Matt Harrington

Matt Harrington (born February 1, 1982) is an American baseball player. Harrington was selected in the Major League Baseball draft five times in consecutive years, without coming to an agreement with his selecting team on any of the five occasions – the only such baseball player to have been drafted so many times without signing a contract.

Amateur career Harrington attended Palmdale High School in Palmdale, California, where he played for the school's baseball team. In Harrington's senior season, he posted a 0.54 earned run average (ERA) and an 11–0 win–loss record, including one no-hitter, with 126 strikeouts in only 65 innings pitched. He was chosen to participate in the 1999 Goodwill Games. and ultimately the Colorado Rockies selected Harrington with the seventh overall pick in the draft. However, Harrington and Tanzer were never able to come to terms on a contract with the Rockies. Tanzer asked for a $4.95 million signing bonus, which was 25 percent more than what the previous year's No. 1 pick Josh Hamilton had received. The negotiations proved acrimonious, with Tanzer accusing the Rockies of backing out of an alleged pre-draft agreement to sign for his stated asking price, and the Rockies denying that such an agreement ever took place. Although the Padres were still free to make additional contract offers until the day of the 2002 draft, they chose not to after scouting Harrington in independent ball that May. They felt Harrington's skills had diminished, and notified him that they were not interested in signing him to a contract, and would not be drafting him again.

Despite his struggles in the independent leagues, Harrington was drafted again in 2002. This time, he was taken by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 13th round (374th overall). Again, he failed to agree to a contract. Tampa Bay's offers ranged in the $5,000-$200,000 range, standard 13th round money.

From 2003 to 2006, Harrington pitched for the Fort Worth Cats of the independent American Association. In 2003, he fell to the 24th round of the draft (711th overall), before he was selected by the Cincinnati Reds, who were just offering little more than a chance to play. In 2004, he was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 36th round (1,089 overall). However, Harrington required surgery on his rotator cuff, and the Yankees did not offer him a contract as a result. However, the Cubs released him on March 27, 2007. After his release from the Cubs, he re-signed with the St. Paul Saints of the American Association.

Post-playing career Harrington was as of 2009 working for the local Costco store, in the tire department, earning $11.50 per hour.

He was able to salvage a portion of the baseball money he turned down, due to a settlement of an insurance policy he took out in 2000 for loss of skill from Lloyd's of London. which was settled out of court.