Matt Mervis Bio
Matthew Jared Mervis, born on April 16, 1998, is an American professional baseball first baseman who has spent time across several organizations in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed “Mash,” he first reached the majors with the Chicago Cubs in 2023 and later played for the Miami Marlins in 2025. Known for his power at the plate, Mervis led all of Minor League Baseball with 119 runs batted in (RBI) during the 2022 season, the same year he was named the Cubs’ Minor League Player of the Year.
A former Duke University standout, Mervis went undrafted in the shortened five-round 2020 MLB Draft and signed with the Cubs as a free agent. He has also represented Team Israel on the international stage, appearing in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Over the course of his professional career, he has built a reputation as a hard-working first baseman with a patient approach and consistent extra-base production.
Early Life and Background
Matthew Jared Mervis was born on April 16, 1998, in Washington, D.C., and was raised in Potomac, Maryland. He is the son of Jeffrey Mervis and Ellen Van Bergen, and he has one older brother and a younger sister. His paternal grandmother, Bertina “Tina” Mervis, was born and raised in the city of Givatayim in Israel, before moving to the United States as a young adult. Mervis’s family background shaped both his cultural identity and his early exposure to sports.
Mervis attended Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Maryland, where he emerged as a two-way player. As a junior in 2015, he posted a .409 batting average with 39 runs batted in, while also serving as a pitcher with a 0.10 earned run average (ERA) and a 92 mph fastball. In his senior season of 2016, Mervis batted .348 with two home runs and added a 1.13 ERA with 121 strikeouts on the mound, drawing attention from Major League scouts. That summer, he played for the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League, where his .411 batting average led the league.
Path to Baseball
After high school, Mervis enrolled at Duke University, where he majored in political science and played four years of college baseball. He spent time as a pitcher, first baseman, and third baseman, gradually shifting toward hitting as his power developed. Across his freshman and sophomore seasons, he split duties between the mound and the batter’s box, posting a combined 5-2 record with a 6.32 ERA while also recording timely hits in limited at-bats.
As a junior in 2019, Mervis broke out offensively for the Blue Devils, hitting .274 with six home runs and 31 RBI in 190 at-bats while drawing 22 walks. That summer, he played for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star after slashing .325/.418/.571. His senior season at Duke in 2020 was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, but he had been hitting .304 with three home runs in 16 games when play was halted.
Matt Mervis Career
Minor League Ascent (2021–2022)
Mervis signed with the Chicago Cubs in June 2020 as an undrafted free agent, receiving a $20,000 signing bonus under the unique rules of the shortened draft. He made his professional debut in 2021 with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Low-A East, also appearing in three games with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. Across 72 games, he batted .208 with nine home runs and 44 RBI, showing flashes of the power that would soon define his profile.
The 2022 season marked Mervis’s true breakthrough. He opened the year with the South Bend Cubs of the High-A Midwest League, slashing .350/.389/.650 before earning a promotion in mid-May to the Tennessee Smokies of the Double-A Southern League. After another strong stretch, he moved up to Triple-A Iowa in mid-July, where he posted a .297/.383/.593 line and led the International League in OPS. His combined totals included 36 home runs and 119 RBI, leading all of Minor League Baseball in both extra-base hits and runs driven in.
Cubs Major League Debut (2023–2024)
Following a strong spring in 2023, Mervis was promoted to the majors for the first time on May 5, 2023, starting at first base against the Miami Marlins. He hit his first major league home run on May 16 against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park, a milestone moment in his young career. After batting .167 in 90 at-bats, the Cubs optioned him back to Triple-A Iowa in mid-June, where he finished the year hitting .282 with 22 home runs and 78 RBI.
Heading into 2024, MLB Pipeline ranked Mervis as the sixth-best first base prospect in baseball. He spent most of that season with Triple-A Iowa, batting .235 with 15 home runs and 43 RBI, while appearing briefly in the majors and going 3-for-26. On December 29, 2024, the Cubs traded Mervis to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Vidal Bruján, closing a chapter on his development within the organization that originally signed him.
Marlins and Beyond (2025)
Mervis made the Marlins’ Opening Day roster on March 27, 2025, and quickly made an impact by hitting six home runs in his first 13 games, tying the franchise record. His hot start drew national attention, as he briefly tied for the fourth-most home runs in the major leagues through mid-April. He was later designated for assignment on May 30 following the promotions of Heriberto Hernández and Jack Winkler, finishing his Marlins stint with a .175/.254/.383 slash line and seven home runs in 42 appearances.
Notable Events and Milestones
Beyond his six-home-run debut stretch with the Marlins, Mervis earned the Arizona Rising Stars MVP and Fall Stars Game MVP honors following the 2022 Arizona Fall League, where he led the circuit with six home runs. His 119 RBI in 2022 stood as a personal single-season high and led the entire minor leagues, while his representation of Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic added an international milestone to his résumé.
Matt Mervis Career Wins and Honors
Matt Mervis has accumulated a series of postseason and award honors at the minor and major league levels, though he has not yet captured a major league pennant. His clearest distinctions came during the 2022 campaign, when he swept the Cubs’ organizational awards and dominated the Arizona Fall League stage.
Minor League Highlights
Across three minor league levels in 2022, Mervis combined for a .309/.379/.605 slash line with 36 home runs and 119 RBI, finishing first in the minors in extra-base hits (78) and tied for second in doubles (40). He was recognized as the Cubs’ 2022 Minor League Player of the Year, an MiLB Organization All-Star, and the Arizona Fall League’s Arizona Rising Stars MVP, capping one of the most productive single seasons in recent Cubs history.
Matt Mervis Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Mervis was raised in Potomac, Maryland, by his parents Jeffrey Mervis and Ellen Van Bergen, alongside an older brother and a younger sister. His Jewish heritage, including family ties to Israel through his grandmother Bertina “Tina” Mervis, has played a meaningful role in his identity, most notably when he represented Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
2025 Season Performance
Mervis’s 2025 season began with the Miami Marlins after his December 2024 trade from the Cubs, and his early production quickly stood out. He launched six home runs in his first 13 games, tying a Marlins franchise record and briefly ranking among the major league leaders. The surge represented a long-awaited translation of his minor league power to the highest level.
His production tapered after the opening month, and following the promotions of Heriberto Hernández and Jack Winkler, Miami designated Mervis for assignment on May 30, 2025. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on June 2, where he rebounded to slash .250/.309/.625 with 13 home runs in 149 plate appearances. The Marlins released him on August 4, ending his 2025 major league chapter.
