Minnesota Twins Rookie Pitcher, Matt Guerrier was born August 2, 1978 in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a 1996 graduate of Shaker Heights (OH) High School. He attended Kent State University where he led his team in strikeouts (103) and innings pitched (88.2 ip). He was drafted in the 10th round by the Chicago White Sox in 1999.
In 1999, Matt was cited by Baseball America as making the best debut from the White Sox 1999 draft class. He spent the majority of his first season at advanced rookie Bristol but also appeared in four games (two saves) at Winston-Salem. In 2001, he led all minor leaguers with 18 victories while splitting the season between Class AAA Charlotte (7-1) and Class AA Birmingham (11-3). He posted 18 wins, the most in the minor leagues since 1999.
In 2002, he was traded to Pittsburgh in exchange for pitcher Damaso Marte and infielder Edwin Yan. In 2002 and into 2003, he fought arm injuries including right bicep tendonitis. In 2004, he was traded to the Twins and began his season at Rochester.
Matt finally broke into the big leagues on June 17, 2004. He allowed three runs in four innings of work against the Montreal Expos. Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire was pleased with the start. In 2005, Matt did not allow a run in 5 of 7 appearances and had career-high strikeouts. He was able to strand 15 of 20 (75%) inherited runners and first-batters-faced in relief were 10-40 (.250).
If Matt can keep his arm healthy and manage his fastball, he may be a profitable start in the Twins bullpen.
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