Matthew Allen Peacock (born February 27, 1994) 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 ...

and the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

Amateur career

Peacock attended

Saraland High School Saraland High School (SHS), located in Saraland, Alabama, is a public high school operated by the Saraland City School System that educates grades 9– 12. The school's mascot is the spartan. History Saraland Schools was previously part o ...

Saraland, Alabama Saraland is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, United States, and a suburb of Mobile. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 16,171, up from 13,405 at the 2010 census. Saraland, part of the Mobile metropolitan area, is the third ...

. In 2011, his junior year, he posted a 3.42 ERA while batting .440 with 32 RBIs. He earned All-State honorable mention. He was not drafted in the

2012 Major League Baseball 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 ...

, and he enrolled at the

University of South Alabama The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May 1963 and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alaba ...

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, ...

. Peacock redshirted and did not make an appearance during his freshman year in 2013. In 2014, as a redshirt freshman, he made eight relief appearances in which he went 0–1 with a 6.10 ERA. As a redshirt sophomore in 2015, he pitched in only three games. Peacock underwent surgery on his throwing arm in 2016, and he did not make an appearance that season, instead choosing to work at his uncle's sawmill. He returned to the mound in 2017, and moved into the closer role. Over 25 relief appearances, he went 3–3 with a 2.88 ERA, ten saves, and 55 strikeouts over fifty innings.

Professional career

Arizona Diamondbacks

Following the season, Peacock was selected by the

in the 23rd round of the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

. He made his professional debut with the

Hillsboro Hops The Hillsboro Hops are a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a city in the Portland metropolitan area. The Hops are members of the Northwest League and are the High-A affilia ...

, going 0–2 with a 2.45 ERA over 22 relief appearances. In 2018, Peacock began the season with the

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are a professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois, and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play their home games a ...

(with whom he was named a

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

All-Star) before being promoted to the

Visalia Rawhide The Visalia Rawhide are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Visalia, California, and have played their home games at Valley Strong Ballpark since their ...

. Over 28 games (16 starts) between the two clubs, he pitched to a 7–6 record and a 4.20 ERA. He spent 2019 with the

Jackson Generals The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Mari ...

with whom he pitched to an 8–4 record and 2.97 ERA over 21 games (twenty starts). Peacock did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The Diamondbacks added him to their 40-man roster after the 2020 season. On April 6, 2021, Peacock was promoted to the major leagues for the first time to fill in for the injured

Joakim Soria Joakim Agustín Soria Ramos (born May 18, 1984) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Milwa ...

. He made his MLB debut that night against the

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 ...

, picking up his first MLB win in a 13-inning victory. In the game, he also recorded his first MLB hit off of Rockies reliever

Ben Bowden Benjamin Douglas Bowden (born October 21, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Athletics organization. He played college baseball for Vanderbilt University. The Colorado Rockies selected Bowden in the second round of the 201 ...

, becoming the first pitcher since 1945 to make his debut in extra innings and record his first hit and win. Peacock pitched a total of innings for the Diamondbacks, going 5–7 with a 4.90 ERA and fifty strikeouts. He was designated for assignment on April 21, 2022.

Kansas City Royals

On April 24, 2022, the Diamondbacks traded Peacock to the

in exchange for cash considerations. Peacock spent brief time in the Royals’ minor league system, appearing in games for the Double-A

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. T ...

and the Triple-A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omah ...

. Appearing in 7 games for Kansas City, he logged a 4.91 ERA with 4 strikeouts in 7.1 innings pitched. On July 1, Peacock was designated for assignment by the Royals following the waiver claim of Ryan Weiss.

Toronto Blue Jays

On July 6, 2022, Peacock was claimed off waivers by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

. He was designated for assignment on August 9. He was sent outright to Triple-A on August 12. Peacock spent the 2023 season with the Triple–A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

, and also played in one game for the Single–A

Dunedin Blue Jays The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpark, ...

. In 20 appearances for Buffalo, he recorded a 6.46 ERA with 19 strikeouts and 2 saves across innings pitched. Peacock elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2023.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peacock, Matt 1994 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Baseball players from Alabama Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Hillsboro Hops players Jackson Generals (Southern League) players Kane County Cougars players Kansas City Royals players Major League Baseball pitchers Sportspeople from Mobile County, Alabama Reno Aces players Salt River Rafters players South Alabama Jaguars baseball players Visalia Rawhide players