The Philadelphia Phillies made a minor roster move Tuesday, releasing right-handed pitcher Scott Mathieson from the 40-man roster so that he could pursue a career pitching in Asia.
In 15 games with the Phillies over three seasons, he was 1-4 with a 6.75 ERA in 44 innings, striking out 34 while walking 21.
The 27-year-old, who was long heralded as a solid prospect in the Phillies organization, dealt with frequent arm injuries during his tenure with the club and never developed into the type of pitcher that many thought he could be.
Initially a starting pitcher, he transitioned to the bullpen in in 2007, where he flourished in the minor leagues. However, he was never able to translate his success to the big league level, and was given very little opportunity to be a major part of the Phillies' bullpen.
Despite that, fans viewed Mathieson as a prospect with unrealized potential and not enough opportunity. When he did get a call to The Show, he wasn't used enough, or the team didn't care about his growth, or he just needed another chance, and on and on.
For a while, it seemed like the fans felt as if though Mathieson was concealing some hidden talent and that the front office was wrong not to trust him with a significant spot on the big club. As it turns out, the brass was right, because Mathieson -- despite having a blistering fastball and the makings of a great reliever -- never really put it all together.
As it turns out, a mid-90s fastball with shaky control was not enough to get it done against professional hitters.
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Although a tour with a team in Asia doesn't always spell doom for a pitcher -- after all, the Texas Rangers' Colby Lewis and the San Francisco Giants' Ryan Vogelsong returned to the MLB following stints in Japan -- so the curtain is far from lowered on the right-hander.
