Ryan Creek

Ryan Matthew Creek

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.

• School Louisburg College
• High School Jefferson High School

• Born September 24, 1972 in Winchester, VA USA

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Ryan Creek played in the minor leagues and for the USA national baseball team. His brother Doug Creek was also a professional player.

Creek was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 42th round of the 1991 Amateur Draft out of high school but opted for college. The Houston Astros selected him in the 34th round of the 1992 Amateur Draft out of junior college, and he went 7-3 with a 2.34 ERA for the GCL Astros in 1993. He tied Kevin Hodges and Joe Atwater for the Gulf Coast League lead in wins and he was 6th with 62 K. Creek was 3-5 with a 4.99 ERA for the Quad Cities River Bandits in 1994, and he had a 9-7 record with a 3.63 ERA for the AA Jackson Generals in 1995. He tied for 8th in the Texas League in victories and was 3rd with 120 strikeouts, behind Frankie Rodríguez and Kevin Kloek. Among Astros farmhands, he tied Doug Mlicki for 6th in wins and trailed only Billy Wagner and Tony Mounce in strikeouts.

He stayed in Jackson in 1996 but he slumped to 7-15 with a 5.26 ERA. Only Dan Lock had more losses in the 'Stros system while Creek easily led in walks (121, 50 more than runner-up Brian Sikorski and almost double his 1995 total). He was still 5th with 119 K (between Scott Elarton and Paul O'Malley). Only Matt Beaumont (16) had more losses in the TL; Creek led in walks (29 ahead of Jesus Martinez) and was 6th in strikeouts, between Matt Morris and John Halama. In fact, he led all of minor league baseball in free passes issued, three more than Ivan Montane. He tied for 5th in losses. He rebounded to 10-5 with a 4.11 ERA in 1997. He tied Joe Fontenot and Ignacio Flores for 8th in the TL in wins; while his walks were down to 74, he was still second in the loop (nine fewer than Darin Blood). He tied Freddy Garcia for 7th among Astros minor leaguers in wins and was second in walks (one behind Gabe Garcia). After missing the entire 1998 season due to injuries, Creek went 4-3 with a 4.57 ERA for the Generals in 1999, and he was 2-4 with a 4.08 ERA for the 2000 Kissimmee Cobras. He reached AAA this season, and he pitched 6 games with a 3.98 ERA and a 1-1 record for the New Orleans Zephyrs.

Staying at the AAA level in 2000, Creek struggled as his ERA was higher than 10 with both the Calgary Cannons and Tucson Sidewinders, though he pitched five shutout innings for the El Pasio Diablos that summer, which he split between the Florida Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks chains. He also pitched for the independent Jackson Diamond Cats, and he was 5-5 with a 3.07 ERA. He was third in the Texas-Louisiana League in ERA, trailing Yfrain Linares and Jim Wollscheid. Creek then appeared with the Jackson Senators in 2003 (his third different team in Jackson, MS!), and he was 10-4 with a 2.66 ERA that season. He tied for 5th in the Central League in wins, was 3rd with 127 strikeouts (behind Eric Montoya and Sam Goure) and was 9th in ERA (between Adam Thomas and Mark Persails).

He represented the USA in the 2003 Baseball World Cup. His lone appearance was forgettable; staked to a 2-0 lead over Panama, he allowed four hits (including an Olmedo Saenz homer) and a walk while retiring only one batter; Conor Brooks relieved and the US rallied for a 12-5 win. Creek went 8-2 with a 3.19 ERA for the Senators in 2004 (finishing 4th with 111 K and 9th in ERA again, this time between Jose Lopez and Allen Davis), and his professional career ended.

Overall, Creek was 66-56 with a 3.90 ERA, struck out 846 and pitched 991 innings in 9 seasons as a pro baseball player.