Matthew Bryan Chico (born June 10, 1983 in
Fullerton, California) is a left-handed starting
pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League
Baseball. A graduate of Fallbrook Union High School,
Chico attended Palomar College and was selected by
the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third round of the
2003 amateur draft. On August 7, 2006, he was
acquired by the Nationals along with fellow minor
league pitcher Garrett Mock in a trade for veteran
right-handed pitcher Liván Hernández.
Chico began the 2006 season pitching for Lancaster
of the high Class A California League, where he
accrued a 3-4 record and a 3.75 ERA in 10 starts.
Immediately prior to the trade for Hernández, he was
pitching for Tennessee of the Class AA Southern
League, accumulating a win-loss record of 7-2 and an
ERA of 2.22 in 13 starts. After joining the
Nationals organization, Chico pitched for the
Harrisburg Senators of the Class AA Eastern League,
winning 2 and losing none of his first 4 starts and
compiling a 3.27 ERA.
