The path to becoming a standout Major League Baseball player is often far from linear.
Making it to the majors is one thing, then one has to carve out a role for themself. But a pitcher who was once expected to become a major piece of the Boston Red Sox’s future pitching staff has still yet to accomplish step one.
That pitcher is 26-year-old Bryan Mata, who was once considered one of the top international pitching prospects in the sport and even pitched in the All-Star Futures Game back in 2018. He’s still yet to debut in the big leagues 7 1/2 years later, and his run with the Red Sox could finally be over.
On Thursday, Mata elected minor-league free agency, according to the official transactions log on his roster page. It’s the second straight offseason he’s entered free agency, and he’s already exhausted all of his minor-league options, so there’s not much roster flexibility if he gets re-signed once more.
Last offseason, Mata was designated for assignment, elected free agency, then re-signed to a minor-league deal three days later. But despite avoiding the injured list for virtually the first time in his career, he took a step backward on the field.
In 42 outings, spanning 67 1/3 innings, Mata compiled a 5.08 ERA for Triple-A Worcester. The good news is that the stuff is clearly still potent, as he struck out 93 batters (12.4 K/9). But command is an obvious issue, as he walked 39, threw 11 wild pitches, and allowed a .268 batting average to opponents.
Mata peaked at No. 4 on the Red Sox’s Top 30 Prospects list on MLB Pipeline twice, in 2018 and 2020. It’s been a long time since he received any similar billing.
Compared to years past, the Red Sox have a far more robust pitching pipeline, which might mean developing Mata isn’t high on the priority list. But does the front office want to abandon a project that’s already taken 10 years of time and energy?
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