Aug. 2 (UPI) — Nathan Patterson, a 23-year-old fan, signed a contract with the Oakland A’s organization after a video showed the pitcher throwing mid-90s fastballs while doing the speed pitch challenge at Coors Field.
The A’s signed Patterson to a minor-league contract after Patterson’s pitching performance went viral. The pitcher posted the contract signing to his Instagram on Thursday.
“Words cannot describe this feeling and I cannot thank everyone enough who has been part of this journey so far,” Patterson wrote. “My family has given me nothing but constant love and support through the last nine 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.”
View this post on Instagram
“How can you not be romantic about baseball” -Billy Beane 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. I’m grateful for the @athletics organization for giving me this opportunity! This story is not over. It is not the beginning. I am writing the next chapters and excited for this journey! Time to focus even more, work even harder, and it all starts with your mindset. Go after your dreams and make them a reality!
A post shared by Nathan Patterson (@njpatterson12) on Aug 1, 2019 at 2:10pm PDT
The Athletics began talking with Patterson at the beginning of this year, league sources told ESPN and MLB.com. He was training at the time, playing in a men’s league to hone his skills after recovering from a wrist injury.
After Patterson participated in the speed pitch cage in Denver and the video began to circulate on social media, the A’s noticed him again.
“A few days later the A’s gave me a call,” Patterson said.
Guys, we were just chillin at a @rockies baseball game, and my brother decided to step into a speed pitch challenge…he hit 96 mph @MLB Let’s get him signed! pic.twitter.com/g0fKrvUxzt— Christian Patterson (@cpatterson_7) July 15, 2019
Patterson, who played competitively until his senior year of high school, was assigned to Oakland’s rookie team in the Arizona League.
“While we understand that this is a great story, we want to let Nathan settle in to the organization and focus on his development as a baseball player,” the A’s said in a statement.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.