Matthew Kent (minors02)

Matthew Allen Kent

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.

• School Texas A&M University
• High School Midway High School

• Born September 13, 1992 in Waco, TX USA

BR register page

Biographical Information

Matthew Kent has pitched in the minor league and the CPBL.

Kent was 5-0 with a 0.58 ERA as a sophomore, 10-3 with a 1.31 ERA as a junior and 10-1, 0.63 as a senior with 122 K in 66 2/3 IP; he also hit .421. He won All-State honors. Not playing as a college freshman, he was redshirted. He had a 2-3, 4.17 record in 2013 and went 3-1 with a 3.15 ERA as a sophomore. He was named Northwoods League Co-Pitcher of the Year after going 3-3 with a 2.09 ERA. He improved to 6-0, 3.12 as a redshirt junior in 2015.

The Texan was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round of the 2015 Amateur Draft, one pick after Cody Stashak. The scout was Jon Adkins. He debuted with Lowell Spinners; he was 7-1 with a 1.86 ERA there. Only Mitch Gueller won more games in the New York-Penn League; he would have led in ERA had he qualified. Kent was promoted to the Salem Red Sox in 2016, and he pitched well there. He was 10-7 with a 3.54 ERA; he ranked 4th in wins in Carolina League (2 behind Sean Brady and Jonathan Martinez) and 4th in strikeouts (35 behind Jordan Stephens). He stayed with Salem in 2017, and he had a 4.23 ERA in 28 starts while collecting 7 wins. Kent was promoted again in 2018, and he went 11-8 with a 3.58 ERA with the AA Portland Sea Dogs. He was 5-7 with a 4.19 ERA for Portland in 2019, but he struggled in AAA and recorded a 8.70 ERA in 6 starts with the Pawtucket Red Sox.

After the coronavirus shut down the minor leagues in 2020, Kent was turned back into a reliever in 2021. He was 28-year old, and he had a 3.41 ERA in 24 relief outings for Portland. He pitched 3 games in AAA, but he allowed 7 runs in 11 2/3 innings. He became a free agent after the season, and the Miami Marlins signed him. Kent started 28 games for the AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, and he was 9-11 with a 4.99 ERA. The Marline released him, and the Fubon Guardians of the CPBL signed him.

The southpaw pitched well in Taiwan, and he was named the starter of 2023 CPBL All-Star Game 2; he pitched 2 shutout innings. Kent ended up 5-12 with a 3.23 ERA; he ranked 4th in ERA (0.72 behind Jake Brigham), 3rd in innings (32 2/3 behind Drew Gagnon) and 4th in starts (6 behind Gagnon). However, since Fubon's batting was weak, he also led the league with his 12 losses. It was the 6th straight season that a Fubon pitcher led the league in losses, which was the CPBL record.