Matt Thaiss

Matt Thaiss

29-Year-Old CatcherC
Chicago Cubs
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Thaiss is perfectly suited for what he is - a second string catcher. What he is not is what he was forced to be with the early injury to Logan O'Hoppe which forced Thaiss into everyday catching. The extra playing time left fantasy managers dealing with the poor batting average and limited run production The season was a clear demonstration of where the future is for both O'Hoppe and Thaiss as long as the duo remains intertwined with the Angels. Thaiss's best value to the club is he has thrown out 24% of attempted basestealers, but that is not something fantasy managers care about. The simple fact is Thaiss is someone to safely avoid on draft day unless you find yourself in a 12-team AL Only league and you just got sniped on your other end game second catcher option. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#369
ADP
$Signed a one-year contract with the Angels in March of 2024. Traded to the Cubs in November of 2024.
Acquired by Cubs
CChicago Cubs
November 20, 2024
The Cubs acquired Thaiss from the Angels on Wednesday in exchange for cash consideration, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Thaiss was designated for assignment last week and has now found a new home. The Cubs are looking for catching help this offseason, although Thaiss wouldn't necessarily be an upgrade over Miguel Amaya. As things stand right now, he and Amaya could share starts at the position.
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Batting Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
8
14
9
6
1
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
2
1
5
1
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2022
 
 
+50%
OPS vs RHP
2024
 
 
+47%
OPS vs RHP
2023
 
 
+23%
OPS vs RHP
2022
 
 
+375%
OPS vs RHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2022vs Left .456 95 3 0 6 1 .169 .263 .193
Since 2022vs Right .683 479 52 13 49 5 .220 .332 .351
2024vs Left .456 41 1 0 4 1 .184 .220 .237
2024vs Right .671 145 13 2 12 2 .210 .352 .319
2023vs Left .547 41 2 0 2 0 .206 .341 .206
2023vs Right .675 266 30 9 29 2 .215 .316 .360
2022vs Left .154 13 0 0 0 0 .000 .154 .000
2022vs Right .732 68 9 2 8 1 .259 .353 .379
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2022
 
 
+16%
OPS at Home
2024
 
 
+48%
OPS at Home
2023
 
 
+1%
OPS at Home
2022
 
 
+14%
OPS at Home
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2022Home .692 279 30 8 36 4 .232 .319 .373
Since 2022Away .597 295 25 5 19 2 .190 .322 .275
2024Home .756 81 8 2 10 2 .254 .333 .423
2024Away .512 105 6 0 6 1 .163 .314 .198
2023Home .662 156 17 5 20 1 .221 .301 .360
2023Away .655 151 15 4 11 1 .206 .338 .317
2022Home .681 42 5 1 6 1 .235 .357 .324
2022Away .596 39 4 1 2 0 .200 .282 .314
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Matt Thaiss compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
0.48
 
BB Rate
15.1%
 
K Rate
31.2%
 
BABIP
.306
 
ISO
.096
 
AVG
.204
 
OBP
.323
 
SLG
.299
 
OPS
.622
 
wOBA
.288
 
Exit Velocity
86.6 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
23.0%
 
Barrels/PA
4.3%
 
Expected BA
.194
 
Expected SLG
.323
 
Sprint Speed
21.9 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
40.4%
 
Line Drive %
21.2%
 
Fly Ball %
38.4%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Thaiss has yet to get a real shot at big-league success despite a series of solid minor-league seasons and the ability to work behind the plate as well as at the corner-infield spots. He has good enough power to consistently hit 20-plus homers in the majors and has always been willing to take a walk, though holes in his swing have resulted in a 30.6% strikeout rate through 278 career big-league plate appearances. In his initial three stints with the Angels, Thaiss worked exclusively in the infield, but he got a look at catcher last season, logging 11 starts at the position. With Max Stassi coming off a down year and Kurt Suzuki retiring, 2023 could have presented a prime opportunity for Thaiss to audition for a more prominent role, but the emergence of rookie Logan O'Hoppe presents a substantial roadblock to that possibility. Stassi and O'Hoppe figure to work as the team's top two options behind the plate, and the offseason addition of Gio Urshela further impedes Thaiss's path to playing time in the infield. If he remains on the roster, he'll likely have a hard time finding at-bats as no better than a third option at any position.
Thaiss was a late arrival to summer camp and later told reporters the delay was due to a positive COVID test in June. While Thaiss said he was asymptomatic throughout the subsequent quarantine period, it took several weeks for him to get the requisite two negative tests in 24 hours. Thaiss was on the expanded Opening Day roster regardless, but he hardly played and was optioned Aug. 6. He was brought back a month later and ran into a homer shortly thereafter, but then was hardly heard from again the rest of the year. Draw a line through his 2020 stat line as it means nothing, but plenty of holes in his swing were exposed in his 2019 sample (164 PA). Shohei Ohtani and Justin Upton need to DH, Anthony Rendon was brought in last winter and Jared Walsh has leapfrogged Thaiss at the other corner-infield spot, at least for now. Thaiss was a first-round pick in 2016 and will be given more chances to succeed.
Thaiss made his major-league debut in July and saw a couple stretches of semi-consistent playing time in the second half, but overall he struggled with a .211/.293/.422 slash line in 53 games. He enjoyed a much more productive season at Triple-A with an .867 OPS, 14 home runs and a 59:64 BB:K. Strikeouts haven't been a significant problem throughout his minor-league career, so there should be room for improvement in the 31.7 K% he posted during his first taste of the big leagues. Thaiss can play both corner infield spots and had a .211 ISO and 10.8 BB% last season, but with Albert Pujols still owed big money and Tommy La Stella and David Fletcher both coming off quality seasons, he may be hard-pressed to find significant major-league opportunities in 2020.
Thaiss reached Triple-A for the first time last season, but his .277/.328/.457 line (good for a 102 wRC+) in 85 games was underwhelming for a first-base prospect. If he were still a catcher like he was in college, those would be promising numbers, but he's played nowhere but first in his professional career. He could possibly provide competent enough performances in a pinch for the Angels this season, but with Shohei Ohtani, Albert Pujols and Justin Bour already on the roster, it's hard to see Thaiss getting much of a look. Hope for improvement stems mostly from his patience in the batter's box. He walked an impressive 16.7% of the time in a 49-game sample at Double-A in 2017, and while that number cratered with the jump to Triple-A, he's had near-double-digit marks at every other full-season stop.
Thaiss is a catcher turned first baseman who turns 23 in May and has hit 15 home runs in 200 pro games. That wouldn't be an encouraging sign if he were a third baseman or corner outfielder, but as a first baseman or designated hitter, the bar is even higher. He walked at a 16.7 percent clip at Double-A last year, which is awesome, but he also posted a .096 ISO at that stop. There is no denying that he projects to get on base at a pretty solid clip, but that might be his only above-average offensive skill. Scouts have put 60s on his hit tool in the past, but his production in full-season ball has not matched that outlook. He is also not a defensive asset, so his glove won't be able to buy his bat developmental time. If he overhauled his swing with an emphasis on lofting the ball more, he could potentially tap into 20-homer power. Even in that optimistic scenario, he would struggle to ever finish as a top-15 fantasy first baseman.
Thaiss was an offensive-minded catcher at Virginia and the Angels thought enough of his bat that they drafted him with the 16th overall pick and immediately transitioned him to first base. Their evaluation appears to have been accurate, as he quickly earned a promotion from the Pioneer League to the Midwest League, posting a 129 wRC+ and 28:22 K:BB in 226 plate appearances against Low-A pitching. Thaiss will not offer light tower power, but he has enough pop to profile as a 25-homer threat in his prime years. A plus hitter who makes excellent contact and showed more of a willingness to work the count after his promotion, Thaiss could be a .300 hitter who walks at a 10 percent clip. That hit tool will be his money maker. If it reaches its plus projection, the game power will play to plus. If his hit tool falls short, he probably won't do enough with the bat to profile as a regular at first base.
More Fantasy News
Designated for assignment
CLos Angeles Angels
November 14, 2024
The Angels designated Thaiss for assignment Thursday, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.
ANALYSIS
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Taking seat Saturday
CLos Angeles Angels
September 28, 2024
Thaiss is absent from Saturday's lineup against Texas, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
ANALYSIS
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Starting in place of O'Hoppe
CLos Angeles Angels
September 18, 2024
Thaiss will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.
ANALYSIS
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Swats second homer
CLos Angeles Angels
August 15, 2024
Thaiss went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Blue Jays.
ANALYSIS
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Gets on base five times Sunday
CLos Angeles Angels
August 12, 2024
Thaiss went 2-for-2 with three walks and a stolen base in a 6-4 win over Washington on Sunday.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Drawing interest
CLos Angeles Angels
December 23, 2023
Thaiss is drawing trade interest from other clubs, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Thaiss is certainly more interesting now that he's shown he can catch capably, although he fell off dramatically at the dish in the second half in 2023 with a .505 OPS after putting up a .745 OPS prior to the All-Star break. The 28-year-old is a clear No. 2 behind Logan O'Hoppe, so the Angels could consider dealing him if another club views him as starting material.
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