From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ryan Madson
Philadelphia Phillies — No. 46
Relief pitcher
Born: August 28, 1980 (1980-08-28) (age 29) Long Beach, California
Bats: Left	Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 27, 2003 for the Philadelphia Phillies
Career statistics (through 2009 season)
Win-Loss	37-26
Earned run average	3.83
Strikeouts	421
Teams
Philadelphia Phillies (2003-present)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion (2008) Steve Carlton Most Valuable Pitcher (2004)

Ryan "Mad Dog" Michael Madson (born August 28, 1980 in Long Beach, California) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies. Madson throws a four-seam fastball that ranges from 94 to 98 mph, a cutter that ranges from 86 to 92 mph, and a circle changeup that ranges from 76 to 84 mph.

Biography

Madson graduated from Valley View High School (Riverside County) in 1998 with a 3.5 GPA. His uncle, Steve Barr, was in the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers systems from 1969-1975. Madson was drafted by the Phillies in the 9th round (254th overall) of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft.

Pro career

Highly regarded by the Phillies ever since they drafted him, Madson got to the major league level for good in 2004 as a relief pitcher. In 2005, he started out well, but appeared to wear down late in the season, finishing with a 4.14 ERA in 87 innings.

The Phillies had high hopes for Madson in 2006, when they converted him back to a starter, the role he held throughout his minor league career. But after struggling as a starter, he was returned to the bullpen to make room for Cole Hamels.

Madson has now become part of the "bridge to Lidge (closer Brad Lidge)", developing into an outstanding set-up man. With a devastating changeup, Madson has found increased velocity, hitting as high as 97 miles per hour in the 2008 NLCS.

Madson earned his first playoff victory when the Philles defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLCS. He pitched 1 2/3 innings, striking out one while allowing one hit and one walk.

On January 19th, 2009, Ryan Madson agreed to a 3 year, $12 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

When Brad Lidge was placed on the disabled list on June 9, 2009, Ryan Madson was chosen to be the Phillies' choice for interim closer.^{[1] [2] [3]} Madson got his first save in his new role on June 10, 2009 against the Mets. ^[4]

References

External links

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