Matt Purke

Matt Purke
Purke pitching for TCU
Chicago White Sox
Pitcher
Born: July 17, 1990 Spring, Texas
Bats: Left Throws: Left

Matthew Taylor Purke (born July 17, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago White Sox organization.

Amateur career

Purke attended Klein High School in Klein, Texas. He was considered one of the best high school pitchers in baseball. His junior year was his best as he had a 12-1 win–loss record with a 0.37 earned run average (ERA). In his senior season he went 4-2 with a 1.18 ERA. He also carried a 4.5 GPA. He came out as a flamethrower throwing an average of 92 miles per hour (148 km/h).

The Texas Rangers selected Purke in the first round, with the 14th overall selection, of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.^[1] He did not sign, and instead enrolled at Texas Christian University (TCU), where he played college baseball for the TCU Horned Frogs. While there, he earned 2nd Team All American as a Freshman, and was named the Freshman of the year while going 16-0 with a 3.02 ERA. His sophomore year he went 5-1 with a 1.71 ERA in 11 starts.^[2]

Professional career

Purke was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the third round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft.^[3] He signed with the Nationals on August 15, 2011.^[4] He was added to the 40-man roster in 2012 and made 3 starts for the Class A Hagerstown Suns. He then had shoulder debridement surgery and missed the remainder of the 2012 season. He returned with Hagerstown in 2013.

Pitching for the Harrisburg Senators of the Class AA Eastern League in 2014, Purke struggled with a 1-6 record and an 8.04 ERA. Purke underwent Tommy John surgery.^[5] In November 2014, the Nationals released Purke,^[6] and then re-signed him to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.^[7]

References

1. "MLB Draft Profiles: Matt Purke". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
2. "Matt Purke Minor League Statistics & History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
3. "Nationals get aggressive, take TCU’s Matt Purke in the third round". Washington Post. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
4. "Nationals agree to terms with LHP Matt Purke, third-round Draft selection". Washington Nationals. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
5. "Washington Nationals prospect Matt Purke needs Tommy John surgery - MiLB.com News - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
6. "Washington drops former Texas Rangers top pick from major-league roster". Texas Rangers Blog. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
7. "Nationals sign Matt Purke to a minor league deal". Washington Post. Retrieved November 18, 2014.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• TCU Horned Frogs bio