FSU’s Mat Nelson officially signs with the Cincinnati Reds

Mat Nelson couldn’t wait to learn from a legend like Johnny Bench and kick off his professional baseball career.

Nelson, the Seminole’s starting catcher and ACC Baseball Player of the Year, made it official on Wednesday when he signed with the Cincinnati Reds.

Nelson, who the Reds drafted as an additional first-round pick (35th overall) on July 11, signed a full slot value of $ 2,095,800, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis.

Nelson was the first FSU catcher since Buster Posey in 2008 to be picked over the second round, and only the third all-time picker to be picked in the first two rounds.

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Nelson scored 23 home runs, was a semi-finalist at the Golden Spikes, and was named both Johnny Bench and Buster Posey winners last season.

Bench, a Hall of Famer who spent all 17 of his seasons with the Reds, personally congratulated Nelson during a Zoom call to the media the day after he was called up.

“The way I look at catchers, I always look at their feet and their transfers and you’ve worked on that a lot during that time,” Bench told Nelson that day. “It wasn’t just your beating. The feet and the transfer are key to any catcher. Our scouting and our employees were enthusiastic about everything we saw in you. “

Nelson said last week he plans to come to Arizona this week to start training with the Reds organization. A seasoned college pick and being 22 years old could give Nelson a chance to move quickly through the Reds’ farming system.

Reach Andre Fernandez at afernandez@tallahassee.com or follow him on Twitter @FernandezAndreC.

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The post FSU's Mat Nelson officially signs with the Cincinnati Reds first appeared on Daily Florida Press.

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