Seuly Matias

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #24 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Matias made a splash with 31 home runs at low Class A Lexington in 2018, but that came with an alarming 35% strikeout rate. He got exposed by better pitching and hit .148 with four home runs in 57 games at high Class A Wilmington in 2019 before a broken hand ended his season. Matias returned healthy in 2020 and spent the summer at the alternate training site before heading to instructional league.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Matias has explosive, plus-plus raw power, but he needs to undergo massive swing changes in order to hit higher-level pitching. He has started the process by lowering his hands and becoming more relaxed with his setup, creating a cleaner path to the baseball. That result was more of a line-drive approach, with his power playing well with that swing path. Even with the change, Matias has a long way to go. The next step is creating a better connection between his lower half and his hands. Defensively, Matias possesses prototypical right field skills, especially with a plus-plus arm.
  
  THE FUTURE: Matias' tools are tantalizing, but it's not going to be a quick process to improve his swing. A return to high Class A to start the 2021 season may be best.
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #16 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Matias was showing little of his raw potential and sky-high ceiling during the early months of the Carolina League season, even after a good start in the first couple of weeks. It turns out that Matias was playing with a broken hand, with his season ending for good on June 11.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: When he's right, Matias has an impressive set of tools that come with plenty of risk. He might never be more than a below-average hitter but with the plus-plus power to compensate for any other shortcomings. Matias had made strides in pitch-recognition prior to the 2019 season but went backward due to the hand injury. Scouts still see an above-average defender with prototypical right field skills, with a plus or better arm.
  
  THE FUTURE: Reports on his batting practice sessions in the fall instructional league were positive, so he should be ready to go in the spring with an almost certain return to Wilmington. Missing a year of development wasn't the optimal situation for Matias, but he'll play all of next year while still only 21.
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #8 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Matias had a chance to break the South Atlantic League record for home runs, which was set by Russell Branyan with 40 in 1996. But a freak accident when he caught his thumb in the cargo door of the team bus caused him to miss the last month of the season. Even so, Matias finished with 31 homers as well as an impressive opposite-field shot in the Futures Game.
  
  Scouting Report: Despite projecting to be a below-average hitter, Matias has plenty of impact potential thanks to his plus-plus power and impressive set of tools. Matias is looking to drive the ball at every opportunity--all but one of his home runs was hit to left or center field. He made progress at the plate in his first full season, showing an ability to make adjustments, especially in the second half when he toned down his aggressiveness against breaking balls. Matias will need to cut down his strikeout rate from a lofty 35 percent, but his overall improvements indicate that he will improve his contact rate when he gains better control of his aggressive nature at the plate. Matias has prototype right field tools as an average defender with a plus-plus arm and above-average speed underway.
  
  The Future: Matias has a lofty ceiling but also carries more risk than any other Royals Top 10 Prospect. Few players with strikeout rates like Matias figure out how to make enough contact to get to their power at the major league level, but those who do can be impact players. He will jump to high Class A Wilmington in 2019.
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #3 prospect in 2018
  Matias was the jewel of Kansas City's 2015 international class, signing for $2.25 million. Skipping over the Dominican Summer League, Matias made his pro debut in the Arizona League at 17 where he tied for the league lead in home runs and ranked as the league's eighth-best prospect. After an extended spring training season in which reports of his long home runs and impressive exit speeds made the rounds among scouts, Matias headed to Burlington of the Appalachian League for his second pro season. The common statement about Matias is that he passes the eye test. He's an impressive physical specimen with twitchy athleticism and raw strength. He flashes explosive power to all fields with plus bat speed and a swing plane built for carry on fly balls. While still plenty raw at the plate, Matias improved in handling breaking balls this year and didn't chase as many pitches in the dirt. He still swings at fastballs up in the zone but has shown an ability to adjust. His plus arm makes Matias a natural fit for right field, his most likely position. He's an above-average runner but may slow down a tick as he ages. While he'll still be a teenager next spring, Matias will likely break camp with low Class A Lexington, where he'll be challenged by better pitching. He's a prototypical right fielder with an explosive power bat.
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #11 prospect in 2017
  The Royals spent big $2.2 million to land Matias in 2015 by handing out the second-largest bonus awarded to an international amateur in franchise history. He had some of the best power in his international class and easily possessed the best outfield arm. He made a point of throwing from the warning track to make sure scouts saw the power of his arm, which easily grades as a 70 on the 20-to-80 scouting scale. Matias also draws 70 grades on his raw power that already pays off in towering home runs during games. He led the Rookie-level Arizona League with eight homers and ranked second with 21 extra-base hits in 2016, impressive feats for a 17-year-old. His eyes light up when he gets a fastball to drive. Matias doesn't recognize spin well, and he can be induced to chase, but he has exceptional bat speed that generates power. He drew a high volume of walks (11.1 percent of plate appearances) to go with an extreme strikeout rate (36.9 percent). Matias has as much potential as any hitter in the system. If he develops into even a fringe-average hitter he will profile as a prototypical right fielder. He plays center field occasionally but his above-average speed will likely wane as he matures. He heads to spring training in 2017 trying to prove he can handle low Class A Lexington as an 18-year-old.
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #28 prospect in 2016
  The Royals spent $2.25 million to land Matias' combination of tools and athleticism. Matias impressed international scouts with his bat speed, power potential, plus-plus arm and a chance to stick in center field. The concern is if his hit tool will develop enough to let his very loud tools play. Matias is an above-average runner now but depending on how his body develops he might grow into a right fielder. Matias will show a short, simple swing when he's locked in but he also gets too pull-happy and will swing and miss too much when he's struggling. He's so young that there are a lot of potential avenues for Matias going forward. If he can stay in center field, he's a potential impact prospect, but he also has enough power potential to be a solid right fielder. Matias missed instructional league with a broken hamate bone but should be ready to make his 2016 debut on schedule, likely in the Dominican Summer League.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked South Atlantic League #18 prospect in 2018
  In the majors, players bags are taken care of. In the minors, every player is responsible for their own bags. That caused Matias' season to end early, as he cut his thumb on a door of the bus as he loaded his luggage. Matias' injury cost him a chance to battle for the minor league home run crown, and it ended up costing him the Sally League title as well--Asheville's Casey Golden topped him by three home runs. But scouts were enamored with Matias' easy plus-plus all-field power and near prototypical right field tools, as he's an average defender with a plus arm. Matias got better at recognizing breaking balls as the year wore on, but his ability to hit remains an open question. Matias' feasts on mistakes, and he's going have to make a lot more contact to have success at higher levels. Matias struck out in a league-worst 34.8 percent of his plate appearances, a huge concern considering there is little precedent for players with that sort of strikeout rate in the low minors to go on to have big league success.
• 
  Ranked American League #3 prospect in 2017
  Signed for $2.25 million in 2015, Matias always has shown the obvious raw tools to entice scouts, and now he's beginning to put them all together. Matias puts on a show in batting practice, where he consistently launches baseballs more than 400 feet. Accordingly, his most defining feature is incredible raw power that could translate to 30 home runs at the major league level. His pitch recognition needs continued refinement--he whiffs at fastballs up in the zone--but should come around because he has shown the ability to adjust in the past. Matias swings with fluidity, flashing plus bat speed and a swing plane built for fly balls with carry. With improved contact ability, he will hit for average. Matias' plus arm unleashes throws from right field that carry with premium velocity, and he has above-average speed to handle right field with ease.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Complex League #8 prospect in 2016
  The Royals' top international signee in 2015, Matias has tools and physical projection that earned him a $2.25 million bonus. He spent the majority of his pro debut in the AZL, where he tied for the league lead with eight home runs. He's still very raw and carries a high risk, but as Royals manager Darryl Kennedy said, "The sky's the limit with this kid." Already physically imposing for his age, Matias should get bigger and stronger as he matures. He has special bat speed and plus raw power, and he drives the ball to all fields, but he needs to improve his plate discipline and learn to drive his pitch when he gets it. He also showed the ability to take a walk, an uncommon quality for this age. Matias split time between center and right field, with good defensive instincts allowing him to handle both positions, but a plus arm makes him a natural for right. He's a plus runner underway.

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Matias made a splash with 31 home runs at low Class A Lexington in 2018, but that came with an alarming 35% strikeout rate. He got exposed by better pitching and hit .148 with four home runs in 57 games at high Class A Wilmington in 2019 before a broken hand ended his season. Matias returned healthy in 2020 and spent the summer at the alternate training site before heading to instructional league.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Matias has explosive, plus-plus raw power, but he needs to undergo massive swing changes in order to hit higher-level pitching. He has started the process by lowering his hands and becoming more relaxed with his setup, creating a cleaner path to the baseball. That result was more of a line-drive approach, with his power playing well with that swing path. Even with the change, Matias has a long way to go. The next step is creating a better connection between his lower half and his hands. Defensively, Matias possesses prototypical right field skills, especially with a plus-plus arm.
  
  THE FUTURE: Matias' tools are tantalizing, but it's not going to be a quick process to improve his swing. A return to high Class A to start the 2021 season may be best.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Matias made a splash with 31 home runs at low Class A Lexington in 2018, but that came with an alarming 35% strikeout rate. He got exposed by better pitching and hit .148 with four home runs in 57 games at high Class A Wilmington in 2019 before a broken hand ended his season. Matias returned healthy in 2020 and spent the summer at the alternate training site before heading to instructional league.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Matias has explosive, plus-plus raw power, but he needs to undergo massive swing changes in order to hit higher-level pitching. He has started the process by lowering his hands and becoming more relaxed with his setup, creating a cleaner path to the baseball. That result was more of a line-drive approach, with his power playing well with that swing path. Even with the change, Matias has a long way to go. The next step is creating a better connection between his lower half and his hands. Defensively, Matias possesses prototypical right field skills, especially with a plus-plus arm.
  
  THE FUTURE: Matias' tools are tantalizing, but it's not going to be a quick process to improve his swing. A return to high Class A to start the 2021 season may be best.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Matias was showing little of his raw potential and sky-high ceiling during the early months of the Carolina League season, even after a good start in the first couple of weeks. It turns out that Matias was playing with a broken hand, with his season ending for good on June 11.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: When he’s right, Matias has an impressive set of tools that come with plenty of risk. He might never be more than a below-average hitter but with the plus-plus power to compensate for any other shortcomings. Matias had made strides in pitch-recognition prior to the 2019 season but went backward due to the hand injury. Scouts still see an above-average defender with prototypical right field skills, with a plus or better arm.
  
  THE FUTURE: Reports on his batting practice sessions in the fall instructional league were positive, so he should be ready to go in the spring with an almost certain return to Wilmington. Missing a year of development wasn’t the optimal situation for Matias, but he’ll play all of next year while still only 21.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Matias was showing little of his raw potential and sky-high ceiling during the early months of the Carolina League season, even after a good start in the first couple of weeks. It turns out that Matias was playing with a broken hand, with his season ending for good on June 11.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: When he's right, Matias has an impressive set of tools that come with plenty of risk. He might never be more than a below-average hitter but with the plus-plus power to compensate for any other shortcomings. Matias had made strides in pitch-recognition prior to the 2019 season but went backward due to the hand injury. Scouts still see an above-average defender with prototypical right field skills, with a plus or better arm.
  
  THE FUTURE: Reports on his batting practice sessions in the fall instructional league were positive, so he should be ready to go in the spring with an almost certain return to Wilmington. Missing a year of development wasn't the optimal situation for Matias, but he'll play all of next year while still only 21.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Matias possesses a higher ceiling than any other position player in the Royals organization, but also carries a higher degree of risk. The native Dominican came into the season more relaxed and confident, and the results have been impressive as he leads the minor leagues with 26 home runs. He grades as a fringy to below-average hitter with a 37 percent strikeout rate, an unsustainable number. His plus raw power will play and his plus-plus arm makes him a prototypical right fielder and if can make enough contact.
• December, 2015 Scouting Report
  The Royals spent $2.25 million to land Matias' combination of tools and athleticism. Matias impressed international scouts with his bat speed, power potential, plus-plus arm and a chance to stick in center field. The concern is if his hit tool will develop enough to let his very loud tools play. Matias is an above-average runner now but depending on how his body develops he might grow into a right fielder. Matias will show a short, simple swing when he's locked in but he also gets too pull-happy and will swing and miss too much when he's struggling. He's so young that there are a lot of potential avenues for Matias going forward. If he can stay in center field, he's a potential impact prospect, but he also has enough power potential to be a solid right fielder. Matias missed instructional league with a broken hamate bone but should be ready to make his 2016 debut on schedule, likely in the Dominican Summer League.