BRADENTON, Fla. -- One look at David Matoma and you would never guess that the skinny 19-year-old right-hander from Uganda may have the hottest fastball in the Pirates’ farm system. You probably wouldn’t think so after the second, third or fourth look, either.
Don’t feel bad. Matoma’s velocity has surprised even himself sometimes. He had a couple Spring Training games in the Dominican Republic last year where he was throwing about 97 mph. That type of velocity alone is eye opening at that young an age and at that level, but when he got into a pro game in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League, he checked the radar gun and saw 101 mph.
“I was happy I was able to make some things happen,” Matoma said. “I had it in my mind that I was going to go hard and throw hard.”
Matoma is entering his third pro season in the Pirates' system after signing as an international free agent out of Uganda in 2023. He’s thrown only 38 2/3 innings, but the results have been sterling, striking out 42 with just four runs (two earned) allowed across 24 games in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League and the FCL. The expectation is he’ll make the jump to Single-A Bradenton this year and will start getting more multi-inning outings, signs that the right-handed reliever could begin his climb through the Bucs’ affiliates. |
What that climb looks like is still to be seen, as there really isn’t a blueprint for a player like Matoma. No Major League player has come out of Uganda. Former Pirates infielder Gift Ngoepe is the only Major League player who has come out of the continent of Africa. Matoma was on the bashful side during his interview at the Spring Breakout game in Clearwater, Fla. on Friday, but he was proud to share that he put on 20 pounds this offseason, putting him at 181 pounds. At 6-foot, he has the build of a middle infielder -- or maybe a soccer player, which is the sport he followed before he discovered baseball at age 10 -- not of a power pitcher.
The potential is certainly there. It’s why MLB Pipeline pegged Matoma as the club’s No. 30 prospect and gave him a grade of 70 on his fastball. For reference, the only other prospect in the Pirates’ system with a 70-grade fastball is Bubba Chandler. Mix in a gyro-slider and a splitter, and Matoma's pitch mix can certainly play, especially with a potentially plus-plus heater as his foundation.
But he’s also still a teenager, still skinny and still only has a couple dozen pro innings under his belt. The Pirates have shown a talent for developing pitchers with general manager Ben Cherington at the helm, but Matoma requires careful considerations because he is a potential unicorn. |
“As much as he’s learning the game, we’re learning him too,” Pirates assistant director of coaching and player development Shawn Bowman said at the Spring Breakout game, where he served as the manager. “It is so non-traditional that you can take the tradition of baseball and apply it to almost everyone, but then you also have to consider who’s in front of you. That’s both the ebb and flow of what he’s showing us and telling us, but we’re also trying to guide him in a way that makes sense for him as an individual.
“So hard to nail down, but yeah, it’s a unique one. 100 mph coming from Uganda, it’s something else.”
Being part of a second Spring Breakout game is a small way to help Matoma prepare for that journey upwards. He knows what it means to share a clubhouse with someone like Chandler, who is on the precipice of the Majors, and while he didn’t pitch in the game, it’s something he can remember.
“I think that helps to motivate you at times to make it,” Matoma said. |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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There has only been one tie for a Most Valuable Player Award, and it happened in 1979. Pirates Hall of Famer Willie Stargell was one of the co-MVPs that season. Who was the other?
A. Dave Winfield
B. Keith Hernandez
C. Dave Parker
D. Gary Carter |
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Clear your plate, new foods to the Cannonball Stand are coming.
Aramark announced three new dishes coming to the Cannonball Stand in Section 146 this year: a fried almond torte (funnel cake batter dipped, fried and topped with raspberry sauce, icing and burnt almonds), a chipped ham empanada (empanada filled with barbecue chipped ham, cheddar cheese and pickles) and a “Polish Cannonball” (egg noodles, kielbasa, cabbage, bacon, cheddar cheese and herb cream dip).
Tickets for the 2025 to catch the games (and grab a bite) can be found here. |
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SportsNet Pittsburgh is set to broadcast 20 Double-A Altoona games at Peoples Natural Gas Field during the 2025 season. Twelve of those games will be broadcast on SportsNet Pittsburgh, and eight more via SportsNet Pittsburgh+. The games will be called by Curve broadcasters Jon Mozes and Preston Shoemaker, who will be joined by former Pirates in the booth.
“We are so really looking forward to expanding our partnership with SportsNet Pittsburgh to air more Altoona Curve games this season,” Curve general manager Nate Bowen said. “The tracks to Pittsburgh run through Altoona and this is a perfect way for Pirates fans throughout the area to see the next wave of Pirates stars play in Curve, Pa.”
The first broadcast will be April 16 at 12 p.m. against the Somerset Patriots on SNP+. The first game on SNP will be May 14 at 11 a.m. against the Harrisburg Senators.
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B. Hernandez
Hernandez won the National League batting title and led the league in doubles and runs for the Cardinals. Stargell hit 32 home runs and served as the heart of the Pirates’ championship team. |
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