Brandon Medders


Brandon Edward Medders is a former professional relief pitcher. He appeared for the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants between 2005 and 2010. He threw a 4-seam fastball, curveball, slider, and a cutter.

Early life

Medders attended Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 37th round of the 1998 MLB June Amateur Draft but chose to attend Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa. He was then selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 18th round of the 1999 MLB June Amateur Draft but decided to attend Mississippi State University. In 2001, Mississippi State won its first SEC championship since 1987 and Medders was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team.
He was then drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 8th round of the 2001 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Career

Medders spent 2001 and 2002 with the Class A+ Lancaster JetHawks before advancing to the Class AA El Paso Diablos in 2003 and the Class AAA Tucson Sidewinders in 2004. He debuted for the Arizona Diamondbacks in, going 4–1 with a 1.78 ERA and 31 strikeouts. In, Medders suffered a muscle group strain that caused him to miss spring training. He started the year at Tucson, but he pitched mostly in the major leagues that year and had an ERA of 3.64 in 60 relief appearances.
In, however, Medders was inconsistent and he was optioned to Triple-A on June 8. He had an ERA of 4.84, going 1–2 with a blown save. Medders was recalled September 1, 2007, when the rosters expanded. He appeared in a total of 30 major-league games that year.
Medders was surprised to be demoted to the minor leagues in May 2008. He had a 4.58 ERA in 18 games at that point. Medders struggled at Class AAA Tucson, earning a 7.45 ERA in 26 appearances. He became a free agent at the end of the season.
On January 9, 2009 he signed a minor league contract the San Francisco Giants with an invitation to spring training. On April 4, the Giants announced that Medders had made their opening day roster. On January 16, 2010, Medders avoided arbitration and agreed to a 1-year $820,000 deal with the Giants. On June 4, 2010, he was outrighted to Fresno while on the DL to make room for Pat Burrell. Medders was not on the postseason roster when the Giants defeated the Texas Rangers in the 2010 World Series.