Matheu Adam Nelson (born January 14, 1999) is an American professional baseball catcher in the Cincinnati Reds organization. He played college baseball for the Florida State Seminoles.
| Matheu Nelson | |
|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: January 14, 1999 Clearwater, Florida, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
Amateur career edit
Nelson grew up in Largo, Florida and attended Calvary Christian High School, where one of his coaches was Hall of Fame pitcher Roy Halladay until his death.[1] He was named the Pinellas County Player of the Year after batting .465 with five home runs, 14 doubles and 45 RBIs.[2] Nelson was selected in the 39th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, but opted not to sign with the team.[3]
Nelson batted .282 with six home runs and 29 RBI in 57 games as a freshman. After the 2019 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[4] Nelson hit .250 with a home run, 14 RBIs and 16 runs scored before his sophomore season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.[5] After the season was canceled, Nelson worked on his conditioning a lost 25 pounds.[6][7] As a junior in 2021, he started 53 of the Seminoles games and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Player of the Year after batting .330 with 17 doubles and a conference-leading 23 home runs.[8][9] His 23 home runs also tied for the most in NCAA Division I and were the most by a Florida State player since the introduction of the BBCOR standard for bats in 2011.[10] Nelson was also named the National Player of the Year by Perfect Game/Rawlings as well as a first team All-American by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and the NCBWA as a catcher and by Baseball America as a designated hitter and won the Buster Posey Award as the nation's best catcher.[11][12][13]
Professional career edit
Nelson was selected the 35th overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft by the Cincinnati Reds.[14] Nelson signed with Cincinnati for a $2.1 million bonus.[15] He made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Reds and was later promoted to the Dayton Dragons of the High-A Central.[16] Over ten games and 28 at-bats between the two teams, he batted .179 with two doubles. He missed time during the season after being hit in the hand while batting.[17]
References edit
- ^ Gelb, Matt (March 27, 2018). "Calvary Christian High, winners of 44 straight games, carry the memory of their assistant coach, Roy Halladay". The Athletic.
- ^ Page, Rodney (July 17, 2018). "Tampa Bay Times' all-Tampa Bay baseball team". Tampa Bay Times.
- ^ Breen, Matt (June 6, 2018). "Phillies pick one of Roy Halladay's former players in MLB draft". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ "Matheu Nelson - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "Nelson's grand performance propels 'Noles to win".
- ^ "Matheu Nelson's breakout season boosting FSU baseball, drawing Golden Spikes consideration". Tallahassee Democrat. May 14, 2021.
- ^ "Matheu Nelson continues breakout season after Golden Spikes Award snub".
- ^ "FSU's Mat Nelson named ACC Baseball Player of the Year".
- ^ "Florida State baseball: Parker Messick and Matheu Nelson receive ACC awards". Tallahassee Democrat. May 24, 2021.
- ^ Weiler, Curt (June 7, 2021). "Florida State catcher Matheu Nelson's special season comes to a bittersweet end". Tallahassee Democrat.
- ^ "Nelson named Perfect Game/Rawlings Sports Player of the Year". 19 June 2021.
- ^ "Led by Mat Nelson, FSU Baseball players continue to earn honors for past season".
- ^ "Florida State's Mat Nelson wins Buster Posey Catcher of the Year". KAKE.com. July 1, 2021.
- ^ "Matheu Nelson drafted by the Cincinnati Reds on first day of MLB Draft". Tallahassee Democrat. July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ Sheldon, Mark (July 21, 2021). "Reds sign No. 35 overall Draft pick Nelson". MLB.com. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
- ^ "Reds' Matheu Nelson: Promoted to High-A".
- ^ "Reds' Matheu Nelson: Overcomes hand injury".
External links edit
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Florida State Seminoles bio