From the Central Coast to Major League Baseball, Orcutt native Matt Sauer now living ‘a dream come true’

ANAHEIM, Calif. – It's been a remarkable journey from the Central Coast to Major League Baseball for Orcutt native Matt Sauer.

The 25-year-old 2017 Righetti graduate fulfilled a lifelong dream earlier this year when he earned a roster position with the Kansas City Royals.

"It's a dream come true," said Sauer, during a recent interview in Anaheim. "It's everything I've been working for. It's been a blessing for me and my family and my wife. We're all so happy right now."

Sauer's journey to the Major League Baseball may have seemed like a foregone conclusion when he was selected in the 2nd Round of the MLB Draft on June 12, 2017.

Coming out of Righetti that year, Sauer was rated as one of the top draft eligible players in the nation, ranked 22nd overall by Baseball America and 28th by MLB.com.

When the Yankees selected him 54th overall, it appeared to be only a matter of when and not if Sauer would pitch in a Major League Baseball stadium.

However, his path to the big leagues proved to one filled with many challenges and adversities, but through it all, he's right where he always wanted be, going back to his early days in Orcutt National Little League.

"Baseball is all I've ever known and all I've ever done," said Sauer. "It's all I ever really worked for, and I was blessed to have the opportunities when the Yankees took me. I felt they did a great job to develop me into the man that I am today, and not just the baseball player, and then obviously coming over here getting an opportunity to pitch in the big leagues and realizing, hey, I'm one of the top guys."

As Sauer was working his way up through the Yankees minor league season, he was dealt with a major setback when he needed to undergo Tommy John surgery on his pitching arm.

As he was recovering from surgery, the pandemic started in spring 2020, cancelling the minor league season, which afforded him extra time to heal.

However, once he resumed playing in 2022, he suffered another on his right arm while pitching in Double-A and needed surgery once again.

During his long periods of rehabilitation, Sauer admitted there were times he worried if his career might end prematurely.

"There's definitely those thoughts," said Sauer. "When you're going through it, you have good days and you have the bad days, but you know, sticking close to teammates, I say, helps you out the most. Just having the clubhouse environment has been fantastic through injuries because the guys really pushed for you to be part of the team, and that's what looking for in rehab because you're not really contributing, but when you have good teammates that take care of you, and make you feel a part of it, it makes the rehab process a lot easier."

Once healthy, Sauer resumed playing in 2023, appearing for the Somerset Patriots, Yankees Double-A affiliate. In 14 games, Sauer finished with a 6–5 record and 3.41 ERA with 93 strikeouts in 74 innings.

At that time, it appeared he was once again on his way to donning the famed Yankee pinstripes at some point in the future, when the game threw him another curveball.

In December 2023, the Kansas City Royals selected Sauer in the MLB Rule 5 Draft, an annual event where certain players may be chosen from other teams who are not protected on 40-man rosters.

The move provided Sauer with a huge opportunity since players who are chosen in the Rule 5 Draft have to remain on the 26-man roster for the entire season, or they have to be offered back to their previous team for $50,000.

Energized with the chance to earn a spot with the Royals, Sauer made the most of his opportunity, pitching solidly for the team during Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona.

Once Spring Training concluded, Sauer received the news he had been dreaming about his entire life, he was a Major League Baseball player, earning a roster position in Royals bullpen.

"We're having a blast," said Sauer. "It's been fantastic. I love Kansas City. It's been amazing. They've been amazing to me. All the travels been a lot of fun. The guys in the clubhouse here are great, so it's been good."

With his promotion, Sauer become the first Righetti graduate to play in the MLB since the legendary Robin Ventura debuted with the Chicago White Sox in 1989.

"It means a lot," said Sauer. "Robin's one of the greatest players ever to play. Probably the best college player to ever play, you know? Robin's been fantastic. He reaches out to me maybe a couple times a year, so I get to talk to him, but there's been countless other guys that were really solid at baseball that have kind of helped me throughout my career."

Sauer, who still lives in Orcutt in the offseason with his wife Reagan, another Righetti alum, who he met when they were in middle school, said he is grateful for all of the support he has received and continues to receive from his home area.

"Just the whole Santa Maria culture, all you guys have been behind me every single day," said Sauer. "I feel so much support from Santa Maria, so everyone's been great to me."

Now a couple of months into his big league career, Sauer is still settling in. So far he has appeared in 12 games, with no decisions, along with 7 strikeouts in 14 innings.