Hey Cubs fans..

eSDee · 06-17-2008, 12:28 AM

You just drafted my cousin

http://astros.scout.com/a.z?s=278&p=2&c=760842

Quote:

Matt Cerda was announced as a shortstop when the Cubs selected him in the fourth round (131st overall) of the 2008 MLB Draft, but the club already has plans to introduce the 17-year-old prep standout to a new position.

Cerda, who turns 18 later this month and was the second youngest player drafted by Chicago this year, spent four years at Oceanside (Calif.) High School, primarily as a shortstop. Now the Cubs say they are looking to move Cerda behind the plate.
Cerda’s response: bring it on.

“At a pre-draft workout, they had me catch a little bit,” said Cerda. “The last time I caught was actually when I was 11 years old, but I think I can make it work.”

Cubs Scouting Director Tim Wilken said Cerda has the right ingredients.

“He’s got a plus arm. He’s got good feet and we got him behind the plate in a workout just a little while ago,” Wilken said. “We love his athleticism and his agility.”

With the bat, the left-handed hitting Cerda (listed as 5-foot-10, 170 pounds) batted .542 in 33 games this season. He hit safely in all but one game, ending the year with a 26-game hitting streak. Wilken described Cerda as a patient hitter.

“He lets the ball travel well, and in some of those showcase games like the one in Compton, he hit a lot of the better pitchers well and he hit velocity pretty good,” Wilken said of Cerda, who drew 29 walks this season to six strikeouts.

“This guy is not a singles hitter. He’s more of a gap hitter,” Wilken added.

Cerda also showed some power in his final prep season this year by cracking 16 home runs. Pirates coach Dave Barrett said that was the result of Cerda maturing.

“Coming into the season, he was more of a gap to gap guy,” recalled Barrett. “Playing in San Diego County, one of the most competitive counties in Southern California, I had scouts tell me they thought he was the best player in Southern California. He set our school record in home runs, RBIs and batting average. He matured and I’ve never seen a hitter square up more balls harder than Matt did this year.”

“He has surprising power, and I think it’s a tool that is a product of having a good, short swing,” said Barrett. “He’s got excellent gap to gap power, and again I think that’s something that as he matures -- I mean, we’ve seen it this year. As he matured and got bigger and stronger and more consistent, he squared a lot of balls off.”

Prior to his prep success at Oceanside, Cerda stepped onto the national spotlight with Oceanside’s Little League All-Star Team in the 2001 Little League World Series.

Since then, he has worked out with former major league outfielder David Justice in Poway, Calif., signed a letter of intent to play college baseball for the University of San Diego, and most recently became the first high school player drafted by the Chicago Cubs, who Cerda says was after him from the moment they first saw him.

“They were one of the first teams that were after me,” said Cerda. “I played in the North/South All-Star Game last June and that’s when they first saw me.”

Barrett called Cerda “the best player I’ve ever been around.”

“If he were 6-foot-2, he’d probably have been a first-round pick,” said Barrett. “He’s got like eight percent body fat. He’s a very compact, athletic kid with great baseball instincts, a great swing, and he is a great offensive player.”

Cerda will graduate from Oceanside on June 13 and turn 18 a week later on June 20. Barrett said that Cerda still has some growing to do physically, and described him as a player that loves every part of the game.

“He loves the competition, he loves to practice, and he loves the grind of baseball, which is real unusual for a lot of kids,” noted Barrett. “They like the exciting moments, but Matt thrives in the routine of playing the game, and he’s been that way since he was 8 years old. His brother played for us and his dad played for us. They’re a very special family and Matt is a very special young man.”

I can't believe it's been that long, but here is a thread where I brought up my cousin playing in the LLWS back in 2001

http://www.gotapex.com/off-topic/297...y-almonte.html (Danny Almonte..)

My family is big time into Baseball, and so we are all elated for my cousin. He's worked so hard to get where he is now. Hopefully we'll see him in the Bigs one day!

ShawnLee · 06-17-2008, 01:09 AM

Congrats for your family SD! How awesome!
(and a bit scary to see someone so young get drafted! but awesome!)

Cubsfan · 06-17-2008, 06:56 AM

Well congrats! Guess you'll be one of us shortly, huh?

Jeffbx · 06-17-2008, 11:04 AM

Wow, how exciting! Hope he does well.

Markel · 06-17-2008, 02:11 PM

If you can pinch a few home game tickets from him, just send them my way!

GO CUBS, GO!

ray · 06-17-2008, 02:51 PM

oh snap! congrats to ChiTownLoco!

eSDee · 06-18-2008, 01:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cubsfan

Well congrats! Guess you'll be one of us shortly, huh?

Definitely

Prngr44 · 06-19-2008, 09:07 AM

Too bad he's gonna be a Cub!

Congrats to him.

attgig · 06-19-2008, 11:46 AM

wow! hopefully he'll get traded to your padres =P

but congrats to you and your fam!

chrissy · 06-19-2008, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prngr44

Too bad he's gonna be a Cub!

Congrats to him.

Spoken like a true STL native

Congrats for your cousin, eSDee!

eSDee · 08-26-2008, 03:09 AM

Woah check this out! ESPN did a story on him!

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=cerda

ShawnLee · 08-26-2008, 07:15 AM

That is an excellent write-up. Wow. And I remember watching Danny Almonte in the sports clip shows and almost feeling bad for him in his infamy. I don't know if I saw Matt Cerda in those clips, but what an awesome story on your cousin.

I'm not a Cubs fan anymore (though I'll support them in ANY run to the Series), but I hope your cousin does good things. That would be so cool.

Congrats again to your family, dude!

eSDee · 08-26-2008, 11:31 AM

Thanks Shawn. It's been pretty crazy and exciting. He's a great kid and so we're hoping his success continues.

Prngr44 · 08-26-2008, 11:52 AM

I read this article the other day and didn't put 2 and 2 together realizing it was your cousin.

I wish him all the best (except when he plays the Cardinals.)

Markel · 08-26-2008, 07:47 PM

Nice writeup. I hope things really turn out well for him (even though the Cubs currently have a rookie-of-the-year-candidate catcher in Geovany Soto).

06-17-2008, 02:11 PM	#5
Markel Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 10,842	If you can pinch a few home game tickets from him, just send them my way! GO CUBS, GO! __________________ stay low... keep moving...

06-17-2008, 02:51 PM	#6
ray lilbigblue Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 6,613	oh snap! congrats to ChiTownLoco! __________________ new uploader My World

06-19-2008, 09:07 AM	#8
Prngr44 Captain Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: St. Louis Posts: 1,991	Too bad he's gonna be a Cub! Congrats to him. __________________ http://otthouse.blogspot.com

06-19-2008, 11:46 AM	#9
attgig Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: the ghetto's of bawlmo' Posts: 10,964	wow! hopefully he'll get traded to your padres =P but congrats to you and your fam! __________________

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06-17-2008, 06:56 AM	#3
Cubsfan Rear Admiral Lower Half Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,584	Well congrats! Guess you'll be one of us shortly, huh?

06-17-2008, 11:04 AM	#4
Jeffbx Fleet Admiral Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Michigan Posts: 8,542	Wow, how exciting! Hope he does well.

08-26-2008, 03:09 AM	#11
eSDee Old Skooler Numba 1 Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Diego Posts: 9,924	Woah check this out! ESPN did a story on him! http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=cerda

08-26-2008, 07:15 AM	#12
ShawnLee Admiral Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Huntington Beach, CA, currently in Korea Posts: 7,448	That is an excellent write-up. Wow. And I remember watching Danny Almonte in the sports clip shows and almost feeling bad for him in his infamy. I don't know if I saw Matt Cerda in those clips, but what an awesome story on your cousin. I'm not a Cubs fan anymore (though I'll support them in ANY run to the Series), but I hope your cousin does good things. That would be so cool. Congrats again to your family, dude!

08-26-2008, 11:31 AM	#13
eSDee Old Skooler Numba 1 Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Diego Posts: 9,924	Thanks Shawn. It's been pretty crazy and exciting. He's a great kid and so we're hoping his success continues.

08-26-2008, 11:52 AM	#14
Prngr44 Captain Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: St. Louis Posts: 1,991	I read this article the other day and didn't put 2 and 2 together realizing it was your cousin. I wish him all the best (except when he plays the Cardinals.)

08-26-2008, 07:47 PM	#15
Markel Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 10,842	Nice writeup. I hope things really turn out well for him (even though the Cubs currently have a rookie-of-the-year-candidate catcher in Geovany Soto).

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