Lower Alum Matt Szczur Earns Cubs Roster Spot

ERMA – Kathy Szczur gets very nervous when her son is playing Major League Baseball. She admits to “putzing around the house and doing stuff” to keep busy until her spouse, Marc, who is often watching the youngest of their two sons online, gives her an update.
Matt Szczur, a former Lower Cape May and Villanova University multi-sport star, has parlayed natural physical gifts, extremely hard work, a well-balanced demeanor, and supreme dedication into a fledgling career with one of the National League’s most venerable and unlucky organizations in the Chicago Cubs.
The fleet outfielder, who made his Major League debut Aug. 17, will turn 26 on July 20. He has successfully navigated the long bus rides and second-rate accommodations of the minor leagues to make it to the hallowed ground known as “The Show.”
After being lured away from a possible NFL opportunity by a sizeable signing bonus, the six-foot, 200-pound Szczur entered fall rookie ball in Arizona after being chosen in the fifth round of the 2010 amateur player draft by the Cubs. He was also a 2007 38th round selection of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he opted to play football and baseball for the Wildcats on the Main Line suburb of Philadelphia.
Szczur, who garnered 270 all-purpose yards in the 2009 Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision title game in an MVP performance for ‘Nova, excelled through “A” ball for the Boise Hawks, Peoria Chiefs and the Daytona Cubs. He was elevated to the Southern League for Chicago’s AA franchise, the Tennessee Smokies before returning to Arizona Fall League action with the Mesa Solar Sox. He reached AAA baseball in the Pacific Coast League for Chicago’s Iowa Cubs.
Back home in the Erma dwelling of his upbringing, Dad beams with pride and chuckles at the anxiety of Matt’s mother.
“She waits for me to tell her what happens,” said Marc. “We were in Chicago for the opener. I drove his car out to him.”
Marc knows as much as anyone how much effort Matt has put into his ascension through professional baseball.
“It’s a work in progress,” said Marc. “He’s constantly working on stuff. He’s doing fantastic. The more he plays the better he gets. In the offseason he worked hard on his approach and on his power. He’s always hit the ball hard.”
Szczur, known as a solid all-around player, impressed the Cubs with five spring training home runs along with stellar defense and speed. He prepared mightily for the opportunity spring training provided. When he was back in Cape May County during the winter he worked on hitting in a storage facility his father utilized when the elder Szczur ran his own construction company. Matt also traveled regularly to Philadelphia to work with a hitting instructor recommended by his agent. He spent many hours with his personal trainer, Darrin Hickok.
“I was nervous when he played Little League,” said Marc, who helped his son pack up his belongings in Iowa last summer when Matt was called up. “I’ve got nothing to be nervous about now. He’s worked hard for this opportunity.”
To illustrate the hard work of Major League athletes, Marc said the players often arrive at the ballpark by 10 a.m. and practice their craft all day before performing in the game later that evening.
“They hang out after the game for a little while and try to wind down someplace,” said Marc. “And then they do it all again the next day.”
Something that obviously makes Matt’s travels and home away from home in Chicago more comfortable is his new bride. He and Natalie Cooper wed just before Thanksgiving.
“They stayed home for Thanksgiving and then went on their honeymoon,” said Marc. “We plan everything around baseball now. No more vacations in the winter for us. We use vacation time to follow him.”
A relatively new addition to the Szczur family is three-year-old Gavin, the son of Matt’s older brother, Marc, who was a fine amateur pitcher in his own right.
“Gavin travels well as long as he has his iPad and DVD,” said Marc with a laugh. “We have a great time bringing him to watch Matt play. We had a ball when Matt took him out on the field. It’s another person to share this with.”
Marc said that Matt has enjoyed playing under all of his managers along the way and that his teammates are all enjoyable to be around. Marc said Cubs officials were “pretty pumped” when they called Matt into the office to inform him that he’d made the club. He said, “Everyone was in the room,” when Matt was called in, including new Cubs manager Joe Maddon, President Theo Epstein, GM Jed Hoyer, as well as scouting executives.
Marc admits to consuming “way too much steak” on the family’s visits to Chicago. They intend to catch Matt’s games in New York, Washington and Pittsburgh as well.
“We’re taking this as it comes,” said Marc. “He works very hard every day and looks to take advantage of his opportunities. We’re proud as hell of him.”