Duke baseball standout Matt Mervis signs with Chicago Cubs as UDFA

Duke baseball standout Matt Mervis signed with the Chicago Cubs as an undrafted free agent following the MLB Draft.

Things aren’t great with Major League Baseball at the moment, and the next crop of players entering the league sure won’t forget how miserable America’s Pastime is upon their arrival.

As the MLB Players Association rejected the latest offer from MLB on a return to play, or more appropriately named a start of play, the MLB Draft was cut from its normal 40 rounds down to five in an attempt from the owners to try and save money because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Hundreds of players were not drafted who should have been, and even more players will enter the Minor Leagues making far less money as drafted players should be, even though there is a major wage gap between the Majors and Minors.

Duke baseball’s Matt Mervis was one of those players who was not selected but would have been should there have been the normal 40 rounds of the draft, but the utility man for the Blue Devils has agreed to terms on a deal with the Chicago Cubs.

Mervis, a Potomac, Maryland native, primarily played third base for head coach Chris Pollard while also stepping on the mound when needed.

After being drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 37th Round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of Georgetown Prep (DC), Mervis opted to honor his commitment to Duke and was named to the ACC Honor Roll twice while being named as a team captain in his senior season.

ALSO READ: Duke ace Bryce Jarvis gets drafted by Arizona Diamondbacks

The right-handed hitter was a career .278 hitter as a Blue Devil, belting nine home runs and 46 RBI in his Duke baseball career.

Perhaps one of the biggest blasts of Mervis’ time in Durham came back on February 15 when he hit his first career grand slam in a comeback win over Army.

ALSO READ: Duke commit to go pro after being drafted by St. Louis Cardinals

Prior to the season being canceled because of the COVID-19, Matt Mervis led the team in hits (17), home runs (3) and total bases (33), while ranking second in RBI (15).

As Mervis inks his deal with the Chicago Cubs, he is only able to make a maximum of $20,000 thanks to the unique rules of the 2020 MLB Draft.

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