When the Atlanta Braves signed Jorge Mateo to a one-year, $1 million deal in January, it felt like the kind of move that would be forgotten by Opening Day.
The Braves needed insurance after learning Ha-Seong Kim would miss four to five months following finger surgery, and Mateo was available after Baltimore declined his option.
Five months later, the veteran infielder is becoming one of the better stories on Atlanta’s roster.
Mateo has started each of the Braves’ last five games at shortstop and continues to earn more opportunities from manager Walt Weiss. Through 38 games, he’s hitting .305 with four doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI and seven stolen bases while posting an .845 OPS.
It’s a far cry from the player who hit .177 in 42 games with the Orioles last season.
As Braves insider Mark Bowman recently pointed out, though, there was a time when Mateo wasn’t viewed as a reclamation project or depth piece. He was viewed as one of baseball’s best prospects.
And believe it or not, he was ranked ahead of New York Yankees‘ slugger Aaron Judge.
Jorge Mateo Once Ranked Ahead of Aaron Judge
Before Judge became a multiple-time MVP and one of the faces of Major League Baseball, Mateo was the prospect generating much of the buzz in the Yankees organization.
Prior to the 2016 season, Baseball America ranked Mateo as New York’s No. 1 prospect. Judge was third behind Mateo and Gary Sánchez.
Mateo’s elite speed made him one of the most exciting young players in baseball. He stole 36 bases in 2016 and earned Mid-Season All-Star honors while climbing through the Yankees system.
Bowman revisited that history while discussing Mateo’s recent surge.
“Weiss deserves a lot of credit for regularly playing Jorge Mateo instead of Kim over the past week,” Bowman wrote. “Mateo has always had incredible tools. The 30-year-old veteran was the Yankees’ top prospect (per MLB Pipeline) in 2016. New York’s No. 2 prospect at the time was Aaron Judge.
“Who knows how long Mateo continues to shine with both the bat and the glove. But Weiss has shown he’ll stick with the hot hand, even if that means sparingly playing Kim, who is on a one-year, $20 million deal. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos also deserves credit for giving Weiss the confidence to know he supports these kinds of decisions.”
As we all know, Judge has become a superstar not just for the Yankees but in all of baseball. Mateo may not be on Judge’s level, but he’s helping make the best team in baseball that much better.
Braves Reaping Rewards of Low-Risk Offseason Move
The Yankees traded Mateo in 2017, and he later reached the majors with the Padres before spending four seasons with the Orioles.
Along the way, the flashes were there, but consistency rarely followed.
That’s why Atlanta’s decision to sign him barely moved the needle during the offseason. It looked like a depth addition for a club trying to get through Kim’s absence.
Instead, Mateo has become a legitimate contributor.
His speed continues to impact games. His defense has earned him more playing time. More importantly, he’s hitting.
That’s why Weiss has continued writing his name into the lineup despite Kim’s return.
Whether the production lasts another week, another month or the rest of the season remains to be seen. But for a Braves team looking for unexpected contributors, Mateo has already delivered far more than anyone expected from a $1 million signing.
And nearly a decade after being ranked ahead of Judge, he’s finally giving people a reason to remember why scouts were so intrigued in the first place.
Braves’ $1 Million Signing Revives Wild Aaron Judge Reminder