Brian Matusz
Brian Robert Matusz was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago Cubs from 2009 to 2016.
Amateur career
Matusz attended St. Mary's High School in Phoenix graduating in 2005. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the fourth round of the 2005 MLB draft but did not sign. Instead, he enrolled at the University of San Diego, where he played college baseball for the San Diego Toreros. Matusz, Josh Romanski, and Matt Couch anchored the Toreros starting rotation. In the summer of 2007, Matusz pitched for the United States national [baseball team#Collegiate National Team|U.S. national collegiate team], going 3–1 with a 1.33 ERA in four starts as the U.S. finished second in the Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro.In 2008 with San Diego, Matusz was named the West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year, was a finalist for the Roger Clemens Award, and was a first-team All-American. He led the NCAA with 141 strikeouts and was 12–2 with a 1.71 ERA in 105 innings. In three season with San Diego, he had 396 strikeouts, a school record.
Professional career
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles selected Matusz in the first round, with the fourth overall selection, in the 2008 MLB draft. Matusz signed a contract with the Orioles on August 15, 2008, the deadline to sign draft picks, receiving a $3.2 million signing bonus. The Orioles invited him to spring training as a non-roster player in 2009. In June 2009, he was promoted from the High-A Frederick Keys to the Double-A Bowie Baysox. He struck out 10 batters in his first start for Bowie on June 17. 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 MLB debut on August 4, 2009, against the Detroit Tigers. He 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 him 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. Matusz missed the first two months of the 2011 season with an injury. He returned and had six starts finishing with a 1–4 record with an ERA above 7.00 before being demoted to Triple-A Norfolk on June 30 to work on his velocity. He was later recalled and continued to struggle, posting a 1–7 record and 9.84 ERA before his removal from the starting rotation in September.
Matusz began the 2012 season in the rotation, but was demoted to the bullpen in August. In the bullpen, he excelled, striking out 19 with a 1.35 ERA in 18 appearances. He also did not allow a single inherited runner to score. He pitched the last three months of the season with a rectus abdominis tear, preventing him from sprinting, but not pitching. He had surgery in October to repair the tear, and was expected to be back for spring training. In 2013, Matusz made the transition to full-time reliever, appearing in 65 games. He was 2–1 with a 3.53 ERA for the Orioles. On May 23, 2015, he was ejected from the game against the Miami Marlins in the 12th inning for having a foreign substance on his right forearm. He was the second pitcher to be ejected for a foreign substance that week. He was suspended for eight games. He posted a 2.94 ERA and 10.29 strikeouts per nine innings in 58 relief appearances in 2015. On February 4, 2016, Matusz and the Orioles agreed to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration.
On May 23, the Orioles traded Matusz and the 76th pick in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft to the Atlanta Braves for minor league pitchers Brandon Barker and Trevor Belicek. The Braves designated Matusz for assignment on June 1, shortly after trading for him.