Matt Koperniak #89

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Division III Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., following the 2020 MLB Draft...Named to the All-NESCAC First Team and led the league in hits and slugging percentage during his junior season in 2019...Was a teammate with fellow Cardinals farmhand RHP Gordon Graceffo on the North Adams SteepleCats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League in 2019, earning NECBL All-Star Team and All-NECBL First Team honors...Went 5-for-5 with two home runs in a win over Salve Regina in the regional round of the 2019 NCAA D-III Championship Tournament...Brother, Mike, played baseball at Wheaton College (Mass.) and father, Chris, played baseball at UMass...Born in London, United Kingdom...Played for Great Britain in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, appearing in four games as the designated hitter...Signed by Jim Negrych...Resides in Adams, Mass.

2024

Played the entire season with Memphis (AAA), appearing in 122 games playing all three outfield positions...Started 64 games in left field, 31 in right field and 23 in centerfield...Led the International League in hits (143), while ranking among league leaders in batting (.309, third), slugging (.512, fifth), OPS (.882, third), extra base hits (51) and total bases (237)...His 143 hits matched his career high from 2023...Ranked second on the club in home runs (20), RBI (73), doubles (28) and slugging (.512)...Ranked third among Cardinals Minor Leaguers in home runs and RBI...International League Player of the Week (June 29-July 4)...Blasted a career-high 20 home runs...Of players who spent the entire Minor League Baseball season with one team, ranked seventh in hits...Posted a .956 OPS vs. left-handed pitchers and a .857 vs. right-handed pitchers...Batted .330 (38-for-115) with runners in scoring position and .327 w/RISP and two outs (17-for-52) totaling 24 RBI in the latter situations...They ran off a 24-game on-base streak (7/27-8/23), the 12th-longest in the International League...Batted .356 (32-90) with a .449 OBP over the stretch with a 1.082 OPS.

2023

Split the season between Double-A Springfield (33 games) and Triple-A Memphis (96 games), ranking third among Cardinals Minor Leaguers with a combined 85 RBI and 143 hits, while ranking fifth with 218 total bases, all career highs...Played at all three outfield positions (LF-76 games, RF-34, CF-15) and designated hitter (six)...Launched a career-high 18 home runs between Springfield (four) and Memphis (14)...Opened the season hitting safely in 18 of his first 21 games, including nine multi-hit performances, with Springfield to compile a .330 (29-for-88) batting average that led the team and ranked fifth in the Texas League through May 2...Promoted to Memphis on 5/17 and went 3-for-6 with two RBI in his first start for the Redbirds on 5/18 vs. Gwinnett...Notched a career-high five RBI and four runs scored on 6/8 vs. Durham, going 3-for-5 with his first career grand slam in the eighth inning of a 15-5 Redbirds victory...Began September with at least one hit in 13 of his first 15 games, batting a team-high .345 (19-for-55) while also pacing the club with four home runs, eight extra-base hits, 35 total bases and a 1.074 OPS during that stretch from Sept. 1-22...Was 9-for-10 in stolen base attempts with Memphis after going 2-for-7 to begin the season with Springfield.