Matt Ford
Encyclopedia
Matthew Lee "Matt" Ford (born April 8, 1981) is an American left-handed
professional
baseball
pitcher
.
in Coral Springs, Florida
. Ford was named Broward County High School player of the year in 1998–99. He was USA Today
All-USA honorable mention in 1999.
in the 3rd round of the draft
.
In his first season in the minor leagues, in 1999, he was 4–0 with a 2.05 ERA at Medicine Hat, averaging 6 hits and 13 strikeouts per 9 innings.
In 2002 he was 9–5 with a 2.37 ERA at Dunedin
, winning the Florida State League
's ERA title.
In December 2002 he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers
from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Rule V Draft.
In 2003 he pitched in 25 games for the Milwaukee Brewers, with a 0–3 won lost record and a 4.33 ERA. Ford appeared in the 2004 Baseball America
Prospect Handbook as the # 2 left-handed reliever on Milwaukee's minor league depth chart. He had bone spurs removed from his pitching elbow at the end before the 2004 season. In May 2005 he was released by the Brewers.
In June 2005 he signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Royals
, but they released him the next month.
In 2006 he played for Rochester
, the AAA team of the Minnesota Twins
, and in 33 games was 1–2 with a 4.50 ERA, while throwing a 93 mi/h fastball.
In 2007 he signed with the York Revolution
of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
.
(probably his best pitch; a 14 mi/h difference off his fastball), and slider.
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...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
.
High school
Ford attended J. P. Taravella High SchoolJ. P. Taravella High School
J. P. Taravella High School is a secondary school located in Coral Springs, Florida which teaches grades 9-12. The school is a part of the Broward County Public Schools district....
in Coral Springs, Florida
Coral Springs, Florida
Coral Springs, officially chartered July 10, 1963, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 121,096...
. Ford was named Broward County High School player of the year in 1998–99. He was USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
All-USA honorable mention in 1999.
Professional career
In June 1999 he was drafted by the Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
in the 3rd round of the draft
1999 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1999 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1999...
.
In his first season in the minor leagues, in 1999, he was 4–0 with a 2.05 ERA at Medicine Hat, averaging 6 hits and 13 strikeouts per 9 innings.
In 2002 he was 9–5 with a 2.37 ERA at Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, winning the Florida State League
Florida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
's ERA title.
In December 2002 he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Rule V Draft.
In 2003 he pitched in 25 games for the Milwaukee Brewers, with a 0–3 won lost record and a 4.33 ERA. Ford appeared in the 2004 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...
Prospect Handbook as the # 2 left-handed reliever on Milwaukee's minor league depth chart. He had bone spurs removed from his pitching elbow at the end before the 2004 season. In May 2005 he was released by the Brewers.
In June 2005 he signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
, but they released him the next month.
In 2006 he played for Rochester
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
, the AAA team of the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, and in 33 games was 1–2 with a 4.50 ERA, while throwing a 93 mi/h fastball.
In 2007 he signed with the York Revolution
York Revolution
The York Revolution is an American professional baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the Freedom Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent league not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
.
Pitching
Ford throws a fastball, sinker, 2-seamer, changeupChangeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. Other names include change-of-pace, Bugs Bunny change-up, the dreaded equalizer, and simply change. The changeup is sometimes called an off-speed pitch, although that term can also be used simply to mean any pitch that is slower than a fastball...
(probably his best pitch; a 14 mi/h difference off his fastball), and slider.
Miscellaneous
- While he is not particularly religious, Ford, who is Jewish, views being a Jewish ballplayer as an honor. “I’m proud of what I am. I got the (major league Jewish baseball players) card set when I was in the majors in 2003, and I was on a card set with Sandy KoufaxSandy KoufaxSanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
, so I thought that was pretty neat and there weren’t too many of us, so it was pretty special that way,” Ford said.
- His agent is Matt SosnickMatt SosnickMatt Sosnick is a San Francisco-based sports agent. He attended Burlingame High School and the University of Southern California. His business partner is Paul Cobbe...
.