Matt Wilkinson (baseball)

Matt Wilkinson
San Francisco Giants – No. 71
Pitcher
Born: (2002-12-10) December 10, 2002
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Bats: Right
Throws: Left
MLB debut
August 19, 2026, for the San Francisco Giants
MLB statistics
(through August 23, 2026)
Win–loss record0–1
Earned run average6.35
Strikeouts2
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams

Matthew James Wilkinson (born December 10, 2002) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed Tugboat, he made his MLB debut in 2026.

Amateur career

Wilkinson pitched in the 2015 Little League World Series, striking out 16 batters in one game.[1] He attended Foothills Composite High School in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada and played college baseball at Central Arizona College. In 2023, he was named the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) D1 Pitcher of the Year after recording a 1.07 earned run average (ERA) with 138 strikeouts in 84 innings.[2] In 2023, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[3]

Professional career

Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians selected Wilkinson in the 10th round, 308th overall, of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.[4] He signed with the Guardians, forgoing his transfer commitment to Arizona State University.[5] Wilkinson made his professional debut with the Arizona Complex League Guardians. He began the 2024 season with the Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats.[6][7] Wilkinson was promoted to the High-A Lake County Captains on May 21, 2024.

San Francisco Giants

On May 9, 2026, the Guardians traded Wilkinson and a compensatory draft pick in the 2026 MLB draft to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Patrick Bailey.[8] In ten starts for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, he posted a 5.15 ERA with 43 strikeouts.[9] On August 19, Wilkinson was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[10] He made his debut later that day, tossing two scoreless innings.[11] Four days later, Wilkinson allowed three runs on six hits over 3+2⁄3 innings against the Boston Red Sox, recording two strikeouts and no walks. During the outing, he recorded the first strikeout of his major-league career.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Monagan, Matt (March 11, 2026). "He's nicknamed 'Tugboat,' and he throws a fastball that disappears". MLB. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
  2. ↑ Murr, Chuck. "Cleveland Guardians' Prospect Tugboat Wilkinson Worth The Weight And Wait". Forbes. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Matthew Wilkinson - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  4. ↑ Booth, Mark (July 14, 2023). "Ladner's "Tugboat" selected by Cleveland in MLB Draft". delta-optimist.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  5. ↑ Saelhof, Todd. "'Tugboat' Wilkinson getting up to speed in Guardians camp as MLB club's draft pick". nationalpost.com. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  6. ↑ Ingraham, Jim (May 2024). "Competitiveness Helps Guardians' Matt Wilkinson Stand Out". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  7. ↑ Terranova, Rob (May 8, 2024). "MiLB Player Spotlight: Guardians' Matt 'Tugboat' Wilkinson". MLB.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  8. ↑ "2-time Gold Glover Bailey traded to Guardians; Draft pick, LHP prospect to Giants". MLB.com. May 9, 2026. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  9. ↑ Slusser, Susan (August 17, 2026). "Giants call up Matt 'Tugboat' Wilkinson with eye toward 2027 rotation options". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  10. ↑ Brisbee, Grant (August 17, 2026). "The Giants promoted Matt 'Tugboat' Wilkinson, who has a chance to be a fan favorite". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  11. ↑ Guardado, Maria (August 19, 2026). "'Tugboat' kicks off Giants' shutout win with stout showing". mlb.com. MLB.
  12. ↑ "Giants' 'Tugboat' Wilkinson picks up first career MLB strikeout". Sportsnet. August 23, 2026. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
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