Lil Bit Special Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2008/06/12/2008-06-12_ambidextrous_pitcher_pat_venditte_headed-2.html Pat Venditte, the ambidextrous pitcher from Creighton whom the Yankees drafted in the 20th round last week and signed, will get a chance to pitch with both arms when he starts his pro career at Class-A Staten Island. "We do think he can do both," said Damon Oppenheimer, the Yanks' vice president of amateur scouting. "We'll let (pitching coordinator) Nardi Contreras and those guys decide moving forward, what they think. But he's had success from both sides, so I think we're going to give that a shot." Venditte, who was also drafted by the Yanks last year in the 45th round but did not sign, was 9-3 with seven saves and a 3.34 ERA for Creighton in 2008. Even though he is a reliever, he led the Missouri Valley Conference with 101 strikeouts in 86-1/3 innings. In his college career, Venditte struck out a batter with both arms in the same game 39 times. Venditte was listed as a righthanded pitcher in a release sent out by the Yankees to announce his and other picks' signings, but Oppenheimer said that was because "there's no spot in the computer to list a switch-pitcher." Venditte is currently at a minicamp for drafted players at the Yankee player development complex in Tampa and is slated to leave tomorrow for Staten Island. Oppenheimer said the Yankees generally observe their new players for 30-45 days before deciding to make any major changes in their games. Venditte uses a six-fingered glove that has two webs and he deftly switches hands depending on whether he's facing a lefty or righty hitter. When Venditte was a toddler, his father traced both his hands on a piece of paper and faxed it to Mizuno, the baseball equipment company, and Mizuno made him a glove he could use on both hands. As Venditte grew, his father, Pat Sr., would re-trace his hand for new gloves. Venditte throws harder from the right side - 86-89 mph and he can touch 90, according to Creighton coach Ed Servais. Lefthanded, Venditte throws 78-82 mph. "I liked the way he threw lefty because he threw a Frisbee slider that lefties couldn't stay in there against," Servais said in a telephone interview. "I know scouts thought he had more 'pitchability' from the right side because he throws harder, but he's a very competitive young man. He can get it done." Venditte pitched at Omaha Central High School - the same high school Gale Sayers and Ahman Green attended - and walked on at Creighton, which is less than a mile from his high school. Servais had seen Venditte pitch in high school - Venditte was pitching against Servais' son - but the coach didn't believe Venditte was ready for Division I baseball. Pat Sr. called Servais over the summer and asked if he had a walk-on spot for his son and Servais figured, "What do we have to lose? We aren't investing any money in him." "It was one of the best things we ever did," Servais said. But Venditte pitched only righthanded his freshman year. "I didn't want to look like we were in the carnival act business," Servais said. "But Pat went out that next summer and pitched well, changed his body, got in better shape. He came back and proved he could pitch with both arms. He was good enough to get hitters out and he certainly did that for us in the last three years." Opposing players would rush to the front of their dugout when they realized that Venditte was switching arms, Servais said. "It was unlike any reaction we'd ever seen," Servais said. "Staten Island doesn't know what they're in for this summer," Servais added. "We asked a ton of this kid and he did it. Fans there are going to flock to him." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaBrick Wall Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 That's pretty cool. I hope he makes it to the majors; it would be awesome to see what he could do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JETSFAN5180 Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Could they make a universal glove so he could switch back and forth depending on the batter.I can see that happening.RAWLINGS I want kickback $$$$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shutout Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Could they make a universal glove so he could switch back and forth depending on the batter.I can see that happening.RAWLINGS I want kickback $$$$$. He has one... Venditte uses a six-fingered glove that has two webs and he deftly switches hands depending on whether he's facing a lefty or righty hitter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JETSFAN5180 Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 He has one... I didnt know dam back to work on Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidhuman Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 I would love to see this guy pitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 Switch Pitcher Baffles Switch Hitter, Umpires http://www.redlasso.com/ClipPlayer.aspx?id=b348a107-8fcc-4de3-bf83-30d6d2bb0586 http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/sports/May-June-08/Switch-Pitcher-Baffles-Switch-Hitter--Umpires.html Minor league pitcher Pat Venditte, who can pitch with either arm, created confusion for players, umpires and fans Thursday night when he faced a switch hitter. Pat Venditte was making his professional debut for the Staten Island Yankees in a rare televised game for the Class A team. Pitching righty, Venditte retired the first two hitters and allowed a single. When switch-hitting Ralph Henriquez came to the plate to bat from the left side, Venditte switched his custom-made, six-finger glove to his right hand and prepared to pitch lefty. Henriquez then turned around to bat right-handed. The two players switched sides several times before umpires stepped in to discuss the issue. After several minutes, they forced Henriquez to choose a side first; he chose to bat righty and struck out against the right-handed pitching Venditte. The rule in place states that the pitcher must declare which arm he will pitch with before the batter steps to the plate. He cannot change arms once the at-bat has begun. Venditte experienced a similar situation while pitching in college. That time, the umpires ruled that he must declare before the batter. For the remainder of his college career, he chose which arm to pitch with based on the switch-hitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidhuman Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Found this video on him on youtube. Pretty good. I watched that at on SC and was laughing at the stupid umps. 8U2xkHOTvvw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war ensemble Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Assuming he's a reliever, this guy could theoretically pitch in every game of the season without a break if he just goes easy on one arm one day and switches it the next. Damn, this guy is a perfect fit for Joe Torre! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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