BaseballAmerica.com: Draft: Matt Wieters, C, Orioles

Matt Wieters, C, Orioles

Staff Report
June 7, 2007

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B-T: B-R.
Ht: 6-5.
Wt. 230. Birthdate: 5/21/86.
School: Georgia Tech
Class: Jr.
Previously Drafted: Never.

THROUGH THE YEARS IN BASEBALL AMERICA

2007

• Wieters was the first team catcher on our Preseason All-American Team

• Wieters was ranked No. 2 overall on our midseason College Draft Top 50

• Our college preview included a feature on Wieters and his childhood friend Justin Smoak

. The feature mentions that Wieters father was also a minor league baseball player.
• Wieters was the first team catcher on our Preseason All-American Team

• As an All-American, Wieters was also our pick as the ACC's Player of the Year in our preseason ACC Preview

2006

• Wieters was the first team catcher on our College All-American Team Team USA's No. 1 Prospect

• Wieters was selected as our No. 3 prospect in the Cape Cod League after his sophomore season.

• Wieters was ranked as the No. 4 sophomore heading into the 2006 season

• It wasn't much of a surprise that the preseason All-American was also picked to be the ACC's player of the year

in our 2006 ACC preview
• Thanks to his ability on the mound and behind the plate Wieters was selected as the second-team utilityman on our Preseason College All-American team.

2005

• Wieters made Team USA as a two-way player as a freshman

2004

• In our early draft preview, Wieters ranked among the best pure hitters

on the high school side for the 2004 draft

2003

• When we first ranked the Top 100 high school prospects for the 2004 draft there were plenty of interesting names near the top of the list including Nick Adenhart, Homer Bailey and Gio Gonzalez. Wieters was ranked 13th.
• Landing Wieters ensured that Georgia Tech had one of the best recruiting classes for 2004.
• Wieters' first appearance on the BA Website came in November, when he was mentioned as one of the top catching prospects in the 2004 draft and one of the top prospects at the 2003 World Wood Bat Championships

SCOUTING REPORT

Matt Wieters

Like Price, Wieters' strong college commitment was the only reason he wasn't drafted in the first two rounds in 2004. A talented two-way player who flashed 90 mph heat and plus-plus raw power at his suburban Charleston, S.C., high school, Wieters is well on his way to fulfilling the lofty projections on his bat. He's batted in the heart of Georgia Tech's batting order and served as the closer since arriving on campus. He ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the Cape Cod League in 2006 and was a first-team Preseason All-American this year. While his size has been used as a knock on his defensive ability, one national crosschecker said Wieters was the best defensive catcher he'd seen as an amateur since Charles Johnson, and another said only Joe Mauer was better among the amateurs he'd scouted. Wieters has soft hands, good footwork and well-above-average arm strength, as evidenced by the 96 mph heat he has shown from the mound. Despite his size, he shows an ability to handle low strikes and receives quietly. He's not as vocal on the field as prototypical catchers. Wieters is the most polished hitter in the draft class. He commands the strike zone, displaying patience and pitch recognition. When he gets his pitch, he can use his plus bat speed to pull it out of the park, or keep his hands inside it and line it to the opposite field. A natural righthanded hitter, his swing is shorter from the right and he tends to work up the middle more as a righthanded hitter. He prefers to pull and has more power from the left. He could post averages near .280 with 30-homer potential in the big leagues. If the Devil Rays take Price No. 1, the Royals could take Wieters second, but he could slide out of the top 10 if the money adviser Scott Boras reportedly will seek is perceived as exorbitant.

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