Scouting Report: Matt Macri

Ramon Ortiz did not pan out for the Minnesota Twins, but he may pay dividends in the long run. In exchange for Ortiz, the Twins picked up infielder Matt Macri, who could be Major League ready by next season. Here is an in-depth report on the latest Twins prospect.

Matt Macri
Position: Infielder
Date of Birth: May 29, 1982
Height: 6’2’’
Weight: 200
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

The Colorado Rockies made Matt Macri their fifth round selection in the 2004 draft, signing the young infielder from the University of Notre Dame. The right-handed hitting Macri was signed that June, and would go on to make his professional debut as a member of the Tri-City Dust Devils of the Northwest League. Since then, he has made a steady climb through the Rockies organization, and was sent to the Twins in exchange for right-handed starter Ramon Ortiz.

In his first season of professional baseball, Macri was the third baseman for the Dust Devils. In 52 games, Macri made his presence felt, batting .333 for the team. He showed good power, blasting seven home runs, and racked up 111 bases in 53 games.

The following season, Macri was promoted to the Modesto Nuts of the California League, as he got a taste of some of the better pitching in Minor League Baseball. Moving over to shortstop, Macri batted a respectable .283 for the Nuts, warranting a quick cup of tea at the Double-A level. He appeared in only one game for the Tulsa Drillers, scoring a run.

Last season, Macri was back with the Drillers, though he has one of his worst seasons of his career. In total, Macri hit only .233 for Tulsa, and committed a career-high 11 errors from the second base position. He did smack a career-high eight home runs.

In 2007, Macri began the year with back with Tulsa, but the results were much better. He hit close to .300 for the Rockies Double-A affiliate, and had 11 home runs in only 79 games. He also showed the ability to find the gaps, smacking 23 doubles, leading to a slugging percentage over .500.

The Rockies promoted him to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, where he appeared in only three games for the team before being shipped to Rochester. In those three games, he batted .667, and has a home run and four runs batted in.

Since being with the Red Wings, Macri has shown a flare for the dramatic, and seems like a perfect fit for the Twins system.

Batting and Power
Macri has the ability to be an extra-base hit kind of player for the Twins, and has more power than some of the other players they currently have in their infield. He hits doubles a lot and can go deep when he gets into one. He also has shown the consistent ability to hit near .300, and has had decent on base percentage numbers in his career. If he can work on drawing more walks, he could be a solid Major League hitter.

Defense
Macri is a solid fielder, who is the rare kind of player who can play all four infield positions. In his time with the Rockies, the organization used him as an everyday player at shortstop, third base, and second base, and has shown the ability to play each position well. Moving around the infield should have resulted in a plethora of errors, but Macri has only 20 errors in his career. That is an astounding stat considering having to move to different positions.

ETA. 2008
While he may well be a September call-up for the Twins, Macri should be in the mix to be on the 25-man roster come this Spring Training. He has shown he can play at all the levels of Minor League Baseball, and some believe he could be a solid Major Leaguer as soon as next season. While he never may be an everyday player in the Major Leagues, he could project as a Wilson Betemit-type player in the years to come.

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