Matt den Dekker

Matthew Gerrit den Dekker (born August 10, 1987) is an American professional baseball coach and former outfielder, who is the minor league baserunning and outfielding coach for the New York Mets. He played college baseball at Florida for coach Kevin O'Sullivan from 2007 to 2010 and played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 6 seasons from 2013 to 2018 for the Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers and New York Mets.

Den Dekker was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He attended Coral Springs Christian Academy and Westminster Academy Christian School. After graduation from high school in 2006, den Dekker enrolled at the University of Florida and played outfield for the Gators, starting for four seasons. As a senior in 2010, den Dekker helped lead the Gators to the 2010 College World Series.

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected den Dekker in the sixteenth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, but he elected to return to Florida for his senior season. He was then drafted in the fifth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft by the New York Mets. He played 6 years as an outfielder in the MLB, with the Mets from 2013 to 2014, the Washington Nationals from 2015 to 2016, the Detroit Tigers in 2017 before returning to the Mets in 2018.

Den Dekker returned to Florida in 2019 to resume his schooling, while also becoming a student assistant coach for the Gators. In 2020, den Dekker was named the hitting and outfielding coach for the Charleston Southern Buccaneers. Along with former teammates Jacob deGrom and Travis d'Arnaud, den Dekker was one of few MLB players to have lowercase letters on his jersey.

Early life Matt den Dekker was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has an older brother and a younger sister. den Dekker also played with future Washington Nationals teammate Michael A. Taylor at Westminster when the former was a senior and the latter was a freshman. As a junior, den Dekker finished with a .350 batting average and was named to the Miami Herald's All-Broward County First Team. However, the few college recruiters who showed interest were mostly small schools that wanted him to pitch. Den Dekker's only Division I scholarship offer came from a University of Florida recruiter who had attended Westminster's practices and games only to scout Chapman. He made his major league debut on August 29. He hit his first MLB home run on September 1, off Ross Ohlendorf of the Washington Nationals. For the season, he batted .207/.270/.276.

Washington Nationals On March 30, 2015, the Mets traded den Dekker to the Washington Nationals for pitcher Jerry Blevins.

Den Dekker was optioned to the Syracuse Chiefs at the end of Spring Training on April 1, 2016. He was recalled on April 6 when Ben Revere was placed on the disabled list. After the Nationals optioned him back to Syracuse later in the season, den Dekker hit just .208 before being taken off the 40-man roster and outrighted to the minors on September 3. For the season, he batted .176/.282/.294.

Miami Marlins On November 30, 2016, den Dekker signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins organization. On May 2, 2017, he opted out of his contract, becoming a free agent.

Detroit Tigers

On May 16, 2017, den Dekker signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers. He was called up by the Tigers on June 23. On July 5, 2017, he was designated for assignment and sent outright to the Toledo Mud Hens four days later. For the season, he batted 1-for-7. On October 2, 2018, he elected to become a free agent.

Long Island Ducks On March 26, 2019, den Dekker signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. On June 7, he announced his retirement from professional baseball. In 29 games he hit .268/.336/.446 with 2 home runs, 12 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.

Coaching career On June 10, 2020, den Dekker was named to the coaching staff at Charleston Southern University.

Personal life Den Dekker's cousin Kevin Chapman is a former major league pitcher.