Matthew Bryan Chico (born June 10, 1983) is a former

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professional

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pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

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descent. During the offseason, he resides in

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

with his four children.

High school career

Chico is a graduate of

Fallbrook Union High School Fallbrook Union High School (also referred to as FUHS, Fallbrook High School and FHS) is a public high school located in the rural community of Fallbrook, California. It is a part of the Fallbrook Union High School District. Established in 1 ...

College career

Chico attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

in 2001-2002 and then transferred to

Palomar College Palomar College is a public community college in San Diego County, California. The main campus is in San Marcos and three centers and four education sites are located elsewhere throughout north San Diego County. Academics Palomar College off ...

for the 2002–2003 academic year.

Professional career

Arizona Diamondbacks

Chico was selected by the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

in the third round of the 2003 amateur draft. Chico began the 2006 season pitching for

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of the high Class A

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

, where he accrued a 3–4 record and a 3.75

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

in 10 starts. He was then promoted to the

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

of the Class AA Southern League, accumulating a win–loss record of 7–2 and an ERA of 2.22 in 13 starts.

Washington Nationals

On August 7, 2006, the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

acquired Chico and fellow

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

pitcher Garrett Mock from Arizona in a trade for veteran right-handed pitcher

Liván Hernández Eisler Liván Hernández Carrera (; born February 20, 1975) is a Cuban-born former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball. Over a 17-year career, he played for nine different teams and was named to two All-Star Games. He was na ...

. After joining the Nationals organization, Chico pitched for the

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team who play in the Eastern League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The team is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at FNB Field on Cit ...

of the Class AA Eastern League, winning 2 and losing none of his first 4 starts and compiling a 3.27 ERA. At the end of 2006, Chico had earned a spot on the Nationals' 40-man protected roster. Coming out of 2007 spring training, Chico had made the club's starting rotation, and he made his major league debut on April 4, 2007, at RFK Stadium versus the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

. His first major league win came on April 16, in a Nats 5–1 victory over the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

. Chico got off to a rocky start, on a cold and bitterly windy night, walking the bases loaded in the first inning, but escaping unscathed. He went on to pitch five innings, before walking two in the sixth and getting relieved, allowing just one run. During his next start, at

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

on April 21, 2007, in the bottom of the first inning, Chico attempted to throw a changeup to Josh Willingham. He missed the plate badly; the ball sailed over the first-base dugout. Chico ended up becoming a mainstay for the Nationals in the first half of the season. By Mid-May, four of the Nats' five starting pitchers were out with injuries, but by July 4, Chico had not missed a turn, and was second in the league with 18 starts. From June 23 to July 4, he pitched 20 innings allowing only one run. He ended the 2007 season with a 7–9 record and an ERA of 4.63 over 167 innings. Chico emerged as the Nationals' #2 starter at the beginning of the season. However, he struggled to an 0–6 record in eight starts and three relief appearances, and was optioned to the Class AAA

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

on May 23. After he pitched only one game for Columbus, an

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and rad ...

examination in early June revealed loose bodies in his throwing elbow. On July 3, 2008, Chico underwent elbow reconstruction surgery. He missed the rest of the 2008 season and most of the 2009 season. He returned to the major leagues on May 8, 2010, when he tossed five-plus innings and allowed two earned runs to the

Nationals Park Nationals Park is a baseball stadium along the Anacostia River in the Navy Yard (Washington, D.C.), Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals. Since its completion in 2008, it wa ...

while giving up six hits, striking out three and walking none but did not get a decision. A day after pitching, Chico was designated for assignment on May 9 but remained on the 40-man roster and was sent down to the Double-A

. He was designated for assignment again on December 21, he cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

the next day. He was released on July 21, 2011.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On December 13, 2011, Chico signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. He was released on March 30, 2012.

New Jersey Jackals

On April 18, 2012, the

New Jersey Jackals The New Jersey Jackals are a professional baseball team based in Paterson, New Jersey. The Jackals compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the East Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was founded in 1998 by Floyd Hall and is ...

of the

Can-Am League The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional baseball league with teams in Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States. Founded in 2005 in Dayton, Ohio, the league was for ...

announced that they had signed Chico. After going 0–4 with a 9.39 ERA he was released.

York Revolution

On June 18, 2012, the

York Revolution The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Basebal ...

of the

Atlantic League The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are loc ...

announced they had signed Chico. After making 6 starts Chico was released going 1–3 with a 7.50 ERA.

References

External links

Sportsnet player stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chico, Matt 1983 births Living people Washington Nationals players 21st-century American sportsmen Baseball players from Fullerton, California Major League Baseball pitchers USC Trojans baseball players Yakima Bears players South Bend Silver Hawks players El Paso Diablos players Lancaster JetHawks players Tennessee Smokies players Harrisburg Senators players Columbus Clippers players Hagerstown Suns players Syracuse Chiefs players Gulf Coast Nationals players New Jersey Jackals players York Revolution players Palomar Comets baseball players Fullerton Union High School alumni