Brian Matusz
Encyclopedia
Brian Robert Matusz (born February 11, 1987, in Grand Junction, Colorado
) is a Major League Baseball
left-handed
starting pitcher
for the Baltimore Orioles
in the American League
.
, where he excelled on their baseball team as a starting pitcher. Matusz, Josh Romanski
and Matt Couch anchored the Toreros rotation.
Matusz was named to the West Coast Conference
Pitcher of the Year honors and finalist for the Roger Clemens Award
.
. Matusz signed a contract with the Orioles on August 15, 2008. the deadline to sign draft picks.
In spring 2009 he was invited to the Orioles spring training. In June 2009, he was promoted from high Single-A (Frederick Keys
) to a starting pitcher for the Double-A Bowie Baysox
. He struck out 10 batters in his first start for Bowie on June 17, 2009. Matusz was named Baseball America
's ninth best overall prospect mid-season in 2009. Before the 2010 season, Baseball America named him the fifth best prospect in all of baseball.
Matusz made his major league debut on August 4, 2009, against the Detroit Tigers
. On his debut Matusz went five innings, allowing six hits, one earned run and striking out five. He earned a win in his effort. On September 14, the O's decided to shut Matusz down for the remainder of the season
, wary of overextending the rookie in his first big league season.
He was named a starting pitcher on Baseball Americas 2010 All-Rookie Team.
He missed the first 2 months of the 2011 season with an injury. He returned and got 6 starts and finished with a 1-4 record with an ERA above 7.00 before being demoted to Triple-A Norfolk
on July 1 to work on his velocity.
Grand Junction, Colorado
The City of Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. It is a city with a council–manager government form that is the county seat and the most populous city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction is situated west-southwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. As...
) is a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
for the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
.
College
Matusz attended the University of San DiegoUniversity of San Diego
The University of San Diego is a Roman Catholic university in San Diego, California. USD offers more than sixty bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral programs...
, where he excelled on their baseball team as a starting pitcher. Matusz, Josh Romanski
Josh Romanski
Joshua Michael Romanski is a minor league baseball pitcher in the New York Yankees organization.-Amateur career:Romanski was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 15th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft...
and Matt Couch anchored the Toreros rotation.
Matusz was named to the West Coast Conference
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....
Pitcher of the Year honors and finalist for the Roger Clemens Award
Roger Clemens Award
The Roger Clemens Award was an award that honored the top NCAA Division I college baseball pitcher of the year. The award was created prior to the 2004 season and succeeded the Rotary Smith Award....
.
Professional career
Drafted fourth overall by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft2008 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008.-First round selections:* Did not sign...
. Matusz signed a contract with the Orioles on August 15, 2008. the deadline to sign draft picks.
In spring 2009 he was invited to the Orioles spring training. In June 2009, he was promoted from high Single-A (Frederick Keys
Frederick Keys
The Frederick Keys minor league baseball team is the "High-A" class A baseball affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for Star Spangled Banner poet Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. The team mascot is a coyote known as...
) to a starting pitcher for the Double-A Bowie Baysox
Bowie Baysox
The Bowie Baysox are a minor league baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the class-AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League...
. He struck out 10 batters in his first start for Bowie on June 17, 2009. Matusz was named Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
's ninth best overall prospect mid-season in 2009. Before the 2010 season, Baseball America named him the fifth best prospect in all of baseball.
Matusz made his major league debut on August 4, 2009, against the Detroit Tigers
2009 Detroit Tigers season
The 2009 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 109th season. The Tigers' new slogan for 2009 is "Always a Tiger." It replaces the 2006–2008 slogan "Who's Your Tiger?"...
. On his debut Matusz went five innings, allowing six hits, one earned run and striking out five. He earned a win in his effort. On September 14, the O's decided to shut Matusz down for the remainder of the season
2009 Major League Baseball season
The 2009 Major League Baseball season began on Sunday, April 5, 2009 with the Atlanta Braves defeating the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies 4–1. The regular season ended on October 6, extended two days for a one-game playoff between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins to...
, wary of overextending the rookie in his first big league season.
He was named a starting pitcher on Baseball Americas 2010 All-Rookie Team.
He missed the first 2 months of the 2011 season with an injury. He returned and got 6 starts and finished with a 1-4 record with an ERA above 7.00 before being demoted to Triple-A Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
on July 1 to work on his velocity.