Ryan Madson, Relief Pitcher

Date of Birth: 8/28/1980
Birthplace: Long Beach, California
Nickname: Mad Dog

Ryan Madson, relief pitcher, was first drafted in 1998 by the Philadelphia Phillies. He pitched in the minor leagues as a starter from 1998 through 2003. His start in the major leagues came in 2003 when he pitched 2.0 innings in one game with the Phillies.

Madson had his first full season in the major leagues in 2004, pitching 77.0 innings in relief for the Phillies. He finished the season with 9 wins to 3 losses, 1 save, 55 strikeouts to 19 walks, and a 2.34 ERA in 52 games. The following season, he had a 4.14 ERA in 87.0 innings in 78 games.

In 2006, Madson was both a starter (17 games) and a reliever (16 games) with the Phillies. That year, he had career highs in innings pitched (134.1), wins (11 to 9 losses), and strikeouts (99 to 50 walks). He had a 5.76 ERA.

Madson first became a closer for the Phillies in 2009. He finished the season with 5 wins to 5 losses, 10 saves, and a 3.26 ERA in 77.1 innings in a career high 79 games. The following year, he lost his closer position but he regained it for part of the 2011 season. He finished that season with a career high 32 saves and a 2.37 ERA in 60.2 innings in 62 games.

Madson became a free agent in October, 2011. He signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds on January 13, 2012. However, he never played for the Reds. He had Tommy John surgery during Spring training in 2012 and he missed the entire season.

Madson became a free agent again on November 3, 2012, and he signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels on November 28th. After a difficult recovery from his 2012 surgery, he was released by the Angels on August 5, 2013, without having played any games with them.

In January, 2014, Madson decided to retire. A year later, on January 4, 2015, he came out of retirement to sign a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals. He had a good year with the Royals in 2015, finishing with a career low ERA of 2.13 in 63.1 innings in 68 games.

Madson entered free agency once again on November 2, 2015. A month later, on December 11, 2015, he signed a three-year, $22 million contract with the Oakland Athletics. In 2016, he had a 3.62 ERA, 6 wins and 7 losses, 49 strikeouts to 20 walks, and 30 saves in 64.2 innings in 63 games.

The Athletics traded Madson to the Washington Nationals on July 16, 2017. He finished the 2017 season with 5 wins and 4 losses, 2 saves, 67 strikeouts to 9 walks, and a 1.83 ERA in 40 games with the Athletics and 20 games with the Nationals. In the postseason, he pitched 4.0 innings in 4 games and he gave up 3 hits and 1 run.

The Nationals traded Madson to the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 31, 2018. He finished the season with 2 wins and 5 losses, 4 saves, 54 strikeouts to 16 walks, and a 5.47 ERA in 52.2 innings in 49 games with the Nationals and 9 games with the Dodgers. In the postseason, he pitched 8.2 innings in 11 games and he gave up 9 hits, 1 home run, and 2 runs.

Madson became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He hasn't played professional baseball since 2018.

Career pitching statistics for Madson through 2018 include:

• 740 games played
• 869.2 innings pitched
• 61-48 win-loss record
• 91 saves
• 775 strikeouts to 250 walks
• 3.49 ERA

Personal Life

Madson's uncle, Steve Barr, played in the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers from 1969 through 1975.

Madson and his wife Sarah have five children.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Ryan Madson
ESPN - Ryan Madson