This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado¡¯s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Luis Matos realized a dream when he broke into the big leagues with the Giants in 2023. But he accomplished another one when he returned home and debuted in the Venezuelan Winter League over the offseason.
After receiving permission from the Giants, Matos suited up for Tiburones de la Guaira and ended up earning Rookie of the Year honors after batting .300/.345/.536 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs over 55 games.
¡°It was something I set out to do when I went to play over there,¡± Matos said in Spanish. ¡°I said, ¡®It¡¯s my first year. I¡¯m going for Rookie of the Year.¡¯ For me, it was super cool because I grew up watching that league. I always dreamed of playing there in addition to playing in the big leagues. And thank God, I was able to do it.¡±
Matos¡¯ winter stint was even more meaningful because it gave him an opportunity to play in front of his family for the first time in his professional career. His parents, Jos¨¦ Luis and Yoelis, made multiple attempts to come to the United States to watch him play in the Majors, but they were denied a visa three times before finally receiving permission to enter the country this year.
¡°It motivated me a lot to just play and have fun knowing that my family was there supporting me,¡± Matos said. ¡°It felt really good.¡±
That support system has remained intact this spring. With their visas now valid for 10 years, Matos¡¯ parents were able to travel to Arizona and live with their son during Spring Training. Their arrival couldn¡¯t have come at a better time, as they¡¯ve been helping Matos and his wife, Alexandra, take care of their daughter, Briella, who was born on Feb. 20.
Having his family around has helped the 23-year-old Matos stay settled at the plate, as he entered Wednesday tied for the MLB lead with 19 hits and ranks fourth with a .358 batting average through 20 Cactus League games this spring. Those numbers should put him in prime position to make his first Opening Day roster and serve as Mike Yastrzemski¡¯s platoon partner in right field during the regular season.
¡°The talent he¡¯s got is unbelievable,¡± said fellow Venezuelan Pablo Sandoval, who¡¯s currently in camp as a guest instructor for the Giants. ¡°To get the Rookie of the Year [in winter ball] is a beautiful thing for him. He¡¯s got a bright career. I hope he can continue shining and do the best thing.¡±
Matos flashed his offensive potential by winning National League Player of the Week honors last May, when he batted .385 (10-for-26) with two homers, 16 RBIs, three doubles and three runs scored over a torrid six-game span with the Giants, but he spent the rest of the year bouncing between Triple-A Sacramento and the Majors. He finished the 2024 campaign hitting .213/.237/.347 over 45 games and looked overly aggressive at times, posting a 3.2% walk rate that would have ranked second to last in the Majors if he¡¯d had enough plate appearances to qualify.
Still, Matos believes his time in winter ball ultimately helped him mature as a hitter and develop a slightly more patient approach, especially since he was able to learn from Tiburones manager Ozzie Guill¨¦n and former big leaguers like Yangervis Solarte and Alcides Escobar.
¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been working on since I played over there in Venezuela,¡± Matos said. ¡°Improve my approach. Go in with a plan and not just swing like crazy. Have a plan and make the pitcher work.¡±
Matos has drawn only two walks over 55 plate appearances this spring, though both of those free passes have come in two of his past four games, an encouraging sign for him moving forward.
¡°He is getting better pitches to hit, and that¡¯s always going to be, for him, the most important thing,¡± manager Bob Melvin said. ¡°Not chasing too much. Last year, when he was getting good pitches to hit, he went crazy, and then all of a sudden he was a little bit too aggressive. Even though he hasn¡¯t walked [a lot], we¡¯ve seen him take some first pitches. We¡¯ve seen him get a little bit deeper in counts. I think that is a progression for him.¡±