Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins added five players to its 40-man roster this week. Among them, former Tennessee Volunteers right-handed pitcher Matt Ramsey was selected and will be experiencing his first-ever stint on a Major League roster entering the 2015 season.
Following a midseason and non-traditional trade from the Tampa Bay Rays organization, who drafted Ramsey out of Rocky Top in the 19th round of the June 2011 Draft, Ramsey held a 1.95 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 27.2 innings of work with the Double A Jacksonville Suns. Prior to joining Jacksonville, the Knoxville native went 3-0 with a 1.07 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 33.2 innings for the Montgomery Biscuits in 2014, combining for a 1.47 ERA on the year.
Currently pitching in the Dominican Republic as a member of the Aguilas Cibaenas, Ramsey owns a 3.72 ERA and five saves in 10 appearances. His Aguilas are in second place in Dominican League standings with a 15-11 record, just one game behind the leading Estrellas de Oriente.
Through three professional seasons (2012-14), Ramsey owns a career 6-5 record with a 2.08 ERA, having appeared in 87 games including five starts. He has collected 147 total strikeouts over his 125.2 innings pitched and has only walked 57 batters during that span.
During his three seasons (2009-11) with the Vols, Ramsey served as the team's closer and went 4-6 with nine saves and a 4.43 ERA in 56 games (two starts). He also posted a .262 career batting average, having spent time at the catcher and corner outfield positions with Tennessee.
"It's been a pretty neat experience, playing with guys from all over the world," Ramsey told Tennessee Athletics' Brian Rice this summer of moving up in the baseball profession. "It's a neat experience and you see guys from all walks of life. The competition is definitely better, you just have to go out and do your thing."
