JUAN MATEO

12/17/82; NDFA '01 (Chicago Cubs); Dominican Republic
R/R; 6-2, 180

Level
W-L-Sv
G
GS
IP
H
 HR
BB
K
 BB/9 K/9 WHIP OAVG
ERA
2003 R (ChiC)
4-1-2
17
0
34.1
37
 2
14
35
 3.7 9.2 1.49 .288
3.93
2004 A (ChiC)
4-1-9
53
1
74.0
61
 3
19
60
 2.3 7.3 1.08 216
3.28
2005 A+ (ChiC)
10-5-2
32
16
109.1
99
 9
27
123
 2.2
10.1
1.15
.240
3.21
2006 NL (ChiC)
1-3-0
11
10
45.2
51
 6
23
35
 4.5
6.9
1.62
.288
5.32
2006 AA (ChiC)
7-4-0
18
17
92.2
78
 6
26
70
 2.5
6.8
1.12
.229
2.82
2007 AAA (ChiC)
2-3-0
8
7
40.0
50
 8
11
29
 2.5
6.5
1.53
.299
4.05
2007 A (ChiC)
2-1-0
6
6
22.1
27
 1
8
14
 3.2
5.6
1.57
.303
5.24
2008 AAA (ChiC)
1-0-0
4
0
5.1
11
 1
2
4
 3.4
6.8
2.44
.393
11.81
2008 AA (ChiC)
0-0-0
2
0
3.0
9
 2
3
3
 9.0
9.0
4.00
.500
24.00
2008 AA
7-1-5
32
0
68.0
50
5
17
58
2.3
7.7
0.99
.202
2.12
2009 AAA
7-7-4
48
0
71.1
69
4
16
45
2.0
5.7
1.20
.261
3.79
2009 AA
0-0-0
1
0
1.0
1
0
0
1
0.0
9.0
1.00
.250
0.00

Baseball America rated Mateo the Cubs' 11th best prospect headed into the 2007 season, but he fell on hard times in a hurry. He initially advanced steadily through the team's system and made a good transition from the bullpen to starting. After a strong showing in AA, he moved up to the majors in 2006 and pitched respectably considering his experience level. He generally had decent to good K rates and good control in the minors, but he began having shoulder problems in 2007 and missed much of the season. Considering his performance early in 2008, it seems likely the shoulder problems were still bothering him. The Cubs outrighted him off their 40-man roster and he opted for free agency. The Pirates signed him to a minor league contract a few days later. Mateo throws a fastball that ranges from 90-95 and was rated the best in the Southern League in 2006. According to BA, his other pitches are considered marginal, so his future, if he has any, figures to be in relief.

Mateo spent the remainder of 2008 in the bullpen at Altoona. After a slow start he was very effective. In July and August he had an ERA of 0.92, with 25 hits, 10 walks and 38 Ks in 39.1 IP. He's a flyball pitcher and RH batters hit only .170 against him for the season. By the latter part of the season he was pitching mostly in 2-3 inning stints, which may have indicated that the Pirates thought of him as a middle reliever. The Pirates did not put him on the 40-man roster after the season, though, and he became a free agent. He re-signed with the Bucs shortly before Christmas. He pitched in one game in AA, then moved up to Indianapolis, where he had a solid season. His K rate dropped a lot and he gave up a few more hits than you'd want from a short reliever, but he didn't walk batters and kept the ball in the park. The lack of dominance makes him look like more of a AAA pitcher than a prospect. The Pirates might try to bring him back for another year; according to the Indianapolis announcer's blog, Indy pitching coach Ray Searage would like to have him back. That may depend on whether Mateo can find an opportunity he likes better elsewhere.

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