Billy Koch was primarily a relief pitcher who played for Clemson in college, from 1994-96, and then won a bronze medal with the USA National Team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Koch was the fourth overall pick of the 1996 MLB Draft, chosen by the Toronto Blue Jays. He was known as a flamethrower, often reaching 100 MPH.
After a few seasons in the minors, Koch came up to the bigs in 1999 with the Blue Jays, playing with them until 2001. He then played with Oakland Athletics in 2002, and the Chicago White Sox in 2003-04, before finishing his major league career with the Florida Marlins in 2004. Koch had a career record of 29 wins and 25 losses, with 163 saves, and a 3.89 ERA. In 2002 he was given the American League Rolaids Relief Man Award as the top reliever in the league.
United States