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Matt Mervis

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Matt Mervis
Mervis with the Iowa Cubs in 2022
Chicago Cubs
First baseman
Born: (1998-04-16) April 16, 1998 (age 26)
Washington, D.C.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right

Matthew Jared Mervis (born April 16, 1998), nicknamed Mash,[1][2][3] is an American professional baseball first baseman in the Chicago Cubs organization. He played college baseball at Duke University. He signed with the Cubs in 2020 as an undrafted free agent. In 2022, he led Minor League Baseball in RBIs, and was third with 36 home runs.

Early life

Mervis was born in Washington, D.C., to Jeffrey Mervis and Ellen Van Bergen, and is Jewish.[4][5][6] He has one older brother and a younger sister.[4] He was raised in Potomac, Maryland.[4]

High school career

Mervis attended Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Maryland, where he played baseball. He earned a spot on the 2014 Perfect Game Preseason Underclassmen All American Team as a High Honorable Mention.[7] As a junior in 2015, he had a .409 batting average with 39 RBIs, while as a pitcher he had a 0.10 earned run average (ERA) and threw a 92 mph (148 km/h) fastball.[4] He was named 2015 Perfect Game Preseason Underclassmen All American Second Team.[7]

In 2016, as a senior, Mervis batted .348 with two home runs while also posting a 1.13 ERA with 121 strikeouts while throwing to elite backup catcher Brian O’Loughlin.[8] He was named 2016 Perfect Game Preseason Atlantic-All Region First Team.[7] He was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 39th round of the 2016 MLB draft, but did not sign.[9] That summer, he played with the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League, and had a .411/.469/.643 slash line over 15 games, with his batting average leading the league and his on-base percentage (OBP) and on-base plus slugging (OPS) ranking third and second, respectively.[10]

Collegiate career

After high school, Mervis enrolled at Duke University where he majored in political science and played four years of college baseball as a pitcher, first baseman, and third baseman.[11][3][12] In 2017, his freshman year at Duke, he had two doubles over six at-bats while pitching to a 2–2 record with a 7.83 ERA and 21 strikeouts over 23 innings pitched.[9] That summer, he briefly played for both the New Bedford BaySox of the New England Collegiate Baseball League and the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[9] As a sophomore with Duke in 2019, he collected one hit over four at-bats while going 3–0 with a 4.91 ERA and 21 strikeouts over 25+2⁄3 innings.[9] That summer, he played for the Kalamazoo Growlers of the Northwoods League.[13] He slashed .316/.395/.450 over 171 over at-bats with 27 runs, 11 doubles, four home runs, 28 RBIs, 22 walks, and four sacrifice flies, ending the season in the top five in each statistic, except OBP, where he ranked seventh.[14]

During his junior season at Duke in 2019, he pitched in seven games in which he was 1–0 with a 2.16 ERA and eight strikeouts over 8+1⁄3 innings, while posting a .274/.358/.421 slash line with six home runs and 31 RBIs in 190 at-bats and 48 starts.[9][4] That summer, he played with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League where he slashed .325/.418/.571 with four home runs over 77 at-bats with 24 RBIs and was named a league all-star. His batting average and OBP were third in the league with his OPS ranking tenth and his 24 RBIs ranking eighth.[15] Prior to a shortened senior season at Duke in 2020, he was named the 19th-best senior in the country by Perfect Game and was selected as team captain.[4] He had a .304/.458/.589 slash line with three home runs over 16 games while playing first base and pitching two scoreless innings in two games before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

Professional career

Mervis went unselected in the five-round 2020 MLB draft, and signed with the Chicago Cubs in June 2020 as an undrafted free agent, as a first baseman.[16][17] Due to the unique rules of the shortened draft, Mervis only received $20,000 upon signing.[18] He made his professional debut in 2021 with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Low-A East, and also played in three games with the Iowa Cubs of the Triple-A East.[19] Over 72 games between both teams, he batted .208 with nine home runs and 44 RBIs.[9][3]

Mervis opened the 2022 season with the South Bend Cubs of the High-A Midwest League, for whom he slashed .350/.389/.650 in 100 at bats with 35 runs, seven home runs, and 29 RBIs over 27 games.[20] He was promoted to the Tennessee Smokies of the Double-A Southern League in mid-May, for whom Mervis batted .300/.370/.596 (third in the league)—in 203 at bats over 53 games he had 16 doubles, 14 home runs, and 51 RBIs.[21] In mid-July, he was promoted to Iowa, now members of the Triple-A International League.[22][23] The Cubs named him their Minor League Player of the Month for August 2022, during which he batted .305 with a .390 OBP and a .926 OPS for Iowa.[24] Over 57 games with Iowa to end the season, he led the International League with a .983 OPS[25] and slashed .297/.383/.593 (leading the league)[25] in 209 at bats with 41 runs, 15 home runs, and 39 RBIs, with a 10% walk rate and a 15% strikeout rate.[20] With each promotion, he lowered his strikeout rate.[26]

His combined 2022 season totals between South Bend, Tennessee, and Iowa included a .309/.379/.605 slash line with 92 runs, 40 doubles, 36 home runs, and 119 RBIs in 510 at bats.[27] He led all of the minor leagues in 2022 with his 119 RBIs, also led the minors in extra base hits with 78, was tied for second in the minors with 40 doubles, and was third in the minor leagues with 36 home runs.[28][29][30] He was named the Cubs 2022 Minor League Player of the Year, and an MiLB Organization All Star.[31][32]

Mervis was selected to play for the Mesa Solar Sox in the 2022 Arizona Fall League.[33][34][35] There, he was chosen as the Arizona Rising Stars MVP, an Arizona Fall League Fall Star, and was named the 2022 Fall Stars Game MVP.[36][37][38] He batted .291/.344/.655, and led the league in home runs (six), as well as isolated power (ISO; .364) and at bats per home run (9.17).[39]

Jared Banner, Chicago's vice president of player development, said: "He has premium bat speed. His bat stays in the zone for a long time. And he is strong."[3] As to whether he will be in a position to win a major league job in spring training in 2023, Cubs manager David Ross said: "That’s definitely on the radar."[40]

References

  1. ^ Tim Stebbins (September 2, 2022). "Mervis keeps mashing, Davis' return off to good start". NBC Sports.
  2. ^ Andy Martinez (September 4, 2022). "Matt "Mash" Mervis, Walker Powell named organization Minor League player, pitcher of month". Chicago Cubs News.
  3. ^ a b c d Tommy Birch (August 30, 2022). "How Matt Mervis became the biggest surprise in Chicago Cubs' farm system". The Des Moines Register.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Matt Mervis - 2020 - Baseball". goduke.com.
  5. ^ "Minor leaguers". Jewish Baseball Museum.
  6. ^ Scott Barancik (September 6, 2022). "JBN welcomes two more players; both prospects hit for power". Jewish Baseball News.
  7. ^ a b c "Matt Mervis Class of 2016 - Player Profile". Perfect Game USA.
  8. ^ Brandon Parker (June 8, 2016). "MLB draft: Oakton's Joe Rizzo, Flint Hill's Khalil Lee lead local prospects". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "Matt Mervis Amateur, College & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference.
  10. ^ "2016 Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League Batting Leaders". Baseball Reference.
  11. ^ DUKE ATHLETICS 2019-20 ANNUAL REPORT
  12. ^ "Nationals Day 3 draft wrap: College pitchers win the day". The Washington Post. June 11, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  13. ^ Fernando Ramirez (May 27, 2022). "South Bend Cubs Matt Mervis hot start gets him called up to Tennessee Smokies". South Bend Tribune.
  14. ^ "2018 Kalamazoo Growlers Statistics".
  15. ^ "#47 Matthew Mervis". pointstreak.com. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  16. ^ "Cubs Name RHP Walker Powell Minor League August Pitcher of the Month". MiLB.com. September 5, 2022.
  17. ^ "Duke baseball standout Matt Mervis signs with Chicago Cubs as UDFA". June 15, 2020.
  18. ^ "Duke baseball's Matt Mervis, Thomas Girard sign as undrafted free agents". Duke Chronicle. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  19. ^ Augusta GreenJackets (July 8, 2021). "Pelicans Ride Big First Inning to 7-5 Victory". Wrdw.com. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Havermann, Payton. "Cubs Prospect Spotlight: Matt Mervis was Perhaps the Biggest Breakout in the System". Sports Illustrated Inside The Cubs.
  21. ^ "South Bend Cubs' Matt Mervis' great start gets him moved up to AA". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  22. ^ "Cubs' Matt Mervis' Road from Undrafted to Red-Hot Prospect". NBC Chicago.
  23. ^ "Mervis' power (33 HRS) continues to impress". MLB.com.
  24. ^ "Cubs Name Matt Mervis MiLB Player of Month, Walker Powell Pitcher of Month for August". September 4, 2022.
  25. ^ a b "2022 International League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  26. ^ "Mervis earns high praise from Hoyer, organizational honor". RSN.
  27. ^ "Matt Mervis Stats, Fantasy & News".
  28. ^ "2022 Register Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  29. ^ Staff, B. A. "Vaun Brown, Moises Gomez Finish Season Among MiLB Kings". Baseball America.
  30. ^ "2022 Arizona Fall League primer: Cubs prospects prepare for baseball's top showcase | Chicago Cubs News". Marquee Sports Network - Television Home of the Chicago Cubs and Sky. October 3, 2022.
  31. ^ [1]
  32. ^ "Cubs name Matt Mervis, Luis Devers as Minor League Player, Pitcher of year | Chicago Cubs News". Marquee Sports Network - Television Home of the Chicago Cubs and Sky. October 12, 2022.
  33. ^ "Brennen Davis, Matt Mervis among 7 Cubs going to the Arizona Fall League". September 14, 2022.
  34. ^ "Chicago Cubs Prospect Matt Mervis Maintains Torrid Pace". September 12, 2022.
  35. ^ "Is Cubs prospect Matt Mervis 'the next Anthony Rizzo'?".
  36. ^ [2]
  37. ^ Taylor, Brett. "Matt Mervis Just Crushed His AFL-Leading Sixth Homer". Bleacher Nation.
  38. ^ "Cubs' Mervis named Fall Stars Game MVP". MLB.com.
  39. ^ "The Official Site of Major League Baseball". MLB.com.
  40. ^ Mooney, Patrick (September 25, 2022). "Cubs prospect Matt Mervis 'definitely on the radar' as potential 2023 Opening Day first baseman". The Athletic.
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