Brian Matusz
SAN DIEGO, Calif. Former University of San Diego All-American Brian Matusz has come to terms with the Baltimore Orioles, signing his first Major League Baseball contract.
Matusz, the fourth overall pick by the Orioles in the 2008 MLB draft and the consensus best pitcher available, received a $3.2 million bonus and a four-year major league deal as part of his contract with the Orioles. That bonus is the second-highest in this year¹s draft, trailing only the $6.15
million the Rays gave No. 1 overall selection Tim Beckham. The total value of the deal has yet to be reported.
Matusz is coming off a season in which he led the NCAA in strikeouts (141) and tied for fifth in the country in wins (12). He posted a 1.71 ERA, which is the fourth best all-time mark at USD in single-season ERA. The junior lefty was named the 2008 West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year, Rivals.com National Pitcher of the Year, named a Louisville Slugger, Baseball America and Rival.com first-team All-American and finished the season as the all-time career leader at San Diego in strikeouts (396). The junior southpaw also tied the program single-game record for strikeouts with 17 in a win against Harvard on March 22, 2008. Matusz became USD’s highest draft pick of the current draft format as he was taken No. 4 overall by the Baltimore Orioles. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Angels in 2005, but he elected to attend school instead. He became the first San Diego player to be named as a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award — given to the best amateur baseball player — and he helped the team achieve its highest ranking (No. 4) last season. Matusz was a member of the 2007 USA Baseball National Team and was also a finalist for the Roger Clemens award.
