Matt Harrison

Matthew Reid Harrison (born September 16, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers from 2008 through 2015. He was an MLB All-Star in 2012.

Early life Harrison was born in Durham, North Carolina, on September 16, 1985. He attended South Granville High School in Creedmoor, North Carolina. He had signed a letter of intent to play baseball at North Carolina State University, but was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the third round of the 2003 Major League Baseball draft and subsequently signed a professional contract.

Professional career Minor Leagues Harrison made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League's Gulf Coast Braves in . He played in with the Danville Braves of the Appalachian League and in with the Rome Braves of the Single-A South Atlantic League. saw Harrison split time between the Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina League and the Double-A Mississippi Braves of the Southern League. He was named the Braves' Minor League Player of the Year, the Pelicans' Pitcher of the Year and was a Carolina League All-Star that season.

Entering , Harrison was rated by Baseball America as the third-best prospect in the Braves organization and the seventh-best prospect in the Carolina League.

Texas Rangers (2008–2015) 2008 Harrison missed the end of the 2007 minor league regular season due to shoulder inflammation. He made his first appearance for the Rangers organization with the Surprise Rafters during the 2007 Arizona Fall League season, where he accounted for a perfect 5–0 record. After only nine appearances with Frisco, Harrison earned a promotion to the Triple-A Oklahoma RedHawks in June. While in Oklahoma, he went 3–1, with a 3.55 ERA in six appearances.

As the middle of the season wore on, the Rangers pitching staff suffered a number of injuries, and the team made the decision to call up Harrison from Frisco on July 8. He made his major league debut with the Rangers that day, defeating the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 3–2, outdueling All-Star pitcher Joe Saunders in the process. On September 12, Harrison threw a complete-game shutout in a 7–0 road victory against the Oakland Athletics. This was the first shutout by a Rangers rookie left-hander in two decades. Harrison—one of 12 Rangers rookies to make their major league debuts in 2008 —finished out the season in the majors, ending up with a 9–3 record and a 5.49 ERA.

2009 In 2009, Harrison was limited to 11 starts going 4–5 with a 6.11 ERA.

2010 In 2010, he was 3–2 with a 4.71 ERA, pitching in 37 games (6 of which he started).

With the Rangers finishing 90–72, the team made the postseason but lost to the San Francisco Giants in the 2010 World Series.

2011

Harrison was 14–9, with a 3.39 ERA in 2011. Harrison was released by the Phillies on November 15, 2016, having not thrown a single pitch for the organization. He retired during the offseason as a result of his recurring back injuries.

Pitching style Harrison threw a sinkerballer, although he used five pitches regularly. The 89–94 mph sinker was complemented by a four-seam fastball (90–94), a cutter (85–88), a curveball (77–80), and a changeup (80–83). The changeup was rarely used against left-handed hitters, as was the cutter against right-handed hitters. His changeup garnered a very effective 37% whiff rate in the first half of 2012.

Personal life Matt met his wife Meghan in 2002 while attending South Granville High School. They were married on December 13, 2008. On December 14, 2011, the couple welcomed their first child Addie Grace Harrison.