Position: 1B/OF
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 230 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 01/09/1998
College: Stanford University
How Acquired: Draft 6th round, 484th Overall, 2019
Bonus: $261,200
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: Yes
Minor League Free Agency: 2025
Options Left: 3
Overview
Matthiessen was a two-way player at Stanford. The Pirates announced him as a right fielder and that seemed to be the preference of most scouts, due to potential for increased power if he improved his approach at the plate. As a pro he’s played more often at first. As a junior, he was Stanford’s second best hitter, posting a 322/399/553 line, with a dozen home runs. Strikeouts, though, were a problem; he fanned in a quarter of his ABs. Matthiessen didn’t play regularly in his sophomore year but had seven home runs and slugged .598. He didn’t bat at all as a freshman. As a pitcher in his junior year, he fanned 55 in 53.1 IP in a swing role, with an ERA of 3.71. He signed for $2500 under the slot value.
2019-21
Matthiessen played in the New York-Penn League after signing and split his time between first base and right field. He showed a little power, but struck out in over a quarter of his plate appearances and generally struggled.
Matthiessen didn’t play in the pandemic season, then in 2021 had a strange year. He started off as the first baseman at Bradenton. In his first 17 ABs, he struck out 12 times. In his last game for the Marauders, though, he hit two doubles and a home run, and drove in six; that one game gave him a good batting line at the level. He was promoted to Greensboro when Nick Gonzales got hurt. He started there 1-for-21 with 13 strikeouts. He put up a .541 OPS in June, but in July he started hitting. He had a .941 OPS in August and .809 in September. In 23 August games, Matthiessen hit eight home runs and drove in 32. To add to the quirkiness, in a wild, 12-inning game in August, he entered as a pitcher in the 12th. He got bombed for six runs, but Greensboro scored seven in the bottom half to win, 15-14, with the final blow being a walk-off grand slam by Matthiessen. So he also got the win. Defensively, he mostly played first, but he got into 11 games in right for Greensboro.
2022-23
Matthiessen opened 2022 at Altoona, but his season didn’t last long. After he’d played 11 games, he suffered a shoulder injury and missed the rest of the year. The Pirates sent him back to Greensboro in 2023 and he played first for much of the season. He hit almost exactly what he’d hit there in 2021, although he got his K rate down some. Matthiessen got into 24 games with Altoona in the season’s last six weeks and batted .146 with no power.
Stats
Transactions
June 4, 2019: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 6th round, 184th overall pick; signed on June 17.