Cubs on two-way pick Mathis: 'We view him as a hitter'
Jordan Bastian
@MLBastianThis story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian¡¯s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CHICAGO ¨C The Cubs are going to need some time to determine the best place for Cole Mathis on the diamond. What Chicago knows for certain is that this was a bat that the scouting department wanted in the farm system.
On Sunday night, the North Siders used their second-round selection (54th pick overall) on Mathis, who was a two-way star for the College of Charleston (S.C.). Mathis was described as a third baseman at the time of the selection, but he played first base this past season. He will not continue pitching under the Cubs¡¯ watch.
¡°We view him as a hitter,¡± said Dan Kantrovitz, the Cubs' vice president of scouting. "And as somebody that we're going to work to figure out where he fits best defensively, whether that's first base or third base, or potentially even getting some time in the outfield.¡±
Mathis is ranked No. 84 on Pipeline¡¯s Draft prospects list.
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Mathis, who will turn 21 on July 25, hit .335/.472/.650 with 14 home runs, 17 doubles, 57 RBIs, 63 runs scored and 14 stolen bases in 52 games this season. He also ended with more walks (46) than strikeouts (32) in 254 plate appearances. That showing came after he hit .318 with 11 homers and a 1.048 OPS in 38 games in the Cape Cod League.
During the ¡®23 Cape Cod season, Mathis also had a 5.31 ERA with 23 strikeouts and five walks in 20 1/3 innings. In his ¡®23 campaign with the College of Charleston, he had a 3.45 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 17 walks in 60 innings (10 starts and four relief outings). Due to an elbow issue this year, Mathis focused on hitting.
The Cubs really liked what they saw from Mathis in the batter¡¯s box, too.
¡°His baseball card numbers are obviously impressive,¡± Kantrovitz said. ¡°When you dig deeper, his chase rates, his in-zone contact rates, his exit velocities, his ability to just really hit the ball hard and in the air [really stood out]. ¡ And he seems to do it fairly effortlessly, too.
¡°He¡¯s a pretty strong kid and he¡¯s just got a natural swing plane that lends itself to consistently hitting the ball in the air. And then with his size and strength, he ends up putting a pretty good charge into it.¡±