Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | HOU | OF | 28 | 35 |
Grades Update: Jan 2021
| OFP | Role | Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 40 | 45 | 45 |
Jan 2021 Report
Evaluator: Joe Drake
Age: 25 yr
Height: 6-0
Weight: 206 lbs
Hits/Throws: L/R
Acquired: 2017 CBB
RuleV: Eligible
Physical Description: Strong, well-developed frame with big, muscular legs and backside that stand out immediately. High waist. Broad, filled out shoulders and upper body. Strong hands. Looks like a grown man. Very little projection left, if any. Visible frustration with nearly every call he disagrees with. Plays with borderline cockiness, you can feel it when he's in the box. Suspended 50 games in 2019 for 2nd failed drug test (unspecified).
Hit: Very active setup while waiting for the pitch. Body and hands rock quite a bit before settling in as the pitcher releases. Sets up with moderate knee bend and sits into the rear leg. Wide base, square to the pitcher. Torso leans toward the plate, hinging at the hips, and is slightly closed to the pitcher. Hands sit face-high with the bat angled over the shoulder. Loads with a small leg lift early that returns to its original position and moderately coils the hips. Hands drift back a little before firing. Steep, uppercut swing with high finish; swings hard when he gets something he likes. Very confident in his own knowledge of the zone; patient, waits for something he can attack. Can spoil pitches with two strikes without letting up on swing intensity, but not regularly. Will expand on breakers and offspeed with two strikes; frequent swing and miss overall. Despite the patient approach, overall package is below-average due to whiffs and inability to square the ball up with regularity. Grade: 40
Power: Plus raw power from raw strength and effort in the swing. Does a good job of getting to most of it in game and drives the ball with authority when he connects. Patience and pitch selection are an asset to his power game. Easy pull-side power with the strength to drive it out in the opposite field alley. Inconsistent quality of contact and frequent swing and miss hold him back from higher game power grade. Grade: 50
Field: Splits time between 1B and OF. Actions at first lack fluidity; doesn't feel like a natural position for him. Stretch is fringy, commits early sometimes. Can pick okay. Outfield reads are below average; takes a moment to decide where he thinks the ball will end up. Athletic enough to make the exciting catch, but typically it's a product of a slow read on balls hit at him. Routes range from solid to adventurous; not enough makeup speed to cover up bad reads. Only really profiles for left field and would still be fringy at best. You can see why they've tried him at first. Grade: 40
Arm: Throws strikes from 1B but lacks zip. His arm isn't a detriment to his defensive profile, but it's not an asset, either. Grade: 45
Run: 4.39 H-1st; Solid runner underway, but won't stretch many singles into doubles. Not enough speed to help his range in the outfield. Better base stealer than you would expect, has a knack for getting good reads. Made big strides in AA; could swipe a bag or two at the top level. Grade: 45
Overall: Matijevic is a power over hit guy who doesn't have a true defensive home. He's passable at first base, but orgs will almost always have a better hitter at that spot and his defense is too poor to be an outfield regular, even in left. Most likely ends up as an up and down guy in AAA with a ceiling of a strongside platoon bat if he finds a way to make more contact and shores up his outfield reads.
OFP: 35
Role: 30 - Up/Down Emergency Depth
Risk: Moderate
