Matthew Liberatore

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matthew Liberatore
St. Louis Cardinals
Pitcher
Born: (1999-11-06) November 6, 1999 (age 22)
Peoria, Arizona
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  United States
U-18 Baseball World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2017 Thunder Bay Team

Matthew Joseph Liberatore (born November 6, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.

Amateur career[]

Liberatore graduated from Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, Arizona.[1] In July 2017, he played in the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game and was named the game's MVP after throwing three scoreless innings.[2] Later in the summer, he played for the USA Baseball 18U National Team.[3] As a senior at Mountain Ridge in 2018, he posted an 8-1 record with a 0.93 ERA with 104 strikeouts in 60+1⁄3 innings[4] and was named Arizona's Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year.[5]

Liberatore committed to the University of Arizona to play college baseball.[6]

Professional career[]

Tampa Bay Rays[]

Liberatore was selected in the first round, with the 16th overall selection, by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2018 Major League Baseball draft and signed with the team for a $3.5 million signing bonus.[7] He was assigned to the Gulf Coast Rays of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. After posting a 0.98 ERA in eight starts, Liberatore was promoted to the Princeton Rays of the Advanced Rookie Appalachian League.[8] He pitched in one game for Princeton to end his first professional season. Liberatore began the 2019 season in extended spring training before he was assigned to the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Class A Midwest League on May 15,[9] with whom he spent the remainder of the year. Over 16 games (15 starts), Liberatore went 6-2 with a 3.10 ERA, striking out 76 batters over 78+1⁄3 innings.[10]

St. Louis Cardinals[]

On January 9, 2020, Liberatore was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals (along with Edgardo Rodriguez and the Rays’ Competitive Balance Round B Draft Pick) in exchange for José Martínez, Randy Arozarena, and the Cardinals’ Competitive Balance Round A Draft Pick.[11] He did not play in a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] For the 2021 season, Liberatore was assigned to the Memphis Redbirds of the Triple-A East.[13]

In late May, he was placed on the temporarily inactive list while he competed for a spot on the United States national baseball team, in advance of the 2020 Summer Olympics.[14] He was subsequently named to the roster of the national team for the Americas Qualifying Event.[15] Team USA qualified for the Olympics, but Liberatore was ultimately not named to the roster in part due to the Cardinals' lack of organizational depth.[16] In June, he was selected to represent the Cardinals (alongside Nolan Gorman) in the All-Star Futures Game at Coors Field.[17] Over 22 games (18 starts) with Memphis, Liberatore went 9-9 with a 4.04 ERA and 123 strikeouts over 124+2⁄3 innings.[18]

Personal life[]

Liberatore has been friends with fellow 2018 first round pick, Nolan Gorman, since they were five.[19]

References[]

  1. ^ "Top MLB draft prospect Liberatore stays grounded – Your Valley". 17 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Matthew Liberatore Jordyn Adams UA All-America". MLB.com.
  3. ^ "Mountain Ridge's Matthew Liberatore, SDO's Nolan Gorman lead USA baseball to gold".
  4. ^ "The friendship of two MLB Draft prospects". MLB.com.
  5. ^ Star, Arizona Daily. "Arizona Wildcats commit Matt Liberatore wins state's Gatorade Player of the Year award".
  6. ^ "Mountain Ridge's Matthew Liberatore, SDO's Nolan Gorman receive lofty pre-MLB Draft rankings".
  7. ^ Bartel, Jason. "Arizona signee Matthew Liberatore to ink contract with Tampa Bay Rays". Arizona Desert Swarm. SB Nation.
  8. ^ "First-round pick Matthew Liberatore signs". MLB.com.
  9. ^ "Matthew Liberatore player transactions". MiLB.com.
  10. ^ "Could the Matt Liberatore trade lead to an Arenado trade? 5 things to know about the new Cardinals prospect". 10 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Cardinals send Jose Martinez, Randy Arozarena to Rays for pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore".
  12. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
  13. ^ "Redbirds Announce Opening Day Roster".
  14. ^ "Liberatore, other former Cardinals named to USA Baseball roster for Olympic qualifying". 24 May 2021.
  15. ^ "Team USA Announces Olympic Qualifying Roster". usabaseball.com. May 30, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  16. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals: Matthew Liberatore left off final Olympic roster". 2 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Futures Game rosters are STACKED". MLB.com.
  18. ^ "'Soak up every minute': After season in limited role, Carpenter chases 'big hit,' plays possibly final game at Busch".
  19. ^ "Arizona's Matthew Liberatore and Nolan Gorman: Opponents, draft prospects — and best friends".

External links[]

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