J. J. Matijevic

Joseph John Matijevic (born November 14, 1995) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.

J. J. Matijevic
Matijevic with the Corpus Christi Hooks in 2019
Houston Astros – No. 13
First baseman
Born: (1995-11-14) November 14, 1995
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 22, 2022, for the Houston Astros
MLB statistics
(through April 22, 2022)
Batting average.000
Home runs0
Runs batted in0
Teams

Amateur career

Matijevic attended Norwin High School in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania,[1] where he played baseball and basketball. The Boston Red Sox selected him as a shortstop in the 22nd round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He did not sign[2] and enrolled at the University of Arizona, where he played college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats.[2][3][4] In 2015 and 2016, Matijevic played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was named a league all-star in 2015.[5][6][7]

Professional career

The Houston Astros selected Matijevic with the 75th overall selection of the 2017 MLB Draft.[8] He signed with the Astros, receiving a $700,000 signing bonus, and was assigned to the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Class A-Short Season New York-Penn League, where he began his professional career.[9] Matijevic was promoted to the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Class A Midwest League[10] in August. In 59 games between the two teams, he hit .228 with seven home runs, 31 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases.

Matijevic began 2018 with Quad Cities. In May, the Astros promoted him to the Buies Creek Astros of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League.[11] In 101 games between both teams, he hit .277/.350/.538 with 22 home runs and 62 RBIs.[12] He began 2019 with the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Class AA Texas League.[13] On April 30, Matijevic received a 50-game suspension after failing a second test for a drug of abuse.[14] He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Peoria Javelinas following the season.[15]

Matijevic did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] He split the 2021 season between Corpus Christi and the Triple-A Sugar Land Skeeters, slashing .254/.341/.512 with 25 home runs and 75 RBI in 109 total games. Matijevic was invited to Spring Training with the Astros in 2022, but did not make the team and was assigned to Triple-A Sugar Land, who had rebranded as the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.[17]

References
  1. "Two former WPIAL players projected to be early picks in MLB draft | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Post-gazette.com. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  2. "Norwin grad J.J. Matijevic's bat is music to Arizona's ears | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Post-gazette.com. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  3. Mike Kovak (April 16, 2017). "Norwin graduate Matijevic blossoms for No. 7 Arizona". TribLIVE. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  4. Lev, Michael (June 11, 2017). "Appeal of Arizona Wildcats prospects JJ Matijevic, Jared Oliva goes beyond talent | Arizona Wildcats Baseball". tucson.com. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  5. "#12 JJ Matijevic". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  6. "#13 JJ Matijevic - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  7. "Cape League All-Star, Home Run selections released". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  8. Jake Kaplan (June 12, 2017). "Astros draft Arizona second baseman J.J. Matijevic at 75th overall - Houston Chronicle". Chron.com. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  9. Jake Kaplan (June 24, 2017). "Astros draftee JJ Matijevic to begin pro career with Tri-City - Houston Chronicle". Chron.com. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  10. Beckner Jr., Bill (April 26, 2018). "Matijevic finding his rhythm with Astros' single-A River Bandits". TribLIVE. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  11. Beckner Jr., Bill (May 8, 2018). "Norwin grad Matijevic promoted to Astros' high-A team". TribLIVE. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  12. "J.J. Matijevic Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  13. "Norwin grad Matijevic assigned to Double-A | TribLIVE.com". March 29, 2019.
  14. Chandler Rome (April 30, 2019). "Astros prospect J.J. Matijevic suspended 50 games for drug violation". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  15. "2019 Arizona Fall League rosters". MLB.com.
  16. "2020 Minor League Season Canceled". mlbtraderumors.com.
  17. "J.J. Matijevic Stats, Fantasy & News".
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