After battling through years of adversity, Pirates reliever Isaac Mattson is 'happy to be back at the highest level again'

Noah Hiles / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

ST. LOUIS — The Pirates selected the contract of relief pitcher Isaac Mattson prior to the start of Thursday’s contest against the Cardinals, the club announced Thursday afternoon. Right-hander Jake Woodford, who started for the Pirates on Wednesday evening, was designated for assignment to make room for Mattson on both the big league and 40-man roster.

"It feels great,” Mattson told reporters Thursday afternoon. “Happy to be here and happy to help the team win."

A 29-year-old right-hander, Mattson was recently named the Indianapolis Indians’ Pitcher of the Year after going 5-1 with a 3.15 ERA (60.0 IP/21 ER) in 29 appearances (three starts) with the Indians. He began the 2024 season in Double-A Altoona.

“I think the fact that he was pitcher of the year, he’s deserving to be here,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “Last night was a situation where we knew we needed multiple innings and if we had a situation where after that we needed to get someone else, I think we thought he was the perfect person for that.”

Born and raised in Harborcreek in Erie County, Mattson played college baseball at Pitt. He was selected by the Angels in the 19th round of the 2017 MLB draft and reached the major leagues with the Orioles in 2021, appearing in four games that season.

Not long after reaching the majors, Mattson faced notable adversity on and off the field that coincided with a decline in play. In July, 2022, he was released by the Orioles.

Mattson’s path back to the big leagues began with the Washington Wild Things in August 2022. After posting strong numbers in the Frontier League (2.51 ERA over 12 outings), he started the following year with the Maryland Blue Crabs of the of the Atlantic League.

“They’re strong willed,” Shelton said of players, like Mattson, who make the majors after playing Independent League ball. “You have to be strong willed and you have to love the game because if you’re going to go do different things and go to independent ball and grind, you have to want to be out here. It’s not just something that’s your job. It’s something you love to do.”

In June 2023, Mattson signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins, where his success continued (3-1 with a 3.62 ERA in 21 appearances). That success led him to signing a minor league deal with the Pirates last offseason. Now, two years after falling to the very bottom of professional baseball, Mattson is back at the top.

"It's special for me, special for my family,” Mattson said. “I wouldn't be here without a lot of different people helping me get here. Coaches, people who believed in me and stuck with me through the tough times. Just happy to be back at the highest level again."