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Matt Mervis
Mervis with the Iowa Cubs in 2022
Chicago Cubs – No. 22
First baseman
Born: (1998-04-16) April 16, 1998 (age 26)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 5, 2023, for the Chicago Cubs
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.155
Home runs3
Runs batted in14
Teams

Matthew Jared Mervis (born April 16, 1998), nicknamed "Mash",[1][2][3] is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at Duke University, and signed with the Cubs as an undrafted free agent in 2020. In 2022, he led Minor League Baseball in RBIs, and was third with 36 home runs. He played for Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Early life

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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

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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 runs batted in (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.[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][11]

College career

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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.[12][3][13] 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][14] As a sophomore with Duke in 2018, 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.[15] 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.[16]

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, Mervis 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.[17] 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

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2020–21

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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.[18][19] Due to the unique rules of the shortened draft, Mervis only received $20,000 upon signing.[20] 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.[21] Over 72 games between both teams, he batted .208 with nine home runs and 44 RBIs.[9][3]

2022

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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.[22] 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.[23] In mid-July, he was promoted to Iowa, now a member of the Triple-A International League.[24][25] 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.[26] Over 57 games with Iowa to end the season, he led the International League with a .983 OPS in 209 at bats with 41 runs, 15 home runs, and 39 RBIs, with a 10% walk rate and a 15% strikeout rate.[27] and slashed .297/.383/.593 (leading the league)[27][22] With each promotion, he lowered his strikeout rate.[28]

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.[29] Mervis 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.[30][31][32] He was named the Cubs 2022 Minor League Player of the Year, and an MiLB Organization All Star.[33][34]

Mervis was selected to play for the Mesa Solar Sox in the 2022 Arizona Fall League.[35][36][37] 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.[33][38][39] 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).[40]

2023

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He began the 2023 season playing for Triple-A Iowa.[41] Through May 4, Mervis batted .286/.402/.560 in 91 at bats with 27 runs (3rd in the International League), 6 home runs (10th), 27 RBIs (3rd), 18 walks (8th; as against 19 strikeouts), and 2 sacrifice flies (10th).[41][42]

Mervis was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on May 5, 2023, and made his MLB debut that day, batting 7th and playing first base against the Miami Marlins. Mervis hit his first major league home run on May 16 against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. On June 15, the Cubs optioned Mervis back to Triple-A Iowa after he hit .167/.242/.289 with 3 home runs in 90 at bats, while playing first base.[43] [44] His peripheral statistics were significantly better, as he had a 50% hard hit rate and a 13.8% barrel rate, double the league average.[45]

In 2023 playing for Triple–A Iowa, Mervis batted .282/.399/.533(6th in the league) in 362 at bats with 22 home runs (8th), 78 RBIs (10th), 67 walks (8th), and 5 sacrifice flies (9th).[46][47] His 15.2% walk percentage was 10th-highest in the International League, and his .932 OPS and .251 isolated power were both 6th.[46]

2024

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In January 2024, MLB Pipeline ranked Mervis # 6 on its Top 10 1B Prospects list.[48] After a strong spring training, he was optioned to Triple–A Iowa to begin the 2024 season.[49] In 2024 with Iowa, Mervis batted .235/.329/.434 in 302 at bats with 15 home runs and 43 RBIs (with two stints on the injured list), and with the Cubs he batted 3-for-26.[50]

International career; Team Israel

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Mervis played for the Israeli national baseball team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.[51][52][53]

See also

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References

[edit]
  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 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. ^ Adler, Kevin (May 31, 2023). "Thunderbolts Open Collegiate Baseball Season Sunday, June 4". Source of the Spring. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  12. ^ "Duke Athletics 2019-20 Annual Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 16, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  13. ^ Chelsea Janes (June 11, 2016). "Nationals Day 3 draft wrap: College pitchers win the day". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  14. ^ "Matthew Mervis". pointstreak.com. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  15. ^ Fernando Ramirez (May 27, 2022). "South Bend Cubs Matt Mervis hot start gets him called up to Tennessee Smokies". South Bend Tribune.
  16. ^ "2018 Kalamazoo Growlers Statistics". Baseball Reference.
  17. ^ "#47 Matthew Mervis". pointstreak.com. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  18. ^ "Cubs Name RHP Walker Powell Minor League August Pitcher of the Month". MiLB.com. September 5, 2022.
  19. ^ Kevin Connelly (June 15, 2020). "Duke baseball standout Matt Mervis signs with Chicago Cubs as UDFA". Fansided.
  20. ^ Jake C. Piazza (June 15, 2020). "Duke baseball's Matt Mervis, Thomas Girard sign as undrafted free agents". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  21. ^ Augusta GreenJackets (July 8, 2021). "Pelicans Ride Big First Inning to 7-5 Victory". WRDW. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  22. ^ a b Havermann, Payton (October 3, 2022). "Cubs Prospect Spotlight: Matt Mervis was Perhaps the Biggest Breakout in the System". Sports Illustrated Inside The Cubs.
  23. ^ Fernando Ramirez (May 27, 2022). "South Bend Cubs' Matt Mervis' great start gets him moved up to AA". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  24. ^ Tim Stebbins (July 20, 2022). "Cubs' Matt Mervis' Road from Undrafted to Red-Hot Prospect". NBC Chicago.
  25. ^ Jordan Bastian (September 15, 2022). "Mervis' power (33 HRS) continues to impress". MLB.com.
  26. ^ Evan Altman (September 4, 2022). "Cubs Name Matt Mervis MiLB Player of Month, Walker Powell Pitcher of Month for August". Cubs Insider.
  27. ^ a b "2022 International League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  28. ^ Tim Stebbins (October 12, 2022). "Mervis earns high praise from Hoyer, organizational honor". NBC Sports.
  29. ^ "Matt Mervis Stats, Fantasy & News". milb.com.
  30. ^ "2022 Register Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  31. ^ "Vaun Brown, Moises Gomez Finish Season Among MiLB Kings". Baseball America. September 29, 2022.
  32. ^ Lee Bosch (October 3, 2022). "2022 Arizona Fall League primer: Cubs prospects prepare for baseball's top showcase | Chicago Cubs News". Marquee Sports Network.
  33. ^ a b "Matt Mervis Stats, Fantasy & News". MiLB.com.
  34. ^ Andy Martinez (October 12, 2022). "Cubs name Matt Mervis, Luis Devers as Minor League Player, Pitcher of year | Chicago Cubs News". Marquee Sports Network.
  35. ^ Al Yellon (September 14, 2022). "Brennen Davis, Matt Mervis among 7 Cubs going to the Arizona Fall League". SB Nation.
  36. ^ Payton Havermann (September 12, 2022). "Chicago Cubs Prospect Matt Mervis Maintains Torrid Pace". Yardbarker.
  37. ^ Gordon Wittenmyer (September 14, 2022). "Is Cubs prospect Matt Mervis 'the next Anthony Rizzo'?". NBC Sports.
  38. ^ Taylor, Brett (November 4, 2022). "Matt Mervis Just Crushed His AFL-Leading Sixth Homer". Bleacher Nation.
  39. ^ Jesse Borek (November 6, 2022). "Cubs' Mervis named Fall Stars Game MVP". MLB.com.
  40. ^ "The Official Site of Major League Baseball". MLB.com.
  41. ^ a b "2023 International League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  42. ^ Joe Trezza (May 4, 2023). "Cubs powering up? Mervis getting call to boost offense (source)". MLB.com.
  43. ^ "Matt Mervis Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
  44. ^ "Matt Mervis Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More".
  45. ^ "3 Chicago Cubs players who were cursed in 2023". Cubbies Crib. October 11, 2023.
  46. ^ a b "Minor League Leaderboards | FanGraphs Baseball". www.fangraphs.com.
  47. ^ "Matt Mervis Amateur, College, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  48. ^ "Chicago Cubs Land Two First Basemen on the Latest Top-Ten Prospect List - Bleacher Nation". January 19, 2024.
  49. ^ "Cubs' Matt Mervis: Roster bid falls short". CBSSports.com. March 17, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  50. ^ "Matt Mervis," MiLB.com.
  51. ^ Andy Jasner (January 16, 2023). "Chicago Cubs' Matt Mervis to Play for Team Israel; First baseman for the Chicago Cubs, Matt Mervis, will play for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic.", Sports Illustrated.
  52. ^ Cramer, Philissa (October 14, 2022). "In a breakthrough, Team Israel will boast current MLBers on its World Baseball Classic roster". JTA.
  53. ^ Joshua Halickman (July 17, 2022). "Blue-and-white manager Kinsler talks Israeli baseball, Judaism". The Jerusalem Post.
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