College/Draft Profile #2

Matt Wieters

Matt Wieters at the plate against Mississippi Valley State in March `06. Photo from Ramblin Wreck.com.

C/RHP, Georgia Tech (profile)

HT: 6'5" WT: 230 lbs.

Please click "Read More" at the bottom to see his stats in table format.

Bio: Matt Wieters is catcher and pitcher for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets but has more upside as a catcher. Entering the 2004 June Draft, Wieters would have been an early pick but he had a solid commitment to Georgia Tech. Schools such as Georgia Tech and Stanford usually see most of their recruits reach campus for the next three years. The Rockies chose Micah Owings in the second round of the 2002 draft but he turned down a sizeable bonus to attend Georgia Tech. Michael Taylor was a top prospect for the 2004 draft as a high school player but his family had a plan for him since he was 11 or 12 and attending Stanford was part of that plan. He was not drafted at all but should going high this time around (and you'll see a profile on him in January).

Wieters fields his position well despite his size; however, there are probably some teams that would move him off the position. Joe Mauer of the Twins plays catcher well despite being 6'4".

Wieters has shown exceptional skill with a wood bat already. In 2003, he displayed his skills at the WWBA World Wood Bat Championship and he received the Robert A. McNeece Outstanding Pro Prospect Award which is given to a player in Cape Cod Summer League each year. For those of you who don't know, the Cape Cod League uses wood bats. The most striking statistic during his summer campaign is his eight home runs.

Take a look at his stats. He has hit 25 career home runs for the Yellow Jackets already and his eight with a wood bat this past summer prove he hasn't received help from the aluminum bat. He is a legitimate power threat who also shows excellent discipline as he has 30 more walks than strikeouts.

Here is what current Rockies outfielder and former Yellow Jacket Jeff Kindel had to say about Wieters after a victory against Vanderbilt during the Atlanta regional in early June 2006:

There are rumors floating around that Scott Boras is his adviser so that could scare some teams off, but Wieters should be worth the contract he signs.

He's also sharp on the mound for the Yellow Jackets as their closer, but his future lies in his bat. Of course the Pirates might pull another John Van Benschoten, who was followed more for his bat in his draft year, and draft Wieters as a pitcher. But Wieters is a far superior prospect than Van Benschoten ever was.

Possible Important Series:

2/28/07: Exhibition Game against the Atlanta Braves.

4/6/07-4/8/07: Three game series against Miami. He should face Rockies' unsigned 2006 draft pick Scott Maine.

4/18/07, 4/24/07 & 5/9/07: The games against in-state rival Georgia are always interesting match-ups. The first game is a home game for the Yellow Jackets, the second game takes place at Turner Field and the third game is in Athens, a home game for Georgia.

4/20/07-4/22/07: Wieters should bat against Andrew Brackman of the North Carolina Wolf Pack at some point in this series.

4/27/07-4/29/07: This series against Clemson that determines the best record in the ACC.

5/11/07-5/13/07: Wieters will face the new rotation for the Tar Heels of North Carolina.

Other Links:

Beesball: Matt Wieters' Profile - Discover the accomplishments of Matt Wieters.

Brewerfan.net Profile - Check out what Patrick Ebert has to write about Wieters. Follow the links to the articles on Matt Wieters in the Gwinett Daily Post and The Sunday Paper.

Wieters named to Brooks Wallace Award Watch List.

NCBWA places Wieters on All-America 2nd team at catcher.

Stats: