- Full name Matt Squires
- Born
- Profile Throws: L
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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The Phillies found Squires, an Idaho native, at tiny Whitworth College, an NCAA Division III school in Spokane, Wash., with an enrollment around 2,000. Squires spent the early part of his college career as an outfielder, and continued to DH even as he threw a no-hitter and earned all-Northwest Conference honors on the mound as a senior. Squires uses an easy delivery and gets his fastball in the 89-91 mph range. He has a good feel for his changeup and also throws an 81 mph slider. While Squires doesn't have great stuff, his command, competitive nature and strong makeup allow him to succeed in his role as a lefthanded specialist. He held lefties to a .194 average in 2003. He's the kind of player who must prove himself at each level. He was a late addition to the Arizona Fall League, replacing Keith Bucktrot, who left with an elbow twinge. Squires made the most of his opportunity, opening his AFL campaign with 10 scoreless appearances. While he has a limited ceiling, Squires still could be a successful lefty in a big league bullpen. So could 2003 draftee Daniel Hodges, whose screwballing success at Lakewood should help him follow Squires up the organizational ladder.