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Matt Albers
Albers pitching for the Chicago White Sox in 2016
Chicago White Sox – No. 34
Relief pitcher
Born: (1983-01-20) January 20, 1983 (age 41) Houston, Texas
Bats: LeftThrows: Right
MLB debut
July 25, 2006, for the Houston Astros
MLB statistics (through May 15, 2016)
Win–loss record	28–33
Earned run average	4.15
Strikeouts	400
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
Houston Astros (2006–2007) Baltimore Orioles (2008–2010) Boston Red Sox (2011–2012) Arizona Diamondbacks (2012) Cleveland Indians (2013) Houston Astros (2014) Chicago White Sox (2015–present)

Matthew James Albers (born January 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Indians.

High school career

In 2001, Albers graduated William P. Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas. That year, in the 2001 MLB Draft, the Astros took him in the 23rd round.

Professional career

Minor leagues

Albers worked his way up through the minor leagues and started 2006 at Double-A Corpus Christi, where he went 10–2 with an 2.17 ERA.

Houston Astros

In late July 2006, the Astros called him up to the Major Leagues. Albers pitched a few games in relief, then made his first Major League start against the San Diego Padres on August 3, 2006.

When Albers was sent back down shortly after the San Diego start, it was to AAA Round Rock. Albers returned to the Majors when rosters expanded on September 1.

In 2006, Albers was named Texas League Pitcher of the Year.

Albers got his first Major League win on May 5, 2007 against the Cardinals when he pitched seven and a third innings without giving up a run.

Baltimore Orioles

After being a starting pitcher for two years. Albers was traded to the Baltimore Orioles on December 12, 2007 as part of the Miguel Tejada trade. In the middle of the 2008 season he was placed on the 60-day disabled list.

Boston Red Sox

On December 16, 2010, Albers signed a one-year contract with the Red Sox.

On December 12, 2011, Albers signed a one-year deal to return to Boston, thus avoiding arbitration.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On July 31, 2012, The Red Sox traded Albers and OF Scott Podsednik to Arizona for RP Craig Breslow.

Cleveland Indians

On December 11, 2012, Albers was traded along with RP Bryan Shaw and SP Trevor Bauer to the Cleveland Indians as part of a three-way deal involving the Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds. Drew Stubbs went from the Reds to the Indians, the Arizona Diamondbacks received RP Tony Sipp and 1B Lars Anderson from the Indians, and SS Didi Gregorius from the Reds . The Cincinnati Reds received RF Shin-Soo Choo, IF Jason Donald, and $3.5 million from Cleveland.

Second stint with the Houston Astros

On December 16, 2013, Albers signed a one-year contract worth $2.45MM that comes with a club option for 2015. Houston declined his 2015 option on October 9, making him a free agent.

Chicago White Sox

On February 13, 2015, he signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. On April 22, 2015, Albers was involved in a bench-clearing brawl against the Kansas City Royals. Albers suffered a fractured finger trying to escape the francas, which placed him on the 15-day disabled list.

On June 1, 2016, Albers hit a sacrifice fly in the 13th inning, marking the first time he had a plate appearance in 2009. It was also his first career RBI, which proved to be the winning run as the White Sox won against the Mets 2-1.

Pitching style

Albers is mainly a sinkerball pitcher, throwing it in the 93-96 mph range. He complements the sinker with a hard slider and an occasional curveball.

References

1. "Tejada traded to Astros, Orioles to receive five players for former AL MVP". SI.com. 2007-12-12. Archived from the original on 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2007-12-12. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
2. Abraham, Peter (December 16, 2010). "Red Sox sign Albers". The Boston Globe.
3. Boston Red Sox (December 12, 2011). "Red Sox sign Albers to one-year contract". boston.redsox.mlb.com.
4. Tribe deals Choo to Reds, gets Bauer from D-backs
5. "Cleveland Indians reach 1-year deal with John Axford; Matt Albers signs with Astros Retrieved February 23, 2014.
6. "Astros decline option on Albers". Associated Press. October 10, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
7. "White Sox, Albers agree to minor league deal". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
8. Merkin, Scott (February 13, 2015). "White Sox add Albers to 'pen mix with Minor League deal". MLB.com. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
9. Padilla, Doug. "Tempers flare at Chicago, five ejected". espn.go.com. ESPN. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
10. Merkin, Scott. "Albers placed on DL with fractured finger". MLB.com. MLB.com. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
11. "PITCHf/x Player Card: Matt Albers". BrooksBaseball.net. Retrieved 26 April 2012.

External links

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

• 1983 births
• Living people
• Major League Baseball pitchers
• Sportspeople from Houston, Texas
• Baseball players from Texas
• Houston Astros players
• Baltimore Orioles players
• Boston Red Sox players
• Arizona Diamondbacks players
• Cleveland Indians players
• Chicago White Sox players
• San Jacinto Central Ravens baseball players
• Martinsville Astros players
• Tri-City ValleyCats players
• Lexington Legends players
• Salem Avalanche players
• Round Rock Express players
• Mesa Solar Sox players
• Corpus Christi Hooks players
• Aberdeen IronBirds players
• Norfolk Tides players
• Pawtucket Red Sox players