Matthew David Koch (born November 2, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Colorado Rockies organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.

Career

Amateur career

Koch attended Washington High School in Cherokee, Iowa, and played for the school's baseball team. The Boston Red Sox selected Koch in the 37th round of the 2009 MLB draft. He did not sign and attended the University of Louisville, where he played college baseball for the Louisville Cardinals. ^[1]

In 2011, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star. ^{[2] [3]}

New York Mets

Koch was drafted by the New York Mets in the third round of the 2012 MLB draft. ^[4] He made his professional debut with the Low-A Brooklyn Cyclones, and recorded a 5.01 ERA in 13 games for the club. In 2013, Koch pitched for the Single-A Savannah Sand Gnats, 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, 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, recording a 4–8 record and 3.46 ERA in 35 appearances. ^[5]

Arizona Diamondbacks

On August 30, 2015, the Mets traded Koch and Miller Diaz to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Addison Reed. ^[6] The Diamondbacks added him to their 40-man roster after the season. ^[7]

Koch was promoted to the Major Leagues for September call ups in 2016. ^[8] In 7 games for the D'Backs, he was 1–1 with 1 save. The following season he pitched the whole season at Reno (AAA).

In 2018, he began the season in AAA 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 AAA with the return of Shelby Miller. On June 20, he was demoted to AAA for a second time. ^[9] 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 by the Diamondbacks after recording a 9.15 ERA and 3.92 K/9 in 20.0 innings pitched. ^[10] On May 4, Koch was outrighted to the Triple-A Reno Aces. ^[11] He finished the year in Reno, recording a 5–10 record and 7.38 ERA before electing free agency on November 7, 2019.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows

On December 13, 2019, Koch signed a one-year deal with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). On January 31, 2020, he held press conference with Gabriel Ynoa and Alcides Escobar. ^[12] On August 22, 2020, Koch made his NPB debut. ^[13] 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. ^[14]

Cleveland Indians

On April 23, 2021, Koch signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians organization. ^[15] He elected free agency on November 7, 2021.

Seattle Mariners

On March 10, 2022, Koch signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners. ^[16] 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. ^[17] On October 13, Koch elected free agency.

Colorado Rockies

On November 29, 2022, Koch signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies. He began the 2023 season with the Triple–A Albuquerque Isotopes, where he made 29 appearances and struggled to a 7.27 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 2 saves in 34+2⁄3 innings pitched. On June 27, 2023, the Rockies selected Koch's contract, adding him to the major league roster. ^[18] He made a career–high 39 appearances for Colorado, recording a 5.12 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 38+2⁄3 innings pitched. Following the season on October 18, Koch was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Albuquerque. ^[19] On October 20, Koch elected free agency. ^[20]

On December 6, 2023, Koch re–signed with the Rockies on a new minor league contract. ^[21]

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or  ESPN, or  Baseball Reference, or  Fangraphs, or  Baseball Reference (Minors)