Get To Know: Cardinals OF And Former Gopher Matt Fiedler

Image courtesy of University of Minnesota

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Matt Fiedler (pronounced Feed-ler) is a prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system. So, why are we Getting To Know him today? Fiedler graduated from St. Paul academy in 2013 where he was the Class 2A Player of the Year and a Minnesota Mr. Baseball finalist.

He went on to play for the legendary John Anderson at the University of Minnesota. He played quite a bit as a freshman in 2014, and also he played in at least 50 games the last two years. As a junior in 2016, hit hit .366 with 12 doubles and eight home runs. He also stole 14 bags. He also made 16 pitching starts for the Gophers and went 7-4 with a 4.32 ERA. The Gophers won the Big 10 regular season championship, and Fiedler was named the Big 10 Player of the Year.

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On Thursday night at Target Field, the Minnesota Twins will hold their annual Diamond Awards. The Twins work in conjunction with the University in Minnesota to celebrate baseball while raising money for the U’s research and patient care in ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), ataxia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s Disease. Visit give.umn.edu/neuro to find out how you can continue to make a difference.

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Fiedler was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth round of the 2016 draft and went to Johnson City. He and his teammates won the Appalachian League championship. He played eight games against the Elizabethton Twins and went 9-24 (.375/.444/.458(.902)) with two doubles.

Today we are happy to share the following Q&A with Twins infield prospect Matt Fiedler.

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Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up miles from the Metrodome and Target Field, did you get to a lot of Twins games? Who were some of your favorite players (Twins or others)?

Matt Fiedler (MF): I was a huge Twins fan for my whole childhood. My dad brought me to as many Twins games as we could get to. My favorite players were always Torii Hunter and Johan Santana.

SS: What were some of the highlights of your baseball career at St. Paul Academy? Did you participate in other sports or activities?

MF: Winning the 2A Player of the Year was a huge honor and something I’ll always remember from my time at SPA. I was a part of the soccer team in high school as a goalie, thankfully we always had a great defense so I was never too involved.

SS: What went into your decision to stay home and play for John Anderson at the University of Minnesota?

MF: Something about the school and the baseball program just felt like the right fit. I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time but it ultimately was the best decision of my life.

SS: How difficult was it for you to pitch and hit at the Division 1 level? You were the Friday night pitcher and usually DH'd a game and played in the outfield a couple of games per series.

MF: It was something that I wanted to do from the time I stepped on campus, but developing to a point where I could actually help the team at both positions took a while. The coaching staff worked extremely hard getting me to a point where I was able to contribute in a unique way.

SS: Your junior year (2016) was a very special season for the Gophers. Big 10 championship, but also a very emotional season for you and your teammates. Talk a little about Mr. Oakes and what he meant to the Gophers baseball program, and how much he helped you.

MF: T.O. was one of the most remarkable and inspiring men that I’ve ever met. I only knew him when he was sick, but he never failed to bring a positive attitude to every practice and game that he was able to attend. We put together a very special year and we did our best to honor him with our play on the field. The whole Gopher baseball family misses him greatly.

SS: Heading into the draft, what were you hearing about where you could be selected? We you talking to a lot of scouts?

MF: I talked to a number of teams before the draft but no one really had a sense of where they would/could take me. Some teams preferred me on the mound and some at the plate but it was all up in the air. I looked at some various scouting services projections and prospects rankings, but no one had me on any sort of list. I felt overlooked, so I was ecstatic when the Cardinals gave me the opportunity to prove what I can do.

SS: Where were you and who were you with when you found out that the Cardinals had selected you in the ninth round? How busy was your phone at that point?

MF: I was just hanging out at home, and I insisted that we didn’t make a big deal out of it because I had no idea what to expect. After I was selected, my phone was blowing up for a few hours from friends and families. It was an extremely surreal feeling.

SS: After signing, you went to the hills of Tennessee and played for the Johnson City Cardinals. What was the adjustment like for you, on and off the field, to playing professional baseball?

MF:. It was tough to adjust in many ways. I started out something like 0-16 and 3-30 at the plate. After a few good talks with my manager I was able to settle in and start trusting my abilities again. Off the field was a bit easier. Baseball guys just have a way of bonding together and this was no different from a lot of the teams I’ve been on. Other than a lot more Spanish.

SS: The Cardinals selected you as an outfielder. Was there any thought to pitching as a professional, or is that done? You played solely in the outfield in 2016. Did you miss pitching or was it nice to focus your development?

MF: If I’m back on the mound, it probably means I didn’t do so well with the bat. While I miss pitching, it was really nice to just focus on developing as a position player for the first time in my life.

SS: Johnson City is just miles away from Elizabethton. While you’re obviously a Cardinals player now, was it kind of strange looking across the diamond and seeing “Twins” on the jersey?

MF: The whole summer was filled with a lot of “wow, I’m really living out my dream” moments, but none quite as strong as when we played the Twins for the first time. Just seeing that name on their jerseys brought me back to all the memories I had from watching the big league Twins play as a kid.

SS: Your Johnson City Cardinals swept its way to the 2016 Appalachian League championship. What was the playoff run like, and how good was the talent that you teamed with?

MF: The playoff run was awesome; everything just seemed to click for us. We had an unbelievable amount of talent on the team including guys like Allen Cordoba, Andrew Knizner, JR Davis and Bryce Denton to name just a few. Watch out for those guys to make some noise throughout the years to come.

SS: How much have you participated in, baseball-wise, during your offseason? Did you head to Jupiter for Instructs or other team activities?

MF: I haven’t been in any Cardinals related offseason activities but I’ve been working hard on my own to improve my game.

SS: Getting away from baseball is important for any baseball players. I assume you come back to Minnesota. What do you enjoy doing away from the game of baseball?

MF: I love spending time on the lake and fortunately I was able to catch a few weekends in September where the weather was still nice enough to be out on the water. Other than that I enjoy the occasional pickup basketball or football games.

SS: When did you start your preparations for the 2017 season? Are you working out in Dinky Town or elsewhere? (When do you head down to Florida for spring training?)

MF: I started my lifting program in October and baseball activities in late November. I head down to spring training in early March, so I have few more months to really put everything together.

SS: Have you given any thoughts to goals for 2017, your first full season as a professional ball player? (I assume Peoria to start with games in Cedar Rapids in June and July.)

MF: My number one goal is to have a full healthy season where I am able to consistently be in the lineup. I’ve been working hard on my swing to elevate the ball regularly with power so I’m expecting to see a jump in my power numbers and hopefully average as well.

SS: Who are some of the people that have helped you get to this point in your career?

MF: The list is extensive but I owe a lot to my parents for always supporting me in the pursuit of my dream. Additionally, Pat Casey, John Anderson, Rob Fornasiere, Adam Barta, Jason Verdugo and Luke Jakubowski have been instrumental in my development.

SS: Favorite Baseball Movie?

MF: Bull Durham

Thank you so much to Matt Fiedler for taking time to answer these questions. Feel free to discuss below.

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Seth Stohs has been blogging about the Minnesota Twins since May 2003. A founder and owner of Twins Daily (including Brewer Fanatic, North Side Baseball), Seth has been a Twins fan for 40 years and has a passion for covering the minor leagues and prospects. #GirlDad

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