Tyler Mattison

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #24 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Generally the worst profile in baseball is to be a minor league reliever. Most of the best relievers in the majors were starters who converted to relieving eventually, but the Tigers have had a knack for developing solid bullpen pieces with Corey Knebel and Jason Foley among recent examples. Mattison could be next after he dominated at two levels in 2023.
  
  Scouting Report: Mattison’s plus-plus fastball is exactly what you want to see from a late-inning power arm. He is content to rear back and climb the ladder and gets swings and misses on back-to-back-to-back 96-98 mph fastballs that hitters just can’t seem to lay off. He has exceptional carry and solid control and command of the pitch, and he’ll cut it as well. There’s energy in Mattison’s less-than-picturesque delivery, but it works in short relief stints. His low-80s, above-average curveball acts almost as a changeup. It can flummox hitters’ timing, as he can drop it in on hitters geared up for 96+ mph. He throws his fringe-average slider for strikes, but he could use a better power secondary offering.
  
  The Future: Mattison’s excellent fastball and effective curve give him the building blocks to be a big league reliever, but the improvement of his slider or a cutter would help as he gets closer to the majors.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 45 | Control: 45
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #19 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: The Tigers were sold on Mattison’s increased velocity and power pitcher’s build, selecting the Northeast Conference’s Pitcher of the Year in the fourth round of the 2021 draft out of Bryant for an under-slot $400,000 bonus. Mattison is the highest draft pick in Bryant history. He did not make his professional debut in 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: Scouts highlighted the uptick in velocity early in 2021, noting Mattison seemed more confident attacking the strike zone. His fastball sits in the 92-95 mph range and touches 97 mph with natural downhill plane, and Mattison held his velocity deep into starts. Scouts view Mattison’s changeup as his strongest secondary, and it pairs well with his curveball. Both have solid-average potential. He also added a cutter/slider hybrid into his arsenal, but threw it less frequently and scouts think he needs to gain more confidence in the offering. Mattison repeats his delivery well, throwing all his pitches from a high arm slot.
  
  The Future: Mattison is already one of the more advanced college pitchers in the Tigers’ pipeline and will likely open the 2022 season at High-A West Michigan. Considering his age and evolving arsenal, Mattison could move quickly through Detroit’s system.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #361 prospect in 2021 draft
  Mattison's performance took a huge leap forward in his fourth year at Bryant in 2021. He increased his strikeout rate and improved his control, turning in a 2.46 ERA with 95 strikeouts and 14 walks in 80.1 innings. Mattison stands out for his size (6-foot-4, 235 pounds) and arm strength. His fastball sits at 92-95 mph and touches 97 from a high arm slot, and he had the ability to hold his velocity throughout the season and late into his starts. He's mostly a fastball/changeup pitcher, with an 82-84 mph changeup that grades out as an average pitch, occasionally flashing 55 with good sink and run. Mattison throws a curveball that's a 40-to-45 pitch on the 20-80 scale, and while it's been effective in the Northeast Conference, skeptical scouts wonder how many bats he's going to miss with it in pro ball because he lacks feel to spin it. He introduced a short cutter into his arsenal this year, but it's also a 40-45 pitch. If a team is more bullish on Mattison's ability to develop either his cutter or a better breaking ball, he could go higher than his ranking suggests.
• Ranked #369 prospect in 2020 draft
  Mattison was the top college pitcher in the Northeast coming into the spring, but a decrease in velocity mixed with an inability to throw strikes in four starts could scare teams away in a shortened draft. Mattison was 0-3, 8.53 this season with 10 walks in 19 innings, but past results suggest he could have righted the ship if the season had not been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Mattison posted strong results his first two seasons at Bryant, going 5-2, 3.40 as a freshman in 14 appearances (seven starts) with 53 strikeouts in 53 innings, and 9-1, 3.47 in 15 starts as a sophomore with 67 strikeouts across 80.1 frames. At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Mattison has great size and conditioning with the fastball/changeup combo of a power pitcher. His fastball normally sits at 93-95 mph from the right side, but it was down to 87-90 this spring. His changeup is an average pitch, but his breaking ball is a 30-grade offering at best. Some scouts note that Mattison tends to have trouble throwing strikes deep into games, leaving questions about a future role as a reliever. As a power arm out of the bullpen, Mattison’s fastball/changeup combo could play up and help him maximize his value, but for now he will continue to start.

• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: The Tigers were sold on Mattison&#39s increased velocity and power pitcher&#39s build, selecting the Northeast Conference&#39s Pitcher of the Year in the fourth round of the 2021 draft out of Bryant for an under-slot $400,000 bonus. Mattison is the highest draft pick in Bryant history. He did not make his professional debut in 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: Scouts highlighted the uptick in velocity early in 2021, noting Mattison seemed more confident attacking the strike zone. His fastball sits in the 92-95 mph range and touches 97 mph with natural downhill plane, and Mattison held his velocity deep into starts. Scouts view Mattison&#39s changeup as his strongest secondary, and it pairs well with his curveball. Both have solid-average potential. He also added a cutter/slider hybrid into his arsenal, but threw it less frequently and scouts think he needs to gain more confidence in the offering. Mattison repeats his delivery well, throwing all his pitches from a high arm slot.
  
  The Future: Mattison is already one of the more advanced college pitchers in the Tigers&#39 pipeline and will likely open the 2022 season at High-A West Michigan. Considering his age and evolving arsenal, Mattison could move quickly through Detroit&#39s system.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Tigers were sold on Mattison’s increased velocity and power pitcher’s build, selecting the Northeast Conference’s Pitcher of the Year in the fourth round of the 2021 draft out of Bryant for an under-slot $400,000 bonus. Mattison is the highest draft pick in Bryant history. He did not make his professional debut in 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: Scouts highlighted the uptick in velocity early in 2021, noting Mattison seemed more confident attacking the strike zone. His fastball sits in the 92-95 mph range and touches 97 mph with natural downhill plane, and Mattison held his velocity deep into starts. Scouts view Mattison’s changeup as his strongest secondary, and it pairs well with his curveball. Both have solid-average potential. He also added a cutter/slider hybrid into his arsenal, but threw it less frequently and scouts think he needs to gain more confidence in the offering. Mattison repeats his delivery well, throwing all his pitches from a high arm slot.
  
  The Future: Mattison is already one of the more advanced college pitchers in the Tigers’ pipeline and will likely open the 2022 season at High-A West Michigan. Considering his age and evolving arsenal, Mattison could move quickly through Detroit’s system.