Osiris Matos

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #26 prospect in 2009
  After spending at least part of the previous three seasons in low Class A, Matos had another statistically dominant season against minor league hitters and broke through with his first big league callup. He failed to make a good first impression in the big leagues, however. In his second career appearance, he couldn't pitch around an error by Fred Lewis and gave up five unearned runs in the sixth inning of a July 4 loss to the Dodgers. A tight lower back caused him to miss two weeks in September, and he got knocked around in the Arizona Fall League. Matos has the fastball to be a major league closer, pitching consistently in the mid-90s, and he fared well against lefties in the minors, which had been a concern in the past. But his lack of a changeup and an inconsistent slider probably limit him to short relief. While Matos has an exciting arm, he'll need to show more consistency with fastball location, especially from the stretch, before he gets an extended chance to pitch in the major league bullpen.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #17 prospect in 2008
  Matos appeared to be on the fast track to the big leagues, but he traveled in a few circles in 2007 while trying to hone a consistent breaking ball. He spent most of the season in middle relief in Double-A, where he showed more consistency with his two-seam fastball as well as a mid-90s four-seamer. But he struggled against lefthanders, who hit .277 against him, and went to low Class A to work on throwing a slider. From there, the Giants sent him to help San Jose's playoff push. Matos got minimal work in the Dominican Winter League and was expected to report to Triple-A for 2008. San Francisco loves the way he comes after hitters and remains open-minded to his future role, believing he could move back onto a starter's development track if he can keep his arm fresh. He looks like at least a future contributor out of the bullpen with the equipment to mow down righthanders.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #14 prospect in 2007
  Matos is named for the Egyptian god of the underworld, and he was almost that intimidating in the low Class A South Atlantic League, striking out 81 while walking just 12 in 61 innings. Matos was used as a starter until last season, but he had some arm fatigue and the Giants figured his fearlessness would allow him to blossom in relief. They were right. He doesn't pitch around hitters, relying on his mid-90s fastball and a quick, hard slider that breaks straight down. He can hit 97 mph, but his strength is his ability to work the ladder, throwing a low fastball with good sink and a letter-high ball with rise and carry. The Giants are tutoring him on another offspeed pitch to combat lefties. In spite of his success out of the bullpen, it's too early to pigeonhole Matos as a reliever. His development mirrors that of Russ Ortiz, who went on to a successful career as a starter. Matos finished the season in Double-A, a sign he's on the fast track. He'll probably return to Connecticut to start the season and is a good bet to make his major league debut this year.