Cryomaniac's switch pitcher watch thread

[mrking81012]

This story really intrigues me. I would love to see him succeed at the Majors.

[mrcoach00]

Originally Posted by Cryomaniac

Pretty dire outing for VEnditte last night. 3 IP, 7 ER, 10 H, 1 BB and (unsurprisingly) a loss. He did K 3 though.

Totals for the year:

51 games, 3-7, 3.40 ERA, 90.0 IP, 31 BB, 88 K.

1.23 WHIP, 8.8 K/9.

Wow, they just left him out there. The bullpen must have been thin and he was asked to take one for the team. That stinks.

[Cryomaniac]

Originally Posted by mrcoach00

Wow, they just left him out there. The bullpen must have been thin and he was asked to take one for the team. That stinks.

They had a double-header the previous day, so it's possible it was a bullpen saving exercise.

[Vinny P.]

Originally Posted by Cryomaniac

Pretty dire outing for VEnditte last night. 3 IP, 7 ER, 10 H, 1 BB and (unsurprisingly) a loss. He did K 3 though.

Totals for the year:

51 games, 3-7, 3.40 ERA, 90.0 IP, 31 BB, 88 K.

1.23 WHIP, 8.8 K/9.

[MorseMoose]

Video Highlights & Clips - MiLB | MiLB.com with Trenton switch-pitcher Venditte - Video | MiLB.com Multimedia | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball

[mrcoach00]

Good interview. I still have a few questions I would throw at him, but well done overall.

Seems like a good kid; difficult not to root for, even if he pitches for the "Evil Empire".

[Cryomaniac]

Originally Posted by mrcoach00

Seems like a good kid; difficult not to root for.

Agreed.

As I've said, I think he'll be used as a LOOGY at first in the Majors.

[Cryomaniac]

Bumping this because he's been playing in an offseason league in Mexico.

So far through six appearances his stats are:

6 games, 0-0, 3.18 ERA, 5.2 IP, 0 BB, 7 K.

The ERA comes from 2 HRs, both in the same game. He has 3.0 IP and 6 K against lefties.

[mrcoach00]

Quick question: Did the Yankees ask him to play winter ball or was this his own decision?

If it were the Yankees, then I figure that it could only be a good sign for his future in the organization, because at least he is known to be on their radar.

If it was his decision and not the Yankees, then perhaps he is looking to further expose himself to other teams with hopes of moving to an organization that will consider him a prospect.

[Cryomaniac]

Originally Posted by mrcoach00

Quick question: Did the Yankees ask him to play winter ball or was this his own decision?

I'm not sure.

[Cryomaniac]

Update:

Mexican league stats:

11 games, 2-1, 3.75 ERA, 12.0 IP, 1 BB, 10 K.

[Cryomaniac]

Update:

Mexican League Stats:

20 games, 2-1, 2.96 ERA, 24.1 IP, 1 BB, 22 K.

15 hits allowed, which I make out to be a WHIP of about 0.66.

[Cryomaniac]

Another Mexican League update:

24 games, 3-1, 2.87 ERA, 31.1 IP, 2 BB, 32 K

21 hits allowed, which is a WHIP of 0.73.

[Cryomaniac]

Another update (dunno when the winter leagues finish, but I think it's pretty soon):

32 games, 3-1, 2.34 ERA, 42.1 IP, 7 BB, 46 K.

30 Hits allowed which gives a WHIP of about 0.87.

Seems pretty good numbers.

[CommishJoe]

Does he start in AAA this year? Maybe an invite to spring training?

[Cryomaniac]

Originally Posted by CommishJoe

Does he start in AAA this year? Maybe an invite to spring training?

I'd hope so to both of those questions. He's played a very small amount in ST the last two years, so hopefully he'll get a bit more of a chance. If he does end up in AAA and the Yankees have bullpen injuries like they have recently then he might get some ML time this year.

[Vinny P.]

Originally Posted by Cryomaniac

I'd hope so to both of those questions. He's played a very small amount in ST the last two years, so hopefully he'll get a bit more of a chance. If he does end up in AAA and the Yankees have bullpen injuries like they have recently then he might get some ML time this year.

Yeah, looking like it may happen. This should hopefully finally be his break-out season. I have a feeling he will tear up in Scranton. I think I may make a couple of trips out there and try to catch one or two of his games.

[Cryomaniac]

Well, he didn't get a ST invite (although he might still end up playing in a split squad game as he has done the past couple of years) and the theory seems to be that he'll be starting the season in Trenton again, mostly due to the Yankees having a lot of bullpen depth already, which would imply it's going to take an injury or two for him to be promoted.

Here's an article form yesterday:

Pat Venditte: Novelty Act or Viable Bullpen Prospect? | New York Yankees blog, Yankees blog, A blog about the New York Yankees | The Yankee Analysts

[RchW]

Here is an excerpt from the Blue Jays reporter Mike Wilner.

The highlight of my day, though, came not from watching Alvarez make mincemeat out of the young Yanks, nor did it come from finding a box of Franken Berry cereal at a Walgreen’s on my way “home” after the game (though that was close). No, it came in the bottom of the 7th inning, when Yankees prospect Pat Venditte came in to pitch for Tampa.

Venditte is a pretty famous guy for someone who has never pitched above Double-A. I noticed him as I walked past the Yankees’ bullpen the inning before going to my car to grab my recording equipment in anticipation of scrumming Alvarez. I saw him throw a warm-up pitch left-handed, then step down off the mound and ask his catcher if all was good. Figuring he was done warming up, I kept walking, but then I saw him take his glove off, put it on his left hand, and start to warm up right-handed. Very cool.

He came into the game pitching left-handed and faced the left-handed hitting John Talley, and got him on a weak comebacker to the mound. The right-handed hitting Kevin Ahrens was up next, so Venditte switched to throwing righty and got him on a grounder to short. Next up was switch-hitter Ivan Contreras, which presents a problem. In such cases, Venditte has to declare to the home plate umpire which hand he’s going to use before the hitter steps in the box. Not knowing anything about Contreras, Venditte decided to throw right-handed, so Contreras hit left, and struck out anyway.

Venditte also pitched the bottom of the 8th, but we were busy talking to Alvarez and Walton, which was the primary reason we were there, after all. It’s too bad, though, because Venditte pitching was one of the coolest things I have ever seen on a baseball field. I spoke to him afterwards:

Download

The game, by the way, finished in a 0-0 tie and was called after the top of the 10th. Apparently the Yankees didn’t bring enough pitching.

[Cryomaniac]

Originally Posted by RchW

Here is an excerpt from the Blue Jays reporter Mike Wilner.

Pretty cool. The interview that's linked in the article is also pretty good too, Venditte always seems like a cool guy, and certainly seems to have the work ethic to get better.

As I've said, I can see him getting a cup of coffee, probably as a September call up.