Nicholas Maton ( ; born February 18, 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 ...

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, basketball, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water ...

who is a free agent. 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

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

, and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. Maton 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, ...

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University (EIU) is a public university in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradual ...

and

Lincoln Land Community College Lincoln Land Community College is a public community college in Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States ...

. He was selected by the Phillies in the seventh round of the

2017 MLB draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

, and made his MLB debut with them in 2021.

Early life and amateur career

Maton was born and grew up in

Chatham, Illinois Chatham is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. It is located south of Springfield, Illinois, Springfield and has a retail trade area that extends into four other municipalities, including Springfiel ...

, and attended Glenwood High School. He was a four-year starter on the Titans baseball team and was named first team All-State and the Central State Eight Conference Player of the Year as a senior after batting .442 with 28 RBIs, 45 runs scored and 20 stolen bases while also going 8–1 as a pitcher with a 0.95 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched. Maton was selected in the 40th 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 ...

by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

but opted not to sign with the team and instead play college baseball at

. Maton played as the Panthers starting shortstop as a true freshman, batting .299 with 12 doubles, four triples and three home runs with 28 runs scored and 24 runs driven in and was named to the

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in partnership with ...

All-Freshman team. After the season Maton 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 ...

for the Fayetteville SwampDogs of the

Coastal Plain League The Coastal Plain League (CPL) is a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league, featuring college players recruited from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from the Class D level Coastal Plain League which operated in the area f ...

, where he batted .175 with two doubles and 15 RBIs. He transferred to

after his freshman year. In his only season with the Loggers, Maton batted .408 with eight home runs, 46 RBIs, 60 runs scored and 33 stolen bases while also posting a 4–1 record in thirteen appearances as a pitcher and initially committed to continue his collegiate baseball career at Missouri. Maton was selected by the

in the seventh round of the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

and signed with the team.

Professional career

Philadelphia Phillies

Maton was assigned to the short-season

Williamsport Crosscutters The Williamsport Crosscutters are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. From 1994 to 2020, they w ...

to begin his professional career, where he batted .252 with two home runs, 13 RBIs and 34 runs scored and stole ten bases in 58 games. He played for the Single–A

Lakewood BlueClaws The Jersey Shore BlueClaws (formerly Lakewood BlueClaws) are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Lakewood, New Jersey, and are named for their locat ...

in 2018, hitting for a .256 average with eight home runs and 51 RBI's in 114 games and was a

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

All-Star. Maton was assigned to the High–A

Clearwater Threshers The Clearwater Threshers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Clearwater, Florida, and have played their home games at BayCare Ballpark since 20 ...

to start the 2019 season and posted a .276 batting average with five home runs, 14 doubles and 45 RBIs and was named a

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

All-Star before earning a promotion to the Double-A

Reading Fightin Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The R ...

for the rest of the season. He hit .210 with two home runs in 21 games with Reading. After the season, Maton was selected by the Phillies to play in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

for the

Scottsdale Scorpions The Scottsdale Scorpions are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games in Scottsdale, Arizona, at Scottsdale Stadium, which is also the spring training facility of the San Francisco G ...

. Maton was invited to

Spring Training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

by the Phillies in 2020 and was named one of the Phillies top 10 prospects for 2020 by ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

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

. On November 20, 2020, the Phillies added Maton 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 ...

. After being assigned to the team's alternate training site to start the 2021 season, Maton was promoted to the Phillies on April 19, 2021. He made his MLB debut that night as the starting shortstop against the

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 ...

, and collected his first major league hit, a single off of Giants starter Kevin Gausman. Maton began his career with a six-game

hitting streak In baseball, a hitting streak is the number of consecutive official games in which a player appears and gets at least one base hit. According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is not necessarily ended when a player has at least 1 pl ...

, with multiple hits in each of the final four games. He hit the first and second home runs of his MLB career on May 16, 2021, in a game against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

. On August 23, 2022, Maton recorded his first walk-off hit against 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 ...

off pitcher Alexis Díaz. In the 2022 regular season with the Phillies, he batted .250/.341/.514 in 72 at bats with five home runs and 17 RBIs. He played 10 games each in left field, right field, and at second base, and two games each at shortstop, third base, and pitcher. Maton made one post-season appearance during the Phillies 2022 playoff run in Game 2 of the World Series. He was hitless in one at bat as a pinch-hitter.

Detroit Tigers

On January 7, 2023, Maton,

Matt Vierling Matthew Gregory Vierling (born September 16, 1996) is an American professional baseball utility player for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at the University of Notre Dame. The Philadelphia Phillies s ...

, and Donny Sands were traded to the

in exchange for

Gregory Soto Gregory Soto (born February 11, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies. He made his MLB debut i ...

and Kody Clemens. On April 15, Maton hit his first career walk-off home run against the

in the 11th inning. The Tigers optioned Maton to Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

following the game on June 25, after he struggled on offense and defense for much of the season. On the year, Maton played in 93 games for Detroit, batting .173/.288/.305 with 8 home runs and 32 RBI. 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 Tigers on February 5, 2024.

Baltimore Orioles

On February 7, 2024, Maton was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. He was optioned to the Triple–A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

to begin the 2024 season but was designated for assignment on March 26 following the signing of Tony Kemp. Maton cleared waivers and was sent outright to Norfolk on March 31. In 41 games for Norfolk, he hit .294/.387/.483 with seven home runs and 28 RBI. On June 19, the Orioles selected Maton's contract to the active roster following an injury suffered by Jordan Westburg. He appeared in one game as a defensive replacement for Westburg, and was designated for assignment following the promotion of Heston Kjerstad on June 24. Maton cleared waivers and was sent outright to Norfolk on June 28. On September 2, the Orioles selected Maton's contract, adding him back to the active roster. In 4 games for Baltimore, he went 0–for–5 with 2 strikeouts. Maton was designated for assignment by the Orioles on September 15. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Norfolk on September 17. Maton elected free agency on October 4.

Chicago White Sox

On December 3, 2024, Maton signed a minor league contract with the

. On March 27, 2025, the White Sox selected Maton's contract after he made the team's

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster. In 23 appearances for Chicago, he batted .173/.295/.327 with two home runs and four RBI. Maton was designated for assignment by the White Sox on April 26. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

on April 28. On May 7, the White Sox selected Maton's contract, adding him back to their active roster. After two appearances, Maton was designated for assignment on May 10. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Charlotte on May 12. Maton was released by the White Sox organization on June 19.

Personal life

Maton is the younger brother of

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

pitcher Phil Maton.

References

External links

Eastern Illinois Panthers bioLincoln Land Loggers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maton, Nick 1997 births Living people Aberdeen IronBirds players Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Sangamon County, Illinois Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Clearwater Threshers players Detroit Tigers players Eastern Illinois Panthers baseball players Lakewood BlueClaws players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players 21st-century American sportsmen Lincoln Land Loggers baseball players Major League Baseball infielders Norfolk Tides players Philadelphia Phillies players Reading Fightin Phils players Scottsdale Scorpions players Sportspeople from Sangamon County, Illinois Toledo Mud Hens players Williamsport Crosscutters players