Matthew James Canterino (born December 14, 1997) 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 ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

in the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

organization.

Amateur career

Canterino grew up in

Southlake, Texas Southlake is a city located predominantly in Tarrant County with minor areas extending into Denton County in the U.S. state of Texas. Southlake is a suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 31,265. History ...

and attended

Carroll Senior High School Carroll Senior High School (commonly known as Southlake Carroll) is a public secondary school in Southlake, Texas, serving students in grades 11 and 12. The school is part of the Carroll Independent School District, serving the majority of the c ...

. He was named the District 7-6A Pitcher of the Year as a senior after posting 7–1 record with 57 strikeouts and an 0.64 ERA. Canterino played college baseball for the Rice Owls, where he was a starting pitcher for three seasons. He was named first team All-

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

after going 7–5 with 3.06 ERA and 116 strikeouts against 22 walks in 94 innings. As a junior, he went 6–5 with a 2.81 ERA and 121 strikeouts in innings pitched and was named the Conference USA Pitcher of the Year in addition to repeating as a first team all-conference selection. In 2018, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Falmouth Commodores The Falmouth Commodores are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Commodores play their home games at Arnie All ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

, and was named a league all-star.

Professional career

Canterino was drafted in the 2nd round, with the 54th overall selection, of the

2019 Major League Baseball draft The 2019 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 3 to 5, 2019. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2018 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks ...

by the

. After signing with the team, he was initially assigned to the rookie-level

Gulf Coast League Twins The Florida Complex League Twins are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays in Fort Myers, Florida, at the Lee County Sports Complex. Prior to 2021, the ...

before being promoted to the Single-A

Cedar Rapids Kernels The Cedar Rapids Kernels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and play their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium (Cedar Rapids), Veter ...

of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He pitched only 23 innings in 2021 for Cedar Rapids and the High-A

Fort Myers Mighty Mussels The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex at H ...

due to injury. Canterino was assigned to the Double-A

Wichita Wind Surge The Wichita Wind Surge are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Wichita, Kansas, and began play in 2021 at Equity Bank Park. The Wind Surge were supposed to be ...

to begin the 2022 season. In innings pitched, he posted a 1.83 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with 50 strikeouts and 22 walks. On August 10, 2022, it was announced that Canterino would need

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

, causing him to miss the remainder of the 2022 season and likely all of the 2023 season. On November 15, the Twins added Canterino 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 ...

to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Canterino was optioned to Double-A Wichita to begin the 2023 season. However, he did not appear in a game as he continued his recovery from surgery. Canterino was optioned to the Triple–A

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They previ ...

to begin the 2024 season. He missed the entirety of the season due to a rotator cuff strain that he suffered in spring training. Canterino was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul to begin the 2025 season. However, on March 16, 2025, it was announced that Canterino would undergo season-ending surgery to "tighten" ligaments in his throwing shoulder. On April 18, Canterino 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 Minnesota. He was released by the Twins on April 22. On April 28, Canterino re-signed with the Twins organization on a two-year minor league contract.

References

External links

Rice Owls bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canterino, Matt 1997 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen Baseball players from Texas Cedar Rapids Kernels players Falmouth Commodores players Florida Complex League Twins players Fort Myers Mighty Mussels players Gulf Coast Twins players Minor league baseball players Rice Owls baseball players Wichita Wind Surge players