Impressive showing: Oakland signs fan who brings heat.
Patterson given contract after hitting 96 mph in pitch booth
No one can say the A’s don’t go out of the box with their decisionmaking.
In this case, out of the speedpitch cage.
The A’s have signed a baseball fan who went viral for throwing baseballs at high velocities in those testyourspeed booths that are popular at some ballparks.
“Go after your dreams and make them a reality!” Nathan Patterson posted on a social media account.
Patterson, 23, reached 94 mph in a speedpitch challenge at a recent Rockies game at Coors Field. In August of last year, he was at a Nashville Sounds game and hit 96 mph.
Nashville was the A’s TripleA affiliate at the time.
Patterson played baseball in high school but, according to MLB.com, “I didn’t really have a good arm then.” He didn’t play college ball but was throwing and building up strength. He had his first conversation with the A’s in February, and then came his performance at the Rockies game.
“A few days later, the A’s gave me a call,” he said, according to MLB.com.
The A’s said Friday they’ve been “monitoring his progress” since January and that Patterson has been assigned to one of their rookie league affiliates in Arizona.
Patterson provided some thoughts in his Instagram post:
“Words cannot describe this feeling and I cannot thank everyone enough who has been part of this journey so far!
“My family has given me nothing but constant love and support throughout the last 9 months as I pursue a dream of mine that I’ve had since I was a little kid. It’s been a roller coaster to get here with many challenges and overcoming adversity.
“I’m grateful for all the trainers, coaches, friends @rsrbaseball and everyone else who has supported me thus far! And for those who tell you that you can’t achieve your dreams, use that as fuel to work even harder. Because those people are the ones that settle.”
Roster moves:
The A’s optioned starter Daniel Mengden to TripleA Las Vegas on Friday. That clears a roster spot for righthander Tanner Roark, whom Oakland acquired from Cincinnati on Wednesday. Roark is scheduled to make his A’s debut against the Cardinals at the Coliseum on Sunday. Mengden is 52 with a 4.85 ERA.