Da Vinci, Galileo, Franklin, Newton….Orf? Who is Nathan Orf?
Like the aforementioned renaissance men, his talents are wide-ranging, which enabled him to play all nine positions for the the Brevard County Manatees, a Florida minor-league affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Although Nathan ordinarily plays infield, manager Joe Ayrault told him before their game on Sunday got underway that he was going to use him in every position on the field.
“He just said he was gonna try to get me all nine, he had to make a phone call to see if I could get on the mound, and I think he had to plead with somebody just to get me one batter and nothing more,” he told MiLB.com. “I appreciate him. He’s been great for me all year and a boost in confidence when things aren’t going great. He’s been a great manager to play for.”
ESPN reported that Orf rotated in the following sequence: catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field, center field, right field, and finally pitcher.
According to Orf his most daunting challenge was pitching. He explained that his approach was, “Throw strikes, don’t let him hit a home run…. Once I got two strikes, the competitive juices kinda started flowing. I think I humped up to 86 (mph), you know, a little cheddar for him.”
Although Nathan didn’t get any hits, he walked once and made four defensive plays. The fans appreciated his performance and gave him a standing ovation after he was taken out of the game after facing only one batter who grounded out to third in the ninth inning.
The Manatees lost their season finale to the Dunedin Blue Jays by a score of 7-3 at Space Coast Stadium. One final note, Orf found some time to coach first base during the game as well.
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