Scott Matthew Olsen (born January 12, 1984 in
Kalamazoo, Michigan) is a starting pitcher for the
Florida Marlins. He bats and throws left-handed. He
is 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighs 210
pounds (95 kg).
He attended Crystal Lake South High School where he
was all-conference in baseball. He was drafted 173rd
overall during the 6th round of the 2002 amateur
draft by the Florida Marlins.
He played his first season in the Major Leagues in
2005. The Florida Marlins activated Olsen on June
25, 2005, when pitcher Josh Beckett went on the
disabled list. He went 1-1 in 5 starts with a 3.98
ERA, but was sent to the disabled list with an elbow
injury.
During the 2006 season with the Florida Marlins, he
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 Florida
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. The lefty had two 10-or-more
strikeout games, 11 vs. Pittsburgh on July 27 and 10
vs. the Mets on August 1. His 11-strikeout
performance against Pittsburgh was the most by any
of the Florida Marlins in 2006.
A phenomenal hitter, by pitchers' standards, Olsen
began the 2007 season 6-for-14 with 2 runs batted
in, even making him an option for pinch-hitting.
Olsen finished the season with 10-15 record and 5.81
ERA and 133 strikeouts in 176.2 innings. He is tied
with two other Marlins starters for the most number
of wins in this season.
With the departure of Dontrelle Willis, Olsen has
admitted to reporters that he covets the now-vacant
"pitching ace" role. If not for the injuries to
Anibal Sanchez and Josh Johnson, he would have
suffered more intense competition.
