Kevin Matthews ... Another No. 1 reclamation project
Boy, it happened again. A superb signing went by me like Goahara fastball.
Left-hander Kevin Matthews, an East Cobb product (Richmond Hill), was drafted No. 1 (33rd overall) by the Rangers in 2011 and signed rather than go to Virginia. Bonus $936K.
Missed all of 2013 and half of 2014 (shoulder).
Released by Rangers in May of 2015 after a DWI in Hickory at age 21.
The Braves signed him while he was pitching for the Birmingham-Bloomfield Beavers in the USPBL. (That's the United Shore Professional Baseball League, founded in 2016. Yeah, I had to look up the acronym.)
He was leading that league in ERA, 1.80, as well as strikeouts. But the real tell is the comments his manager, Chris Newell, said at the time.
“I had a conversation after watching him throw and I said, ‘You’re not leaving here without a contract,'” Beavers Manager Chris Newell said about Matthews. “He’s a remarkable young man, and what I love about him is that he’s probably the best teammate this league has ever had.” On May 21, Matthews threw the second no-hitter in USPBL history. Although it was shortened due to rain, Matthews struck out 10 batters over five innings of work.
When pitchers are starting on the mound on game day, they’re rarely the first player to the park. Matthews, however, was always the first person in the clubhouse.
“That’s how bad he wanted it and how hard he worked,” Newell added.
Braves assigned him to Rome, and worked out of the bullpen, allowing only one run in 9.1 innings. He was moved directly to Gwinnett to fill the void and pitched his arse off Tuesday afternoon in his Gwinnett debut. He's still on 24, so he's a guy worth rooting for, even if he doesn't crack the Top 30 right away.
