After 7 Years in Minors, Switch-Pitcher Pat Venditte Tries to Make MLB History

MESA, Ariz. — The coolest position listing anyplace, anywhere, anytime this spring is right there on the Oakland Athletics roster, next to the name of No. 74, Pat Venditte:

Um, that's switch-handed pitcher.

"It's amazing," Oakland reliever Sean Doolittle says. "A lot of us pitchers will be shagging during batting practice and we'll throw balls in with the opposite hand, but I can't even begin to relate to pitching with both arms."

Like those geniuses sticking a cheeseburger inside of a donut "bun" at creative concession stands, the Athletics in recent years have specialized in versatility.

"We're making sure we have the stamp on that," manager Bob Melvin quips.

Venditte, who signed with the A's this winter after seven years in the New York Yankees system, almost certainly will not break camp with Oakland. But he's making enough of an impression that, at some point this summer, major league hitters could think they're seeing double.

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"He switches back and forth, and not only has he done a good job, but he's been a highlight," Melvin says. "He's not a novelty."

Indeed, umpires have approached Melvin this spring shaking their heads, admitting that they expected a significant decline from at least one side—left or right—when compared to Venditte's other side after seeing him up close. Instead, they observed stuff that plays out of both the left hand and right hand.

Venditte's visionary father, Pat Sr., who thought it might be helpful in the long run if his son was ambidextrous, began training him when he was three to throw with both arms. To further develop his motor skills from both sides, Venditte's father had him punt a football with both legs, too.

At the age of seven, Pat Sr. ordered a custom-made glove from Mizuno, with two thumbs and two pockets, that could be comfortably transferred to either hand while he's on the mound.

In high school, he would start one game as a left-hander and then flip around and start the next game right-handed.

Sometimes then, as now, Venditte would throw left-handed to a lefty batter, then slip the glove on the other hand and throw righty to a righty batter.

"It always felt normal," says Venditte, 29, who is a natural right-hander. "As far as having good results, that didn't come until I was 20 years old, a sophomore in college.

Friendly, low-key and unassuming, he's being modest. The Omaha, Nebraska, native did well enough in high school that he was second-team all-Nebraska, and he joined the Creighton University baseball team as a walk-on.

He didn't pitch much as a freshman, and his review now of his limited innings back then is succinct: "Horrible."

But by his sophomore season, things started to come together for the right-hander. Er, left-hander. Um, both-hander.

Fact is, he trusted his father enough, and pitching from both sides felt normal enough, that he never really considered giving up throwing left-handed to concentrate on his natural right side.

"Too dumb, I guess," he cracks.

Or too smart?

On its own, from either side, Venditte probably would not be where he is. Right-handed, his fastball tops out at about 85 mph, and he also throws a curve and changeup. Lefty, his fastball tops out at 83, and he throws a curve and changeup from that side, too.

But the Yankees drafted him twice, and he signed out of Creighton as a 20th-rounder in 2008 (they had picked him in the 45th round in '07, but he thought he needed more college seasoning). Over seven minor league seasons, Venditte owns a 2.46 ERA and 431 strikeouts in 384.2 innings.

He also has a rule named after him: The Pat Venditte Rule, which was installed after his very first minor league appearance. Pitching for Staten Island against Brooklyn on June 19, 2008, switch-hitter Ralph Henriquez stepped in with two out, and he and Venditte engaged in an interesting dance that still makes the rounds on YouTube.

Henriquez stepped to the plate, Venditte picked an arm to pitch, so Henriquez quickly went to the other batter's box. So Venditte switched his glove to the other hand…and Henriquez hopped to the other batter's box. Only thing missing was a Benny Hill themed soundtrack.

The tango caused a delay of about five minutes, and by the next day the Venditte Rule was legislated: He must step on the rubber and declare which hand he will pitch with, and then the batter steps in.

Which is why, he says, it was so important for him to know each opponent's roster so thoroughly in the minors: He had to know the switch-hitters before they stepped to the plate so he didn't choose the wrong arm to throw.

"That's cool," Doolittle says. "I didn't even think of that."

Doolittle and the A's have thought of a lot. Early this spring, during stretching one day, they quizzed Venditte on the A's…and B's and C's…of pitching with both hands.

"We peppered him with questions," Doolittle says. "He was a good sport about putting up with our stupidity. It's an incredibly rare and unique thing, and to use that crazy glove he's got…."

Among the things the A's wanted to know: How do you warm up when you come into a game, with your left arm or right? What if the second batter is right-handed and you've warmed up left-handed? How do you juggle your throwing program? If you threw 20 pitches the night before right-handed, do you throw only left-handed the next night?

Yes, if this were a pet shop, Venditte would be in the "exotic" section. But he's such a good sport about it, and the A's are so enamored, that they have not worn out on the subject.

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By this point in the spring, Venditte has told his story so many times he politely asked if I could please not interview his father even though his dad would be at the game Tuesday.

There are so many other stories in this clubhouse, he said, sensitive about a guy who likely will begin the season in the minors drawing too much attention from the major leaguers.

He need not worry, though, because they seem to be getting as big of a kick out of watching him as anybody else.

"You can tell he works really hard, and he's kept a low profile," outfielder Sam Fuld says. "I'm definitely rooting for him.

"It's hard not to."

A free agent for the first time this spring, Venditte quickly chose the Athletics because this organization, the closest thing in baseball to the Island of Misfit Toys, thought his uncanny game can be an asset.

For now, he doesn't view himself so much as a trailblazer as just a guy continuing to reach for the stars and follow his dream.

"I guess that's to be seen later if there are other switch-pitchers," Venditte says. "For me, it's not about trailblazing. It's about pitching to the best of my abilities and trying to make the majors."

There have been crazy, memorable stories over the years, like the time he was pitching in seventh or eighth grade and one of the opposing team's parents wondered if Venditte's team had twins. Or the time his father was in the stands and overheard two guys talking in front of him, one of them telling the other that he thought the pitcher was throwing right-handed but now he's throwing left, and the friend saying, "You're driving. You better put that beer down."

"I've been blessed with a dad who spent a lot of time with me," Venditte says. "More than anything, that's what I'm grateful for.

"When I have kids, that's what I'm hoping for."

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Meantime, the dream continues, and so do the stories.

"One of my favorite things is to try to watch [A's pitching coach] Curt Young trying to scramble to get him his bullpens," Doolittle says. "He was asking me early in the spring, 'What should I do with his throwing program?'"

Says Young: "He's got a good system. Early on, what I thought was very, very unique was that in live batting practice, he was third in the group (of pitchers) and would throw 20 pitches left-handed, then he would come back sixth in the group and throw 20 pitches right-handed.

"To me, that was the most unique thing I've seen."

No ambidextrous pitcher has worked in the majors since Montreal's Greg Harris did it in a game in 1995. In five spring innings, including one scoreless frame against the Padres on Tuesday, Venditte has fanned four, walked one and surrendered three hits and two runs for a 3.60 ERA. 

"Yeah, he's been in the minors for a while, but he's not just a gimmick pitcher," Doolittle says. "He's had some pretty good seasons. He's done some really good things in camp.

"It would be a really cool ending if he could help us out this year."

Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report. 

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