Matt Fiedler was drafted by the Cardinals out of the University of Minnesota in the 9th round of the 2016 draft.
He was a very good hitter in college, hitting .366/.411/.525 his sophomore season. He had 8 HR.
He was also a pitcher with UM, and went 7-4 with a 1.39 WHIP over 89.2 innings, allowing 86 hits, walking 39 with 65 K’s.
St. Louis liked him as a hitter, and he has been an outfielder thus far in the pros.
In 2016 he rocked Rookie league pitchers to the tune of an .874 OPS–to be expected from a polished college bat. He was selected a post-season All-Star in the Appalachian League.
The Cardinals were aggressive in 2017, putting him in full-season A-Ball. His numbers were OK: .257/.337/.354 with 2 HR. He struck out 42 times, walking 19.
Overall he does not have any tools that stand out, so unless his hitting improves he will have trouble carving out a place in the organization. But he was a great college player with the ability to adapt, so we will see what happens.
