Matt Palmer
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2008-2012)
Matt Palmer was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2008 to 2012 for the San Francisco Giants, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the San Diego Padres, a span of 5 seasons. Across 63 career appearances, he went 13-7 with a 4.56 ERA and 98 strikeouts.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 235 lb
- MLB Debut
- 2008-08-16
- Last Game
- 2012-05-26
Full name: Jonathan Matt Palmer
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | SFN | NL | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 3 | 8.53 | 4.32 (-97%) | -922.6 |
| 2009 | LAA | AL | 11 | 2 | 40 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 121.1 | 105 | 53 | 55 | 69 | 3.93 | 4.32 (+9%) | -1160.2 |
| 2010 | LAA | AL | 1 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33.2 | 38 | 17 | 20 | 17 | 4.54 | 4.08 (-11%) | -207.7 |
| 2011 | LAA | AL | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15.2 | 19 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 5.74 | 3.94 (-46%) | 335.2 |
| 2012 | SDN | NL | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 13 | 7 | 63 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 185.1 | 181 | 94 | 94 | 98 | 4.56 | — | -1,955 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .200 | .273 | .200 | .473 | 0 |
Career AVG .200 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 22.7% below league average.
Career OBP .273 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 16.4% below league average.
Career SLG .200 vs. league average .408 across their career seasons — 51.0% below league average.
Career OPS .473 vs. league average .734 across their career seasons — 35.6% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | SFN | NL | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2009 | LAA | AL | 40 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2010 | LAA | AL | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2011 | LAA | AL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2012 | SDN | NL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 63 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (126 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 33 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| Away | 30 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .143 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 33 | 111.2 | 105 | 52 | 60 | 59 | 4.19 |
| Away | 30 | 73.2 | 76 | 42 | 34 | 39 | 5.13 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-05-26 | SDP | NYN | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012-05-24 | SDP | NYN | — | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2012-05-22 | SDP | STL | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011-04-24 | LAA | BOS | L | 5.0 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2011-04-19 | LAA | TEX | W | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2011-04-09 | LAA | TOR | — | 4.2 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2010-09-25 | LAA | CHW | — | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010-09-22 | LAA | TEX | L | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010-09-19 | LAA | TBR | — | 2.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010-09-15 | LAA | CLE | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 63 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | LAA | AL | $420,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $420,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Rivers Community College | Poplar Bluff | MO | 1999, 2000 |
| Missouri State University | Springfield | MO | 2001, 2002 |
Matt Palmer: the record in brief
Matt Palmer's major league career runs from a debut on August 16, 2008 to a final game on May 26, 2012. Club by club, the record runs the San Francisco Giants (2008), the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2009 to 2011), and the San Diego Padres (2012). Palmer, born on March 21, 1979, in Memphis, TN, USA, is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6 feet, 2 inches and 235 pounds. On the record, Matt Palmer was born Jonathan Matt Palmer.
The pitching table credits Palmer with a 13-7 record and a 4.56 ERA in 63 games. The same table counts 98 strikeouts. Against a 4.14 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.56 mark was 10.4% worse. No season topped the 11 wins of 2009. 2009 was Palmer's sharpest full season, a 3.93 ERA against the league's 4.32.
Pitching in the playoffs, Palmer went 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA in 2 games. Those appearances came in 2009.
Frequently Asked Questions about Matt Palmer
- What years did Matt Palmer play?
- Matt Palmer played in Major League Baseball from 2008 to 2012.
- Was Matt Palmer a pitcher?
- Yes. Matt Palmer pitched in the major leagues, recording 13 wins and 98 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Matt Palmer hit?
- Matt Palmer hit 0 career home runs with 2 hits.
- What was Matt Palmer's career batting average?
- Matt Palmer batted .200 over his career, with 2 hits in 10 at bats.
- What was Matt Palmer's career ERA?
- Matt Palmer finished with a 4.56 career ERA, going 13-7 with 98 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Matt Palmer have?
- Matt Palmer recorded 98 career strikeouts.