Matt Rogelstad

From BR Bullpen

Matthew Dylan Rogelstad

  • Bats Left, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 3", Weight 190 lb.

BR Minors page

Biographical Information[edit]

Matt Rogelstad played six seasons in the affiliated minor leagues, thrice hitting .300, then spent three seasons in the independent ranks. He has also played for Team Canada from 2005-2008.

Rogelstad was on the Canadian junior national team in 1999 and 2000, playing in the World Junior Championship the latter year (Canada finished 7th). He then went to Southeastern Louisiana University, hitting .279/.330/.365 in 2002. Transferring to Arkansas State, he batted .341/.394/.534 in 2003. He only struck out 5 times in 208 AB, the lowest rate in NCAA Division I, earning him the NCAA Statistics Service "Toughest to Strike Out" Award.

Undrafted out of college, Rogelstad was signed by the Seattle Mariners on June 17 as a free agent. He spent the year all over the Mariners chain as a utility infielder - with the AZL Mariners (.393/.403/.492 in 15 games in Rookie ball), Everett AquaSox (.276/.311/.310 in 16 games in A ball), Inland Empire 66ers (.395/.395/.553 in 9 games in high A) and the Tacoma Rainiers (0 for 4 in AAA). He played second base, third base, shortstop and the outfield as he jumped all around the organization.

In 2004, Matt hit .248/.315/.317 in 106 games for Inland Empire, playing every infield position, with at least 19 games at first, second and third. The next year, Rogelstad batted .304/.367/.372 in 111 games for the 66ers. He played every position except catcher and pitcher, with most of his playing time (64 games) coming at third base. He joined Team Canada for the 2005 Baseball World Cup, hitting .379/.438/.655 as their second baseman. He drove in 10 runs in 8 games and was second on the team behind Joey Votto in both RBI and slugging.

Unlike Votto, Rogelstad was on the Canadian roster for the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He only appeared once, pinch-running for Pete LaForest and scoring a run in Canada's 11-8 victory over South Africa. In the regular season, Matt hit .260/.307/.354 in 36 games for Inland Empire and .185/.229/.279 with 21 runs produced in 23 games for the San Antonio Missions. He won the SEATTLE award as the Mariners farmhand who most exemplified "Skill, Effort, Attitude, Tenacity, Teamwork, Loyalty and Enthusiasm." He rejoined Canada for the COPABE Olympic Qualifier, hitting .324/.378/.353 as the starting third baseman.

On March 26, 2007, the Mariners sold Rogelstad's contract to the Washington Nationals. He hit a fine .302/.369/.413 as the Potomac Nationals utility man and struck out in all 3 at-bats with the Harrisburg Senators. Rogelstad was third in the Carolina League in average, only 3 points behind Billy Hart and Mitch Einertson.

Back with Team Canada for the 2007 Baseball World Cup, Matt hit .485/.515/.871 with 3 triples and 8 runs in 7 games. He was 5th in the round-robin phase in average behind Trent Oeltjen, Max De Biase, Kevin Nicholson and Audes de Leon. The USA's Jayson Nix beat him out for All-Star honors at second base.

Back in the Nationals chain for 2008, Rogelstad hit .281/.330/.428 in 100 games between two clubs.

Rogelstad helped Canada finish first in the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament. He hit .360/.370/.720 with 9 runs and 8 RBI in 7 games while serving as Canada's primary third baseman. He tied Seung-yeop Lee, Carlos Valencia, Karim Garcia and Kuo-Hui Lo for second in home runs (2), one behind teammate Nick Weglarz. He tied Luke Hughes, Dae-ho Lee, Lo and Jimmy Van Ostrand for second in RBI, four behind Seung-yeop Lee. He tied Tom Brice and Chien-Ming Chang for third in runs, trailing Yong-kyu Lee and Young-min Ko. He scored 3 and drove in 3 in a win over the Mexican national team. Against host Taiwan, he led off the 10th with a single off of Chien-Ming Chiang and scored on a Van Ostrand hit to win it. He then saved his best for the match-up against another Olympic qualifier, the South Korean national team, contributing a 3-run homer off of ace Hyun-jin Ryu in the first inning of a 4-3 win.

Rogelstad performed very poorly in the 2008 Olympics after doing so much to get his country in. He went just 2 for 25 with 8 strikeouts and an error.

He then spent 2009 to 2011 in indy ball, playing in a different league each year. With the York Revolution of the Atlantic League in 2009, Rogelstad batted .280/.344/.431. With the Edmonton Capitals of the Golden Baseball League in 2010, he hit .309/.373/.465 and with the Capitals, now of the North American League in 2010, he hit .332/.387/.449, nicely wrapping up his professional career.

Overall, Rogelstad hit .291/.349/.402; in the affiliated minors, he batted .284/.341/.381 and in indy ball he hit .307/.368/.447.

Sources[edit]

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