Matt Vierling

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Matt Vierling
Matt Vierling 014 (cropped).jpg
Vierling at Notre Dame in 2016
Philadelphia Phillies – No. 19
Outfielder / First Baseman
Born: (1996-09-16) September 16, 1996 (age 25)
St. Louis, Missouri
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 19, 2021, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
(through 2021)
Batting average.324
Home runs2
Runs batted in6
Teams

Matthew Gregory Vierling (born September 16, 1996) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Early life[]

Vierling was born on September 16, 1996, in St. Louis Missouri.[1] His father was a former college football player for the Kansas Jayhawks.[2] Both Matt and his younger brother Mark were dedicated baseball players throughout their childhoods. They played for one season together in 2015 on the varsity team for Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis. Matt, a senior, had been moved from his usual positions of outfielder and pitcher to shortstop, next to his brother at second base.[3] That year, Vierling led Christian Brothers in most offensive metrics, batting .451 with three home runs, 32 runs batted in (RBIs), and 31 runs scored. He also had an 8-0 win-loss record as a pitcher, with a 2.07 earned run average (ERA).[4]

College career[]

He was selected in the 30th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft by his hometown St. Louis Cardinals, but did not sign with the team.[5]

Vierling attended the University of Notre Dame, and played college baseball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for three seasons. As a sophomore, he batted .330 with seven home runs and 42 RBIs and was named third team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[6] After his sophomore year, he played for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he batted .182.[7][8] Vierling was named second team All-ACC as a junior after hitting for a .310 average with 10 home runs and 43 RBIs.[9]

Professional career[]

The Philadelphia Phillies selected Vierling in the fifth round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[10] After signing with the team, he was assigned to the short-season Williamsport Crosscutters. Vierling batted .420 in 12 games and was then promoted to the Class A Lakewood Blue Claws.[11] He spent the 2019 season with the Clearwater Threshers of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League.[12] Vierling did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

After starting the 2021 season at the Phillies' alternate training site, Vierling was assigned to the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils to begin the minor league season. He was promoted to the Class AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs after hitting .345 with 6 home runs and 16 RBIs in 24 games with Reading.[14] On June 19, 2021, Vierling was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[15] He made his Major League debut that day as a pinch hitter, hitting a single to right field in his first at-bat off of San Francisco Giants reliever Jarlin García while also stealing second base and scoring a run.[16] He hit his first Major League home run on September 25, 2021, in Philadelphia in a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.[17] In 2021, he had the fastest sprint speed of all major league first basemen, at 29.2 feet/second.[18]

References[]

  1. ^ "Matt Vierling Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. . Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  2. ^ Edelstein, Carrie (March 20, 2015). "Balancing Sports and School: Matt Vierling". St. Louis Magazine. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  3. ^ Forde, Mitchell (June 27, 2017). "Vierlings show brotherly love through baseball". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  4. ^ Dahn, Jeff (March 3, 2016). "'Repeat' Dirty Word at CBC". Perfect Game USA. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  5. ^ "Vierlings show brotherly love through baseball". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 27, 2017.
  6. ^ "A look at all of Phillies' 2018 draft picks". NBC Sports Philadelphia. June 6, 2018.
  7. ^ "#10 Matt Vierling". pointstreak.com. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  8. ^ Breen, Matt (June 5, 2018). "Like Alec Bohm, Phillies think Notre Dame's Matt Vierling can move quick to majors". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  9. ^ "Drafted by hometown Cards but unsigned in 2015, Matt Vierling goes to Phillies in 5th round". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 6, 2018.
  10. ^ "Cutters notebook: Vierling made pro debut". Williamsport Sun-Gazette. June 19, 2018.
  11. ^ Baseball America (2019). "Matt Vierling". Baseball America 2019 Prospect Handbook Digital Edition. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781932391862. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  12. ^ Mayo, Jonathan (November 6, 2020). "Phillies instructional league prospect report". MLB.com.
  13. ^ "2020 Minor League Season Canceled".
  14. ^ Salisbury, Jim (June 15, 2021). "Versatile Williams makes third start at third different position". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  15. ^ Lauber, Scott (June 19, 2021). "Phillies select contract of outfielder Matt Vierling, place Matt Joyce on injured list". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  16. ^ Zolecki, Todd (June 19, 2021). "Notes: Vierling's quick climb; rotation shuffle". MLB.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  17. ^ Salisbury, Jim (September 25, 2021). "Suarez, Harper, Vierling lead surging Phillies to a big win in front of bigger crowd". www.nbcsports.com. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  18. ^ "Statcast Sprint Speed Leaderboard". baseballsavant.com.

External links[]

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