Get To Know Your A's: Pat Venditte
As the 2015 baseball season approaches in Nashville, the affiliate switch to the Oakland Athletics' organization brings about excitement. With that excitement comes a fresh batch of talented prospects. In the time leading up to the season, we will elaborate on a few of the different players that could be heading to Nashville and expand on the anticipation of another year of Triple-A baseball.
Pat Venditte was selected by the New York Yankees in the 20th round of the 2008 draft. The hurler spent the past seven seasons in the New York organization, but signed with Oakland as a minor league free agent in November 2014. He is the only ambidextrous pitcher in professional baseball today, and could go down as the most unique player to ever don a Nashville Sounds uniform.
Venditte is naturally right-handed but ever since he was three-years old, the pitcher has been throwing with both hands. He takes the mound with a specially-crafted six finger glove which allows him to switch pitching hands with ease.
He attended Creighton University and led the Bluejays in wins, saves and strikeouts during his senior season in 2008. The switch-pitcher played his first professional season with short-season Staten Island and his ambidextrous abilities quickly caused commotion.
In what was a YouTube hit, video surfaced of Venditte facing off against a switch-hitter that was adamant to try and gain the upper hand of the contest. It caused the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation to create a new rule.
Rule 8.01(f) states that a "pitcher must visually indicate to the umpire-in-chief, the batter and any runners the hand with which he intends to pitch…"
The 2008 season was filled with overall success, as Venditte earned a New York-Penn League mid-season All-Star selection and was named MiLB's "Best Short-Season Reliever of the Year" following the season.
In 2009, the 29-year old paired 11 walks with 87 strikeouts in 67.1 innings. Baseball America named him the Yankee's #30 prospect in 2011. He made his Triple-A debut the following season, but pitched in just seven games before suffering a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
Venditte made his mark in 2013. During his uphill battle to return to past form, the reliever ended his season by tossing 1.2 hitless innings during the Eastern League championship-clinching game on September 12. It was the second league championship team he was a part of (2009, Florida State League).
The switch-pitcher is slated to attend 2015 Major League Spring Training with Oakland but will likely see the majority of his time this season in Nashville.