Matt Anderson
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- For the Mixed Martial Arts fighter see Matt Andersen.
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| Matt Anderson | ||
|---|---|---|
| Relief Pitcher | ||
| Born: August 17, 1976 | ||
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| June 25, 1998 for the Detroit Tigers |
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| Final game | ||
| July 1, 2005 for the Colorado Rockies |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Record | 15-7 | |
| ERA | 5.19 | |
| Strikeouts | 224 | |
| Teams | ||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
Matthew Jason Anderson (born August 17, 1976, in Louisville, Kentucky) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher currently signed to a minor league contract by the Chicago White Sox.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Anderson attended St. Xavier High School, which was also attended by major leaguers Paul Byrd, Chris Burke and Jack Savage. After high school, he went on to Rice University, a college well known for producing professional baseball players. In the 1997 amateur entry draft, Matt Anderson was picked first overall by the Detroit Tigers.
[edit] Career
Anderson was named top prospect in the Cape Cod League in 1996 and was named the 24th best prospect in 1998 by Baseball America. In 1998, he was called up by the Tigers from the minors, where he had an ERA under 0.70. In his first major league season, he went 5-1 with a 3.27 ERA in 42 games. He also struck out 44 batters in 44 innings pitched.
Adding to the list of bizarre sports injuries, Anderson holds the dubious distinction of being the only player to injure himself in an octopus throwing contest. During a Detroit Red Wings game at the Joe Louis Arena, Anderson participated in an octopus throwing contest in an effort to win Red Wings playoff tickets and tore a muscle in the armpit of his throwing arm as a result. After returning from the injury, he was unable to hit 90 mph on his fastball in his remaining days in Detroit.
Since then, he has not posted an ERA under 4.72 in the Major Leagues, or 3.79 in the minors. In 2005 he walked 11 batters and gave up 19 hits in 10 innings with the Colorado Rockies.
He started off the 2006 season with AAA Fresno. After going 1-2 with a 9.17 ERA in 29 games in relief with Fresno, he was released by the Giants and signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish, where he went 1-1 with a 4.11 ERA in 15 games.
After not pitching at all in 2007 he was signed to a minor league contract with a non-roster invite to spring training for 2008 by the Chicago White Sox. Anderson is currently pitching for the Charlotte Knights, the White Sox's AAA team.
[edit] Honors and Awards
- In 1995, he was a Southwest Conference All-Star.
- In 1997 he was a Western Athletic Conference All-Star and a First Team College All-American.
[edit] Other information
- Matt, his wife Rebecca and their son Jacob reside in Louisville, Kentucky during the offseason.
- Regularly topped 100 mph on the radar gun, including a high mark of 103 mph twice. 1
- Bobby Higginson had been a teammate of Anderson for six seasons, longer than any other teammate.
- Anderson set Rice University school records for career wins (30) and saves (14), and he also posted a 1.82 ERA during his final year with the Owls.
- According to Baseball Reference, Anderson compares statistically to pitchers Matt Whiteside and Will Cunnane.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
| Preceded by Kris Benson |
First overall pick in the MLB Entry Draft 1997 |
Succeeded by Pat Burrell |
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