Matheu Nelson

Matheu Nelson (born January 14, 1999) is an American professional baseball catcher in the Cincinnati Reds organization. He played college baseball for the Florida State Seminoles.

Matheu Nelson
Cincinnati Reds
Catcher
Born: (1999-01-14) January 14, 1999
Clearwater, Florida
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Amateur career

Nelson grew up in Largo, Florida and attended Calvary Christian High School, where one of his coaches was Hall of Fame pitcher Roy Halladay until his death.[1] He was named the Pinellas County Player of the Year after batting .465 with five home runs, 14 doubles and 45 RBIs.[2] Nelson was selected in the 39th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, but opted not to sign with the team.[3]

Nelson batted .282 with six home runs and 29 RBI in 57 games as a freshman. After the 2019 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[4] Nelson hit .250 with a home run, 14 RBIs and 16 runs scored before his sophomore season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.[5] After the season was canceled, Nelson worked on his conditioning a lost 25 pounds.[6][7] As a junior in 2021, he started 53 of the Seminoles games and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Player of the Year after batting .330 with 17 doubles and a conference-leading 23 home runs.[8][9] His 23 home runs also tied for the most in NCAA Division I and were the most by a Florida State player since the introduction of the BBCOR standard for bats in 2011.[10] Nelson was also named the National Player of the Year by Perfect Game/Rawlings as well as a first team All-American by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and the NCBWA as a catcher and by Baseball America as a designated hitter and won the Buster Posey Award as the nation's best catcher.[11][12][13]

Professional career

Nelson was selected the 35th overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft by the Cincinnati Reds.[14] Nelson signed with Cincinnati on July 21, 2021, for a $2.0958 million bonus.[15]

References
  1. Gelb, Matt (March 27, 2018). "Calvary Christian High, winners of 44 straight games, carry the memory of their assistant coach, Roy Halladay". The Athletic.
  2. Page, Rodney (July 17, 2018). "Tampa Bay Times' all-Tampa Bay baseball team". Tampa Bay Times.
  3. Breen, Matt (June 6, 2018). "Phillies pick one of Roy Halladay's former players in MLB draft". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  4. "Matheu Nelson - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  5. "Nelson's grand performance propels 'Noles to win".
  6. "Matheu Nelson's breakout season boosting FSU baseball, drawing Golden Spikes consideration". Tallahassee Democrat. May 14, 2021.
  7. "Matheu Nelson continues breakout season after Golden Spikes Award snub".
  8. "FSU's Mat Nelson named ACC Baseball Player of the Year".
  9. "Florida State baseball: Parker Messick and Matheu Nelson receive ACC awards". Tallahassee Democrat. May 24, 2021.
  10. Weiler, Curt (June 7, 2021). "Florida State catcher Matheu Nelson's special season comes to a bittersweet end". Tallahassee Democrat.
  11. "Nelson named Perfect Game/Rawlings Sports Player of the Year".
  12. "Led by Mat Nelson, FSU Baseball players continue to earn honors for past season".
  13. "Florida State's Mat Nelson wins Buster Posey Catcher of the Year". KAKE.com. July 1, 2021.
  14. "Matheu Nelson drafted by the Cincinnati Reds on first day of MLB Draft". Tallahassee Democrat. July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  15. Sheldon, Mark (July 21, 2021). "Reds sign No. 35 overall Draft pick Nelson". MLB.com. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
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