Mark Andrew Mathias (born August 2, 1994) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

for the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "par ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

, Texas Rangers,

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

, and

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. Mathias played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or Cal Poly) is a public university in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, - Cites the location of the university and shows that the university ...

, and was selected by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

in the third round of the

2015 Major League Baseball draft The 2015 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks finished the 2014 season ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2020.

High school and college

Mathias attended Irvington High School in

Fremont, California Fremont () is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area, Fremont has a population of 230,504 as of 2020, making it the fourth List of cities and towns in the San F ...

. He played shortstop and pitched, and was MVP and first-team All-Mission Valley League in his junior year. Undrafted out of high school, Mathias attended

, where he played

for the

Cal Poly Mustangs The Cal Poly Mustangs are the athletic teams representing California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. The university fields twenty teams and competes in NCAA D ...

. Mathias also played for the 2014 USA Collegiate National Team. He underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery in December 2014. In his college career he batted 356/.426/.447 in 452

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...

s with 95 runs and 21

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

Professional career

Cleveland Indians

The

selected Mathias in the third round of the

. Mathias played for the

Mahoning Valley Scrappers The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were ...

in 2015, hitting .282/.382/.408 with two

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 32

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBIs). He split the 2016 season between the

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinn ...

and the

Akron RubberDucks The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park (Akron, Ohio) ...

, hitting a combined .267/.351/.396 with five home runs and 61 RBIs. In the Carolina League, he was 8th in runs (70), 3rd in doubles (39), and 7th in hit by pitch (10). He was named a Carolina League post-season All Star, and an MiLB organization All Star. Mathias spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons in Akron, hitting .212 in 35 games in 2017, and .232 with eight home runs and 45 RBIs in 2018. He was named an MiLB organization 2018 All Star. He spent the 2019 season with the

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

, hitting .269/.355/.442 with 12 home runs and 59 RBIs.

Milwaukee Brewers

Cleveland traded Mathias to the

in exchange for Andres Melendez on November 20, 2019, and the Brewers added him to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

. Mathias made his MLB debut on August 4, 2020, as a pinch runner. In 2020 with the Brewers he batted .278/.278/.361 in 36 at bats, playing primarily right field. On March 16, 2021, Mathias was placed on the 60-day injured list due to a torn labrum in his shoulder, and remained there through the end of the season. On November 19, 2021, Mathias was outrighted off of the 40-man roster and sent to the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

. On May 24, 2022, the Brewers selected Mathias' contract from Triple-A Nashville. In 2022 with Nashville, he batted .318/.421/.518 in 170 at bats. On June 11, Mathias hit his first major league home run, a two-run shot off of

Patrick Corbin Patrick Alan Corbin (born July 19, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington N ...

of the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

. For the season with the Brewers, he batted 2-16, playing six games at second base.

Texas Rangers

On August 1, 2022, Mathias and pitcher Antoine Kelly were traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for pitcher Matt Bush. With Round Rock he batted .345/.429/.517 in 29 at bats, playing primarily second base. Mathias played in 24 games with Texas in 2022, hitting .277/.365/.554 in 65 at bats with 5 home runs and 16 RBIs. On March 4, 2023, Mathias was designated for assignment by the Rangers after the signing of

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

was made official.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On March 8, 2023, Mathias was traded to the

in exchange for Ricky DeVito. Mathias was optioned to the Triple-A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

to begin the 2023 season, and with them he batted .273/.393/.384 in 99 at bats, playing primarily right field and second base. In 22 games for Pittsburgh, Mathias batted .231/.355/.269 in 52 at bats with no home runs, 4 RBIs, and 3 stolen bases without being caught. He played 15 games at second base, and two games in right field. On June 25, he was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Pirates.

Seattle Mariners

On July 2, 2023, Mathias was claimed off waivers by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

. With the Triple–A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

, he batted .345/.427/.500 in 58 at bats, playing primarily second base.

San Francisco Giants

On July 31, 2023, Mathias and

A. J. Pollock Allen Lorenz "A. J." Pollock (born December 5, 1987) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners, and San ...

were traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations or a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

. After 5 games with San Francisco, Mathias was placed on the injured list with a right shoulder strain on August 18. He was transferred to the 60–day injured list on August 22, ending his season. Following the season on November 1, Mathias was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to the Triple–A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

. However, Mathias rejected the assignment and elected free agency on November 3.

Cincinnati Reds

On November 29, 2023, Mathias signed a minor league contract with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. However, he did not appear in a game for the organization and elected free agency following the season on November 4, 2024.

Long Island Ducks

On April 4, 2025, Mathias signed with the

of the

Personal life

Mathias identifies as

Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans have ancestors from mainland China, Hong Kong ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathias, Mark 1994 births Living people Akron RubberDucks players American baseball players of Chinese descent Baseball players from Santa Clara, California Cal Poly Mustangs baseball players Columbus Clippers players Indianapolis Indians players Long Island Ducks players Lynchburg Hillcats players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Major League Baseball infielders Milwaukee Brewers players Nashville Sounds players Pittsburgh Pirates players Round Rock Express players Sacramento River Cats players San Francisco Giants players Tacoma Rainiers players Texas Rangers players