Matthew David Koch (born November 2, 1990) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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, ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for 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 ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, and

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Tokyo Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams in Tokyo, the other being the Yomiuri G ...

Career

Amateur career

Koch attended Washington High School in

Cherokee, Iowa Cherokee is a city and the county seat of in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,199 at the 2020 Census, down from 5,369 in 2000. History Cherokee was laid out as a town in 1870, and was named for the Southeast Indian ...

, and played for the school's baseball team. The

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

selected Koch in the 37th round of the

2009 MLB draft The 2009 Major League Baseball draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. The drafting order is as follows: First-round selections Key Supplemental first-round selections From Baseball Americ ...

. He did not sign and attended the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

. In 2011, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Chatham A's The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

and was named a league all-star.

New York Mets

Koch was drafted by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

in the third round of the

2012 MLB draft The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Ac ...

. He made his professional debut with the Low-A

Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island ...

, and recorded a 5.01 ERA in 13 games for the club. In 2013, Koch pitched for the Single-A

Savannah Sand Gnats The Savannah Sand Gnats were a minor league baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. They were a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. The Sand Gnats were an affiliate of the New York Mets in their final nine seasons. The team relocated t ...

, registering a 6–4 record and 4.70 ERA with 68 strikeouts. In 2014, Koch spent the season with the High-A

St. Lucie Mets The St. Lucie Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play their home games at Clover Park. The Mets have been members ...

, pitching to a 10–4 record and 4.64 ERA in 120.1 innings of work. He began the 2015 season with the Double-A

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mi ...

, recording a 4–8 record and 3.46 ERA in 35 appearances.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On August 30, 2015, the Mets traded Koch and Miller Diaz to the

in exchange for

Addison Reed Addison Devon Reed (born December 27, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. Amateu ...

. The Diamondbacks added him to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

after the season. Koch was promoted to the Major Leagues for September call ups in 2016. In 7 games for the D'Backs, he was 1–1 with 1 save. The following season he pitched the whole season with the Triple–A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, w ...

. In 2018, Koch began the season in Triple–A, but after an injury to the Diamondbacks rotation, Koch was called up. In his first 6 starts, he was 2–1 with an ERA under 3 but struggled afterwards, leading to his demotion to Triple–A with the return of

Shelby Miller Shelby Charles Miller (born October 10, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, ...

. On June 20, he was demoted to Triple–A for a second time. On the season, Koch finished with a 5–5 record with an ERA of 4.15 in 19 games, 14 starts. On April 28, 2019, Koch was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Diamondbacks after recording a 9.15 ERA and 3.92 K/9 in 20 innings pitched. On May 4, Koch was sent outright to Reno after clearing waivers. He finished the year in Reno, recording a 5–10 record and 7.38 ERA with 81 strikeouts over 21 games (17 starts). Koch elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows

On December 13, 2019, Koch signed a one-year deal with the

(NPB). On January 31, 2020, he held press conference with

Gabriel Ynoa Gabriel Ynoa Gómez (born May 26, 1993) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Dorados de Chihuahua of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles, in Nip ...

and Alcides Escobar. On August 22, 2020, Koch made his NPB debut. Koch recorded an 0–3 record and 7.88 ERA with 6 strikeouts in 7 games for the Swallows. On December 2, 2020, he became a free agent.

Cleveland Indians

On April 23, 2021, Koch signed a minor league contract with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

organization. He elected free agency on November 7, 2021.

Seattle Mariners

On March 10, 2022, Koch signed a minor league contract with the

. He had his contract selected from Triple-A on April 13, 2022. He was designated for assignment on April 29, 2022. On May 5, he cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

. On October 13, Koch elected free agency.

Colorado Rockies

On November 29, 2022, Koch signed a minor league contract with the

. He began the 2023 season with the Triple–A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

, where he made 29 appearances and struggled to a 7.27 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 2 saves in innings pitched. On June 27, 2023, the Rockies selected Koch's contract, adding him to the major league roster. He made a career–high 39 appearances for Colorado, recording a 5.12 ERA with 27 strikeouts in innings pitched. Following the season on October 18, Koch was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Albuquerque. On October 20, Koch elected free agency. On December 6, 2023, Koch re–signed with the Rockies on a new minor league contract. In 18 games for Albuquerque, he posted a 2.53 ERA with 15 strikeouts across innings. On May 19, 2024, the Rockies selected Koch's contract, adding him to their active roster. In two appearances for Colorado, he allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits in of an inning. On May 24, the Rockies designated Koch for assignment. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Albuquerque on May 27. Koch elected free agency on September 30.https://www.milb.com/transactions/2024-09-30

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koch, Matt 1990 births Living people Albuquerque Isotopes players 21st-century American sportsmen American expatriate baseball players in Japan Arizona Diamondbacks players Baseball players from Iowa Binghamton Mets players Brooklyn Cyclones players Chatham Anglers players Colorado Rockies players Columbus Clippers players Hillsboro Hops players Louisville Cardinals baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Mobile BayBears players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers People from Storm Lake, Iowa Reno Aces players Savannah Sand Gnats players Seattle Mariners players St. Lucie Mets players Tacoma Rainiers players Tigres del Licey players Tokyo Yakult Swallows players