David Matoma

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #29 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/Extreme.
  
  Track Record: The Pirates signed Matoma for $20,000 in 2023, making him just the third Ugandan-born professional baseball player. He debuted in the Dominican Summer League that year and caught the attention of scouts on the backfields of spring training in 2024. He spent all year in the Florida Complex League, where the Pirates carefully managed his workload. He posted a 0.82 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 22 innings over 15 relief appearances.
  
  Scouting Report: In some ways, Matoma defies convention. He grew up an infielder before converting to pitching as an amateur and weighs just under 150 pounds. Yet he generates a mid-90s fastball that tickled triple digits in 2024 thanks to lightning-fast arm speed from an athletic, explosive delivery. He pairs it with an upper-80s gyro slider and an upper-80s changeup, showing feel to land his secondaries for strikes in short bursts. He is still quite raw and faces considerable injury risk given his present size, age and velocity. He could also end up throwing even harder as he packs more strength onto his frame.
  
  The Future: Matoma’s extremely volatile profile could take several paths. The most likely is as a future reliever, although his dynamic pitch mix, potential strike-throwing and projectable frame leaves some dreaming of considerable starter upside if he can sustain a larger workload.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45.