Former Baltimore Orioles Top Draft Pick Unexpectedly Passes Away

Former Baltimore Orioles pitcher and first-round pick Brian Matusz has passed away at the age of 37.

Aug 22, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Brian Matusz (17) pitches during the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Minnesota Twins defeated Baltimore Orioles 3-2. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles family suffered a tragic loss on Tuesday when it was announced that one of their former players had passed away.

As shared by team reporter Roch Kubatko, pitcher Brian Matusz passed away at the age of 37 years old on the morning of Jan. 7, 2025.

Very sad to hear that former #orioles pitcher Brian Matusz passed away this morning. Was 37. 4th-overall pick in 2008 draft.

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) January 8, 2025

A star at St. Mary’s High School in Phoenix, Arizona, he was selected in the fourth round of the 2005 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. But, he opted to go to college and attended the University of San Diego.

It ended up being the right decision for the 6-5 lefty, who was selected by the Orioles with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2008 MLB June Amateur Draft and quickly became one of the top prospects in baseball.

After eight appearances in the Arizona Fall League later that year and 19 starts between A+ ball with the Frederick Keys and Double-A with the Bowie Baysox, he was making his Major League debut on Aug. 4, 2009, against the Seattle Mariners.

Matusz earned the win over the Detroit Tigers, pitching five innings and allowing one earned run with five strikeouts. He would make seven more starts that debut year, going 5-2 with a 4.63 ERA across 44.2 innings with 38 strikeouts.

It was enough for him to be ranked as high as the No. 5 prospect in the game heading into the 2010 campaign. He recorded his highest single-season WAR during his first full year in the majors with a 2.8.

Matusz finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2010, as the award was won by Texas Rangers closer Neftali Perez, who saved 40 games.

Unfortunately for the talented lefty, he would run into some struggles the next two campaigns as a starter. It led to Baltimore moving him to the bullpen, where he found a lot more success than he did in the rotation.

In 211 appearances out of the bullpen, Matusz recorded a 3.47 across 171 innings with 179 strikeouts. As a starter, he went 21-33 with a 5.61 ERA in 69 appearances, throwing 357.2 innings.

Traded to the Atlanta Braves on May 23, 2016, he was released by the team only a few days later. He would latch on with the Chicago Cubs about two weeks after the release, making one final appearance on July 31, 2016, as a Major Leaguer.

The last time Matusz pitched professionally was in 2019 with the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League and Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League.