Matt Anderson (baseball)
| Matt Anderson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Relief pitcher | |||
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Born: August 17, 1976 Louisville, Kentucky |
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| MLB debut | |||
| June 25, 1998, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| July 1, 2005, for the Colorado Rockies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 15–7 | ||
| Earned run average | 5.19 | ||
| Strikeouts | 224 | ||
| Teams | |||
Matthew Jason Anderson (born August 17, 1976) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) relief pitcher.
Anderson attended St. Xavier High School, which was also attended by MLB players Paul Byrd, Chris Burke, and Jack Savage. After high school, he went on to Rice University. 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. Anderson set Rice University records for career wins (30) and saves (14), and he also posted a 1.82 earned run average (ERA) during his final year with the team. In the 1997 amateur entry draft, Anderson was selected first overall by the Detroit Tigers. He eventually signed with the team for a $2.5 million signing bonus.
Anderson 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. Anderson's numbers were never again as impressive as those of his rookie season, although he was able to record 22 saves (with a 4.82 ERA) in 2001.
In May 2002, Anderson tore a muscle in the armpit of his throwing arm while throwing a bullpen session. Earlier the same day he had participated in a Tigers-sponsored fan octopus-throwing contest along with Jeff Weaver, leading to the perception (though disputed by Anderson) that he'd torn the muscle in hopes of winning Detroit Red Wings playoff tickets. After returning from the injury, he was unable to hit 90 mph on his fastball in his remaining days in Detroit, after regularly topping 100 mph on the radar gun, including a high mark of 103 mph twice.
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