League in batting (.365), on-base percentage (.460), and slugging percentage (.625).
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In April 2009, Matt hit the very first home run in the history of Gwinnett Stadium, home of the Braves' Triple-A franchise located just north of Atlanta. Matt is very generous in his time for the fans, signing autographs longer than most anyone in the game. He seems to want everyone to love baseball as much as he does. Wieters likes to be in a leadership position.
"I like being a leader," he says. "I like being a guy where some guys come up to me and ask what he should be doing here or what he should be doing there. Baseball is what I know, and what I enjoy being around. You're always going to be learning, and hopefully you can be teaching as well."
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BATTING:
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- He will hit more and more home runs as he learns to hit the ball with more backspin.
- Matt has an advanced approach at the plate, exhibiting excellent poise and patience. He doesn't chase pitches. When he gets something he can hit, he does something with it, producing line drives to all parts of the park.
And if he has a bad at-bat, it doesn't affect his next at-bat. You might see a pitch where he looks bad and strikes out, and in his very next at-bat against the same pitcher he hits a double. - Wieters should hit .275-.285 with 20-30 home runs per season in the Majors.
- His pitch recognition is very impressive, as is his plate discipline. He has a keen understanding of the strike zone. So he puts himself in hitter's counts more than most any hitters.
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Pitchers constantly worked away from Wieters in college, and he developed a bad habit of stepping toward the plate to cover the outer half, which short-circuits his power a bit and leaves him vulnerable to inside pitches. The Orioles worked with him to get his lower half in better position and have him step toward the pitcher to free his swing up inside, and they expect he'll be able to make that adjustment. (Will Lingo-Baseball America-1/01/08)On April 5, 2008, in his Minor League debut, Wieters drilled two home runs in his first three at-bats at Class A Frederick.Matt's bat stays in the hitting zone a long time.
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BREAKDOWN VS. LEFTIES AND RIGHTIES
The switch-hitting Wieters wields a solid bat. He hits well from both sides of the plate, especially from the left side, where he has more power and has a bit smoother stroke. But he has a shorter stroke from the right side.
His bat speed is impressive.
In 2009, this Wieters managed a .248 average with 3 home runs in 137 at-bats vs. lefthanded pitchers. But he nailed righthanders for a .313 average with 6 home runs in 217 at-bats.
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FIELDING:
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- Matt's size, 6-feet-5 and 225 pounds, tends to hamper his agility and receiving ability. But he receives the ball well with his soft hands, and has good throwing mechanics, also. He has drawn comparisons to Twins catcher Joe Mauer.
It is his outstanding defensive ability that inspired the Orioles to draft him in the first round in June 2007. - Wieters certainly has plenty of arm strength. While pitching at Georgia Tech, his fastball was clocked at 96 mph. And his arm is also very accurate.
His arm is rated at 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. - In 2008, Matt threw out 46 percent of attempting base thieves in the Carolina League, then, after a promotion, nailed 32 percent of Eastern League basestealers and did not commit a passed ball.
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Matt is a natural leader. He has a great feel for calling a game and handles a pitching staff well.
"Calling a game is something I love doing. I love trying to figure out what the hitter wants to do and what the pitcher wants to do," Matt said.One scout said Wieters is the best catching prospect he had seen since Charles Johnson (Marlins and Dodgers). He has very soft hands and sets a good, low target for his pitcher, even though he is a real big catcher at 6-foot-5 and 226 pounds.
He blocks the balls in the dirt well, too.
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