Sportsvival recently got to sit down with Pirates outfielder Matt Gorski to go over his journey to become a major league player.
Gorski was born on December 22, 1997 in Fishers, Indiana. He attended Hamilton Southeastern High School and committed to the University of Indiana.
Gorski was named first team All-Big Ten Conference as a sophomore after he hit .356 with eight home runs and a team high 79 hits. He played for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2018.
As a junior, Gorski batted .271 with 12 home runs and was named second team All-Big Ten in his junior season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in round two, with the 57th overall pick, of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft.
After signing with the Pirates he was assigned to the West Virginia Black Bears of the Low-A New York-Penn League, with whom he hit .224 with three homers, 22 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.
Gorski did not play in 2020 due to Covid-19.
In 2021, he hit .223 with 17 homers and 56 RBI and 18 stolen base for high-A Greensboro.
Gorski played for four different teams in 2022 and combined for a .280 average and 24 home runs and 66 RBI
In 2023, Gorksi split time between AA and AAA, hitting .231 and 20 homers.
Gorski spent all of 2024 at AAA Indianapolis, hitting .257 with 23 bombs and 67 RBI and 15 stolen bases.
Gorski got his first call-up on April 24, 2025. In his first major-league at bat with the Pirates, Gorkski hit a home run, becoming the 136th player to do so. Gorksi hit .195 with two homers in 15 games with the Pirates before being sent down.
Sportsvival got to sit down and talk with Matt Gorski.
Sportsvival- Was baseball the only sport you played?
Gorski- “No, I played basketball, soccer, and baseball.”
Sportsvival- Was baseball your first love right away, or did it take some time?
Gorski- “It took some time, baseball is a tough sport when you are young because of the frequency of failure. I had more success at basketball right away.”
Sportsvival- What sports did you end up playing in high school?
Gorski- “I played baseball and soccer.”
Sportsvival- No basketball?
Gorski- “I actually got cut from my 8th grade team.”
Sportsvival- Did you have family around on draft day?
Gorski- “I thought I had a chance to go on the first day, but most likely second day. I planned on going home for rounds 3-10, but I went in round two. I was actually by myself in the college dorm.”
(photo courtesy of MLB. com)