Wyatt Mathisen Selected by Pirates: Videos & Scouting Reports

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Wyatt Mathisen with their 69th pick to start the second round today.  Mathisen will need to make a decision to leave his dream of playing collegiate baseball for Texas to join the Bucs and start down his professional career path.

The Bucs sure have been great at picking players that were headed to Texas right?  Solid article here with quotes:

“If I get drafted and go high I’m starting my career  early and trying to make my goal to make the major leagues. If it doesn’t work out I’ll wait three years and go to UT and hopefully get another chance at getting drafted again. So either way it’s fun. It’s stressful, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nothing like bad at all is going to  happen.”

His high school team was eliminated recently from the playoffs, so the clock is ticking on Mathisen who played catcher, although not exclusively he also pitched and played shortstop,  in high school.  Most scouts feel he can stick at the position as well.  Baseball America had him rated at the 47th best player.

Some scouts feel that Mathisen wants to sign if he gets the cash he wants.  Mathisen hit .433 this season and scouts like him because he’s not beat up due to playing soley at the catching position.  He is athletic.  Has good arm strength (appeared to be the best pitcher on his high school team) with a quick release and projects for some pop.  He hit 13 homers in 2011 and had a  .941 slugging while this season he hit just three bombs and his slugging fell to .711.

Link to article on Perfect Game