Present Lansing Lugnuts' infielder, Matt Nuzzo, was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 24th round of the 2009 MLB Draft (Photo Credit: MWL Guide)

“The day I was drafted by the Blue Jays was a special one” said Matt Nuzzo, discussing his feelings about being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 24th round of the 2009 MLB Draft. The 24-year-old present infielder for the Lansing Lugnuts added that he was hoping to get drafted in either football or baseball, so for the opportunity to become a professional athlete was a dream come true.

“I was with my girlfriend listening to the draft upstairs at my home. My family was downstairs listening to it where the wireless internet was stronger. I heard some commotion downstairs and then a few seconds later I heard my name called for myself. It was just a tremendous moment that is tough to put into words,” Nuzzo reminisced. “It makes me happy to make those who love me and who have sacrificed so much financially and emotionally, proud. I would never have been in the position without my family and friends, so it wasn’t just an individual accomplishment, it was a reflection of where I am from, what I had been through, and the commitment of those closest to me.”

The opportunity to share that moment with his family was even more special as Nuzzo states that he would not be where he is now without the support from his family. Nuzzo indicated that everyone, including his parents, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and his girlfriend, Alexis, have helped him become the person he is today.

While his family certainly developed him into the determined and passionate person he is today, it can be admitted that the hard-working player he presently is can be attributed to the players he idolized while growing up. While Nuzzo admitted to enjoying Ken Griffey Jr’s swing, the young prospect from Massachusetts also admitted to admiring the game play of many Red Sox players. “I would be lying if I didn’t say I went through the Nomar Garciaparra phase. Just about every baseball player in this area at one point or another in the late 1990′s and early 2000′s got into the batter’s box and emulated Nomar’s mannerisms. Presently, I love Dustin Pedroia.  I also always loved watching clips and hearing the stories of Pete Rose trucking a catcher in the all star game, and I think Pedroia is the reincarnation of Pete Rose.”

Nuzzo’s reasons for admiring these players includes the fact that he presently has a similar game play: “I dive a lot and slide head first and some would say it is a little bit reckless (like Rose and Pedroia) but that is what comes to my mind  in the moment, so I just go with it. I believe you are better off reacting in the game rather than thinking. I love the way Pedroia approaches the game both physically and mentally.  Hustle, energy, dedication, desire, and confidence go a long way in this game and there are very few guys who can bring that to the table every day, but Pedroia is one of them. Who better to model your game after than someone who possesses those attributes?”

By modeling his career after such stellar players, Nuzzo was able to find success. His first taste of success came in his first year with the Jays’ organization, where he joined the GCL Blue Jays for 34 games, batting .239 with eight runs, four doubles, two triples, one homerun and seven RBIs. Nuzzo, however, explained that while he enjoyed himself, the adjustment for him was large and because of that, his numbers were lower than he had wanted:

“My first year in the GCL was definitely an adjustment. I started out okay but really struggled when July came around and was not playing much which made it more difficult to get into a rhythm.” Nuzzo stated.  “One thing I noticed immediately in pro ball was no one was going to feel bad for you. No one was going to come up to you and say let’s get in the cage and work on your swing. The opportunity is there for extra work and tutelage but the responsibility falls on your own shoulders and you can either just accept your position or do something about it and I did something about it. I have always prided myself on being a hard worker that is what has gotten me to this point in my life. Where I lacked natural talent I would always compensate with working hard to get the most out of my ability.”

Nuzzo proved his determination and motivation when he got the opportunity to play every day in August. While he hovering around a batting average of .200, he closed his season in the GCL strong, raising his average over 40 points in the last two weeks of the season. “I also made great strides towards the end of the year in the field as I was getting used to third base. I was predominantly a short stop and second baseman in college and high school, so third took some getting used to,” Nuzzo stated.  “Mike Bordick, who was our infield rover at the time, greatly helped me with picking up the position. While I was absolutely not satisfied with the final product, I was proud of the progress and would use that as momentum going into my first off season and spring training.”

In 2009, Matt Nuzzo hit a homerun on the first pitch he saw in the Cape Cod League, but it was his walkoff homerun with the Lugnuts this past September that he will never forget

He certainly used that momentum in 2010 to hopefully gain him a position with the Lansing Lugnuts. Unfortunately however, he was sent to play extended spring and then join the short-season Auburn Doubledays (now the Vancouver Canadians). “Sometimes things don’t work out the way you plan,” Nuzzo stated, “I had another mediocre summer with not a whole lot of playing time (just over 100 AB’s) in Auburn. I knew my statistics were not indicative of the progress I had made as a player. All I needed was the chance to play every day and get into a rhythm. I was confident in that.”

And Nuzzo was confident for a reason. This year he gained an opportunity to play every day for the Lansing Lugnuts. In 68 games, the young 24-year old batted .267 with 15 doubles, one triple, and 32 RBIs. While only hitting four homeruns on the season, there was one homerun that sticks out in all JaysProspects fans’ minds – his walk-off homerun on September 9th against the Dayton Dragons. One can only imagine the experience of being down to the last out and being able to pick your team up in the playoffs and keep the fight. As JaysProspects could only describe the at-bat as “phenomenal,” Nuzzo was able to better illustrate the event in his own words:

“Dayton was a team we had bad blood with all year. The games were very heated and this one was no different. We felt we had gotten screwed in the first game of the playoff series on a call that completely changed the momentum of the game, but we had no time to feel bad for ourselves because one more loss meant the end of our season without a single playoff win. I swung the bat really well in the first game but did not have much to show for it. In fact my worst swing of the day was my only hit as I went 1-for-3, but I felt good going into the second game. Our elimination game was a real gloomy day and rain was in the forecast. The forecast proved true and we had an hour and a half rain delay in the seventh inning. Now here is where the story gets kind of funny. In the locker room during the rain delay we were playing cards to pass the time. At the time we were down 2-1 and had only one run and one hit the entire game. Jake Marisnick was dealing and said whoever wins this next hand of poker will get the game winning hit. Low and behold my straight won the hand and we all laughed and didn’t really think much of it, that was until the way the game started to unfold in the ninth once we resumed play. Marcus Knechts led us off with a single off the top closer in the league, a guy who had dominated us nearly every time he took the mound. I was up fourth in the inning and when Marcus got his single I knew I would have a chance. Two batters later I was up with two outs and a runner on second. I was relatively calm with our chance at a title only one out from being extinguished. I remember just being really into the at-bat and seeing the ball well out of his hand. That night, again, I was 0-for-2, but I hit the ball hard on a line right to the left fielder my at-bat prior to my last. The count was 2-1 and I had already taken a good hack at his fastball which I just missed. As he delivered the ball on the 2-1 pitch I saw it right out of his hand – - a slider – - and I put my best swing on it. Right off the bat I knew it had a chance even though the ball was not traveling well that night. The ball just barely did find the left center field hill, and our team went nuts. There were only about one thousand fans left because of the rain delay but the place was loud. My uncle and cousin had flown out for the game as they had followed my games all year online, and I remember after the dog pile at home plate, getting in the dugout and they were actually in the dugout going crazy with the team (I still don’t know how), what a moment. One I will never forget. We eliminated our rival the next day and then swept Fort Wayne before getting swept in the championship series, but it was a special season. Those are the moments that you live for.”

Success, much like that chills-giving at-bat, has not been abnormal for the East-Coast prospect. In fact, as a senior with the Brown Athletics, he hit .324 with 11 homeruns, 14 doubles, two triples, 45 RBIs and 107 total bases. The most phenomenal thing about this? It was all done in 44 games. “A lot of people do not realize that northern schools, especially Ivy league, don’t play many games compared to southern schools,” Nuzzo told JaysProspects, “Sometimes due to weather we also don’t get on an actual baseball diamond until the day of our first game! This happened twice in my career; once my freshman year against Florida St. and once again in 2008 against Florida.”

While he admitted to having many enjoyable moments in college, the Lugnuts infielder stated that his favourite moment came in 2007 when Brown won its first ever Ivy League title and received an automatic bid to go to regionals. “We had a great team with great comradely and battled Texas and Wake Forest but came up short both times in close games. That regional really opened my eyes to baseball as we played in front of 25 thousand in Round Rock Texas,” Nuzzo mentioned.  “That year I had my breakout season and hit .371.  A truly great experience with great people, something I will also never forget!”

Something else Nuzzo promises to never forget, is his hometown city. Nuzzo grew up with a big group of friends that played both baseball and pop warner football together. “My city is a big time football city, in fact probably the biggest in all of New England so kids are bred to play football here and I was no different. I was obsessed with football and still am to this day.”

Nuzzo proved his athleticism in these sports at Everett High School, as in baseball he was a four-time All Star and made Massachusetts State All-Star Team in 2003 and 2005, and hit .495 in the wooden bat league. Even more impressively, he also was very successful in football and in fact became the all-time winningest quarterback in Massachusetts high school football history!

Matt Nuzzo played football at Brown College and was the winningest Quarterback in high school in Massachusetts high school history. (Photo credit: DSPics)

Nuzzo admits that while he always loved football, the moment he decided to pursue baseball over football came in college. “I played football for two years at Brown University and in the summer I was cross training for football while playing in the Cape Cod League. I eventually got hurt going into my junior year because of the cross training and was sent home from the Cape as a result. It had a deep affect on me. Here I was in the best summer ball league in the country, training for a sport I had no chance of going pro in. After a very tough period I came to the conclusion that it was in my best interests to concentrate solely on baseball for my last two years of college and try to put myself in a position to go pro. It was one of the toughest decisions of my life, but I believe it was the right one and my family supported it.”

With his family’s support, Nuzzo has been able to become a strong baseball player. He admits that his best skill on the field is his energy and toughness. “I will do whatever is needed to get the job done. I play through injuries and sickness a lot. I think my football background and where I grew up may have something to do with that. I love the chance to spark a team.”

Nuzzo mentioned a unique talent as his best skill off the field. “You can cross check this with Marcus Knecth, Michael Crouse, Jake Marisnick, Steve McQuail, or even my girlfriend, Alexis, but I can cook one hell of a rice and chicken dish. It may be because it’s the only thing I know how to make but it gets the job done. I just mix sauces and what not and hope it tastes good. Got to take risks to be great,” he stated, concluding” “Just ask Michael Crouse how much money we waste at the grocery store buying things we never use. We are baaadd shoppers!”

Aside from shopping, however, Nuzzo plans to spend his off-season teaching at Everett High School. Additionally, he also plans to coach an AAU team, the Saugus Silverhawks, which has four teams ranging from young kids to college players. “I help out with the Silverhawks whenever I get the chance. I am also beginning to start working out again for the upcoming spring training as I have been battling some ongoing illnesses for quite some time but I am hoping those things are resolved soon. So I am just going to teach, get healthy, work out, and get ready for a break out year where I put it all together!”

With his numbers progressively getting better the more he plays within the Blue Jays’ organization, JaysProspects believes Nuzzo will find nothing but success in his future. JaysProspects wishes Matt Nuzzo the best of luck and thanks him kindly for his time.