BIO

Matt is a Major League baseball player currently in the Chicago White Sox organization. Drafted in 2004 by the Seattle Mariners, Matt just finished his 10th professional season and has spent over 2 1/2 years in the Big Leagues with Seattle and the Detroit Tigers in 2013. Matt grew up and spent most of his life in the Pacific Northwest but now calls Atlanta, Georgia home. His father, Manu and brother, Marques both played in NFL. Matt and his wife, Abi, have a 19 month old son, Josiah, and love spending every second chasing him around the house!

INTERVIEW

Tell us a little bit about the path to where you are today.

I was drafted in 2004 out of Woodinville High School by the Seattle Mariners. I was born and raised fifteen minutes north of Seattle so it was surreal to have the opportunity to play for my hometown team. Spending four years traveling and working my way up through the minor league system was challenging, but I was blessed to make my major league debut in September of 2008. From that moment on, its been an up and down roller coaster ride. I was sent back and forth from Triple-A to the Major League team so many times and had two elbow surgeries in 2009 and 2010. After my 7th season (2011) in the Mariners organization, I was released and went on to sign with the New York Mets Triple-A team in 2012. I went two full years without playing in the Major Leagues but never lost hope. Holding on to my faith and dreams I knew God could do immeasurably more then I could ask or imagine. I received an invitation to the Detroit Tigers Spring Training this past season and while everyone had me penciled in on the Triple-A roster, God had other plans. I won a spot on Detroit’s Major League roster and had the best year of my career. Now I’m currently playing for the Chicago White Sox.

What does a typical day of work look like for you?

Most of our games are scheduled night games with 7PM start times. Everybody usually arrives to the ball park 5-6 hours prior to game time. I usually wake up get some coffee and breakfast and relax around the house until about noon. If I’m on the road I’ll walk around town and/or go shopping. When we get to the park around 1-2PM we lift weights, study game film, get treatment, and have extra hitting/defensive work on the field and cages before batting practice begins. There is a lot of down time before games so a lot of the extra time is spent playing video games or cards.

Did you have a specific moment when you realized that you wanted to play Major League Baseball?

I fell in love with baseball at an early age. I loved pitching, playing shortstop and hitting home runs! One of my favorite memories as a kid was during Little League All-Stars. I had made the 11-12 year old Woodinville West All-Star team and we went on to win our districts and state tournaments to move onto the West Regionals in San Bernadino, CA. We made it all the way to the championship game and found ourselves one out away from winning a berth to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. Every kid who plays Little League dreams of making it to that place! In that championship game, we played in front of 10,000 people and even more as it was aired on ESPN 2. We eventually lost that game in extra innings but that was one of the first moments where I knew that I wanted to play Major League baseball when I grew up.

What risks or hard decisions have you had to make to live unashamed?

In this profession, you have to surround yourself with like-minded men who share the same beliefs and values. Early on in my career I didn’t do that. I was so concerned about my appearance and ‘living it up’ as all the rest of my teammates were. I went to Chapel on Sundays but the rest of the week I was headed to the bars and getting drunk after games because thats what everyone did. Although I knew it wasn’t right, I was afraid to be DIFFERENT! I was on a dangerous path and I needed to make a choice. Romans 12:2 talks about ‘not conforming to the ways of the world but being transformed by the renewing of our minds’ and I had to get off the fence. I didn’t want to just say what I believed but wanted to act it out. I surrounded myself with men of faith. I set guardrails that protected not just myself but my marriage. I went home and called it a night when things would get out of hand or when it got too late. Although they weren’t the popular choices and would be met with comments from teammates, I wasn’t held captive to what they thought of me. I was free and unafraid to follow my convictions.

What does the unashamed life look like in your context?

The unashamed life to me is a life fueled by faith and not by fear. To be unashamed is to be FREE and to not be afraid of others and what they might think but by living a life of integrity and conviction to be the best man, husband, father and teammate on and off the field. Living unashamed is not just talking the talk but walking the walk.

How have you worked through success? Failure?

Baseball is a game of failure where if you are succeeding 30% of the time, you are amongst the elite. Most, however, succeed at such a lower percentage. In my career I have had All-Star seasons and seasons where I failed 80% of the time. In any other profession with that type of performance, you’d probably be kicked to the curb and finding yourself a new job. The best way to work thru the ups and downs of baseball is to stay positive and in the process/journey. I had an IDENTITY shift after the 2011 season. My identity as a ballplayer and man did not change due to my performance. No matter if I was performing like an All-star or getting released, I’m a child of God, loved and accepted by HIM. The freedom from knowing that my identity rested in Christ and NOT my performance, the coaches or fans allowed me to go out and compete to the best of my ability. Results were not the goal anymore. The process of being the best I could be and honoring God was now what drove me through both success or failure.

Have you had any mentors along the way?

I’ve been blessed to know two men that have strongly influenced and strengthened my walk with Christ and they are my chaplains from Tacoma Rainiers and Detroit Tigers. Tacoma Rainiers chaplain Brian Peterson and Detroit Tigers chaplain Jeff Totten.

Do you have any favorite books?

The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry.

What verses or passages in Scripture have sustained or encouraged you?

Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” And Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

Can you offer some encouragement to other unashamed believers out there?

You can’t do it alone. Surround yourself with other unashamed believers that will encourage you and strengthen you. Iron sharpens iron. Lastly, always remember that no matter what happens in your life, your identity is found in Christ. Not just his child but a masterpiece, wonderfully and fearfully made! There is nothing that can separate his love from you. You are always loved and accepted by Christ!

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58