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Scott Olsen
Washington Nationals — No. 19
Starting pitcher
Born: January 12, 1984 (1984-01-12) (age 25) Kalamazoo, Michigan
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
MLB debut
June 25, 2005 for the Florida Marlins
Career statistics (through 2009)
Win-Loss	33-41
Earned run average	4.77
Strikeouts	475
Teams
Florida Marlins (2005-2008) Washington Nationals (2009-present)

Scott Matthew Olsen (born January 12, 1984, in Kalamazoo, Michigan) is a starting pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball.

[edit] Early life

Olsen was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He spent his middle school years in Stevensville, MI, and attended Crystal Lake South High School in Crystal Lake, IL, where he was all-conference in baseball. He was drafted 173rd overall during the sixth round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft by the Florida Marlins.

[edit] MLB career

[edit] Florida Marlins

[edit] 2005 season

Olsen played his first season in the MLB in 2005 with the Florida Marlins. The team activated him on June 25, 2005, when pitcher Josh Beckett went on the disabled list. Olsen had one win and one loss in five starts, with a 3.98 ERA during the season, but was also later sent to the disabled list with an elbow injury.

[edit] 2006 season

During the 2006 season with the Florida Marlins, Olsen went 12-10 with a 4.04 ERA. With his 10+ wins and the 10+ wins of his fellow rookies Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez, the 2006 Marlins became the first team in Major League Baseball history with four rookie pitchers with ten or more wins in one season.

With his 166 strikeouts, Olsen now holds the single-season record for the most strikeouts by a Marlins rookie. He had two 10-or-more strikeout games: 11 vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 27 and 10 vs. the New York Mets on August 1. His 11-strikeout performance against Pittsburgh was the most by any of the Marlins pitchers in 2006.

[edit] 2007 season

Olsen pitching for the Marlins on February 27, 2007.

As a hitter, Olsen began the 2007 season 6-for-14 with two runs batted in.

Olsen finished the season with a 10-15 record and a 5.81 ERA. He had 133 strikeouts in 176.2 innings. He was tied with two other Marlins starters for the most wins during the season. His .384 OBP-against was the highest in the majors, as was his .315 batting-average-against and .504 slugging-percentage-against.[1]

[edit] 2008 season

With the departure of Dontrelle Willis, Olsen admitted to reporters that he coveted the "pitching ace" role. However, Ricky Nolasco put himself in that role with a break-out season. His 13 intentional-walks-given-up for the season were the most in the majors.[2]

[edit] Washington Nationals

On November 11, 2008, he was traded with left fielder Josh Willingham to the Washington Nationals for second baseman Emilio Bonifacio, and minor leaguers right-hander P.J. Dean, and infielder Jake Smolinski.^[1]

[edit] Suspensions, confrontations and legal trouble

Olsen has had a history of disciplinary problems with the Marlins and legal issues. He was given a black eye from friend and former teammate Randy Messenger during the 2006 season. Shortly afterwards, then-manager Joe Girardi pulled Olsen by the collar and confronted him.

In a 7-6 loss to the New York Mets in July 2006, there was an incident involving former teammate, Miguel Cabrera. While pitching to Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca, Lo Duca hit a hard grounder that glanced off Cabrera's glove and rolled into left field. A run scored and Lo Duca raced to second for a double. While the ball glanced off of Cabrera's glove, Olsen seemed to believe that Cabrera did not give his full effort to get to the ball, and as they came off the field, Olsen could be seen shouting something at Cabrera. A moment later, television cameras showed Cabrera in the crowded dugout reaching past teammates to poke his finger at Olsen as the pitcher walked past him. Olsen tried to jab back at Cabrera, who charged Olsen and tried to kick the pitcher before both players were quickly separated by teammates.

In September 2006, Olsen said he hated the Philadelphia Phillies because they dominated the Marlins. His emotions boiled over in the sixth inning of a May 2007 game versus the Phillies, when he became angry at Chase Utley for calling time just before a pitch. The next pitch was ball four, and Utley trotted to first base as Olsen angrily shouted and waved his glove at him.

In June 2007, Olsen received an unspecified fine for making an obscene gesture towards fans during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee.

On July 15, 2007, during a start against the Washington Nationals, Olsen had a confrontation with pitcher Sergio Mitre in the tunnel heading toward the team clubhouse. Olsen ripped his jersey off and tossed it in the direction of a trainer. According to a source,^[who?] Mitre and other Marlins took exception to Olsen's actions. That's when tensions got heated. As they left the dugout area, Mitre pinned Olsen against a wall before the two were separated by teammates. Olsen then received a two-game suspension for insubordination, but was still scheduled to make his next start the following Friday against the Cincinnati Reds.

After serving his two-game suspension, and after making his scheduled July 20, 2007, start, Olsen was arrested by police in Aventura, Florida after fleeing from police following a speeding violation (he was clocked going 48 MPH in a 35 MPH zone). He fled for about a mile, at which point he stopped at his home and sat in a plastic chair in the front yard. When police arrived and tried to arrest him, he kicked at the officers who then used a taser to subdue him. Olsen failed a field sobriety test and refused a breathalyzer test. He was booked on charges of driving under the influence, resisting arrest with violence and fleeing and eluding a police officer.^[2]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Scott Olsen: Profile on the Fish@Bat Florida Marlins Wiki
• Scott Olsen - Yahoo! Sports
• Scott Olsen - AroundtheDiamond.com