Thursday, April 9, 2015

Pat Venditte, the switch-pitcher

Recently, I read a couple articles online about a guy who was in spring training with the A's, Pat Venditte. His is a neat story about growing up with a dad who was so supportive of his love for baseball, that he built lil' Pat a state-of-the-art batting cage in his backyard. As sort of a long-term experiment, Pat Sr. taught his kid to pitch with both hands growing up. It worked to make Pat Jr. a true ambidextrous "switch-pitcher." He's got a special glove so he can switch hands depending on who he's facing.

Being a fan of quirky stuff like this, I thought that was pretty cool. While his pro career hasn't exactly been a fairytale-- he's now 29 years old, with 7 years in the minors under his belt (b-r stats)-- he seems to be on the cusp of making the show, I believe currently with Oakland's AAA affiliate. I went looking to add a good card of his to my collection, and ended up bringing this auto home for a few bucks:



Despite being a sticker auto, it's a really nice looking card, with some purdy refractor shine on the front and #'d 041/199 on the back.

Best of luck, Pat! It'd be pretty neat to see you switch-pitching in the majors sometime soon.
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8 comments:

  1. Big ToneApril 9, 2015 at 4:22 PM

    Just when MLB tries to implement game shortening elements,along comes the switch pitcher ;)Great looking card.

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    1. defgavApril 10, 2015 at 12:36 PM

      Thanks. Yeah, I wonder if he has to make warmup pitches from both sides.

      Delete
  2. P-town TomApril 9, 2015 at 6:17 PM

    Yes, very nice card, indeed! You should out his Tri-Star Obak card from 2009. I think it's the short print variation that has him pitching from both sides. I've been a fan of his since I found that card in a pack some six years ago.

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  3. J. MeeksApril 9, 2015 at 10:06 PM

    Creighton alum! Fun fact: his dad was one of my local drinking "buddies" at a bar in Omaha called Dougers. Fun fact #2: I was robbed at gunpoint in that bar. Hahaha

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    1. defgavApril 10, 2015 at 12:38 PM

      Very cool! --well, very cool about being drinking buddies with his dad, not the being robbed part.. that must have sucked.

      Delete
  4. BobWalkthePlankApril 10, 2015 at 4:35 AM

    I heard baseball was trying to implement rules when he faces a switch hitter so they just don't stand there and keep switching sides.

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    Replies
    1. defgavApril 10, 2015 at 2:13 PM

      Yeah, they made a rule basically stating a pitcher has to stick to one arm per batter.

      Delete

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