Meet Matt Wilkinson, the viral sensation baffling opposing hitters

  • Tugboat, a 270-pound lefty, is baseball’s latest sensation
  • He has a retro nickname, hefty physique, and extraordinary pitching ability
  • Tugboat struck out 15 batters over six shutout innings in his latest game
  • He has allowed just six hits and one run in his first four starts of the season
  • Tugboat has whiffed more than 56% of the hitters he has faced
  • He has been overlooked and underestimated due to his body type
  • Tugboat relies on command, movement, and deception rather than pure velocity
  • He is determined to prove his doubters wrong and make it to the big leagues
  • Tugboat’s success has caught the attention of scouts and fans alike
  • He still has room for improvement in terms of fitness and velocity

The legend of Tugboat began on a Little League field in suburban Vancouver more than a decade ago. Matt Wilkinson was just a child at the time, a stocky kid with lightning in his left arm and quicksand beneath his feet. When a family friend watched him lumbering around the bases one day, he was awarded the nickname that would follow him for the rest of his life. From that point on, Matt Wilkinson was no more. There was only Tugboat. Now 21 and officially weighing in at 270 pounds, Tugboat has come a long way since his Little League days. He has emerged as baseball’s latest viral sensation—and not only because of his retro moniker that evokes the days when big-league rosters were filled with Pee Wees, Leftys and Docs. Mostly it’s because of what he’s doing on the mound. Tugboat struck out 15 batters over six shutout innings last week for the Lynchburg Hillcats, the single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. It was the most dominant showing yet in what has been an otherworldly introduction to the professional ranks. In his first four starts of the season, he has allowed just six hits and one run over 20 ⅔ innings, while striking out 41. He has whiffed more than 56% of the hitters he has faced, the best in all of the minor leagues. Though Tugboat had already become a cult hero to those who had seen him pitch, until recently he wasn’t considered a particularly heralded prospect. That has less to do with his abilities on the mound and more to do with the simple fact that he has the body type of exactly the sort of person who would be given the nickname Tugboat. Tugboat, who is set to pitch Wednesday against the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, has been befuddling opposing hitters for his entire life. He’s been overlooked and underestimated just as long. In a Little League World Series game against Mexico in 2015, he struck out 16 batters—in just five innings. (A batter reached on a dropped third strike, giving him an opportunity to rack up an extra punch-out.) Coming out of high school, he initially committed to pitch for the University of Washington but failed to qualify academically. Instead he went to Central Arizona College, where he posted a 1.38 ERA in two seasons and struck out 221 batters in 137 innings. By then, pro scouts had begun to take notice of Tugboat, and the Guardians selected him in the 10th round of last July’s draft. His signing bonus was $110,000. Plenty of people have doubted him, however, most notably Canada’s junior national team, which never selected Tugboat—an omission that still angers Duda. At every step of his journey through the baseball ranks, Tugboat has faced questions over whether his success will translate to the next level, from high school to college and even now, in the minors. What they do see is a pitcher whose old-fashioned approach is befitting of his old-fashioned nickname. At its best, Tugboat’s fastball sits in the low 90s, which seems perfectly quaint in an era where the average fastball travels at 94 mph. Instead, he relies on command, movement and deception. The voyage from Lynchburg to Cleveland is long, and it’s too soon to say whether Tugboat will continue to succeed as he travels through the farm system. He knows he needs to improve his fitness, which could help him increase his velocity a few ticks as well. But what’s clear is that nobody is dismissing Tugboat anymore. He has become impossible to ignore.

Factuality Level: 2
Factuality Justification: The article is focused on telling the story of a baseball player named Tugboat, from his childhood to his current success in the minor leagues. It contains a lot of unnecessary background information, details about his childhood nickname, and personal anecdotes that are not directly relevant to the main topic of his baseball career and recent success. The article lacks objectivity and factual reporting, as it is more of a narrative piece with a lot of personal opinions and perspectives presented as facts.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article is focused on the story of a baseball player named Tugboat, his journey, and his unique pitching style. While the article provides some interesting background information and details about Tugboat’s career, it lacks depth in terms of broader analysis, implications, or insights beyond his personal story. The article also contains some repetitive information and unnecessary details that do not significantly contribute to the overall narrative.
Financial Relevance: No
Financial Markets Impacted: No
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: No
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: No
Rating Justification: The article does not pertain to financial topics and does not describe any extreme events.
Key People: Matt Wilkinson (Baseball Player), Anthony Gilich (Tugboat’s former coach at Central Arizona College), Jeff Duda (Tugboat’s longtime coach at the Okotoks Dawgs Baseball Academy)

Reported publicly: www.wsj.com