Skip to main content

Drew Vettleson - Switch Pitcher in the News

drew vettleson

@DrewVettleson

Tampa Bay Ray Outfield prospect. Follow Drew on Twitter



Chasing The Dream: The Drew Vettleson Story and Interview

Jan 29, 2012 chasingmlbdreams.com


When the Tampa Bay Rays selected Drew Vettleson in the 1st round of the 2010 MLB Draft they selected a truly unique player coming out of high school. Not only did Vettleson excel at as a switch hitter but he was one of the very few athletes that could also pitch from both sides of the mound. The Rays are developing him as a switch hitting outfielder but before we jump ahead to the present lets look back at Vettleson’s life before the draft as a player who could truly do it all. Read more



Switch-pitcher: More than just a novelty act

By Carla Swank, Rivals High Assistant Editor

New York Yankees pitcher Pat Venditte got the attention of the sports world last month when he became baseball's first "switch-pitcher" in a spring training game - throwing to batters as both a right-hander and left-hander.
Drew Vettleson, a senior at Central Kitsap High in Silverdale, Wash., was watching more closely than most.


Vettleson is an ambidextrous pitcher, too.


"It's definitely very cool," he said. "We're two of the only people in the world who can do this." Read more

Drew Vettleson: Double Threat

By Kevin Armstrong, EPSN Rise

With the ability to throw heat from either side of the mound -- not to mention a powerful stroke at the plate -- Central Kitsap’s (Silverdale, Wash.) Drew Vettleson is the complete package.



Central Kitsap High School baseball player Drew Vettleson strikes out sports reporter to win challenge

By WESLEY REMMER Central Kitsap Reporter, Apr 14 2010 

Drew Vettleson’s big grin stretched across the infield, masking his freakish baseball talent.
Like the ability to throw between 90-93 mph with his right arm — and in the upper-80s with his left, accurately. Or hit the ball more than 400 feet, to all directions of the field, from the left side of the plate.

Home runs and no-hitters are norms, not exceptions, for the ambidextrous Vettleson, the 2009 Gatorade Player of the Year who is rated the No. 19 prospect in the country and projected to be drafted in the 2010 Major League Draft in June.



Player of the year: CK's Drew Vettleson
DOUG PACEY, The News Tribune
Central Kitsap ace known best for his switch-pitching, but college and pro scouts know him for his mature baseball savvy

Long before college coaches and professional baseball scouts recognized Drew Vettleson for the complete ballplayer he could become, he had made a name for himself by being an ambidextrous pitcher.
“That’s what I’ve always been known for,” Vettleson said, “the kid who can switch-pitch.”
Read more

Washington: Ambidextrous pitcher Vettleson an even better hitter

The Central Kitsap outfielder can pitch with both hands, but pro scouts are flocking to see what he can do with a bat.

By Nathan Joyce, MaxPreps, March 22, 2010


SILVERDALE — Drew Vettleson is known in baseball circles as an oddity. The Central Kitsap senior pitcher can throw with both hands, an extreme rarity.
Vettleson’s ambidextrous pitching dates back to when he was young. His parents played slow-pitch softball with their son in tow. His mom is lefthanded and his dad is righthanded. He would pick up either of their gloves and start throwing.
He’s primarily a righthander and can throw in the low 90s. He also throws a curveball and a changeup.


Videos

Draft 2010: Baldelli announces pick of OF Vettleson (video)

 Drew Vettleson talks at the 2010 Area Code Baseball Games in Long Beach. Jul 2, 2010


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fastball Velocity - How fast do kids throw?

How fast does a Little League pitcher throw? The average fastball is between 50-60 mph for a  pitcher in the Majors division of Little League (11-13 yo). Pitchers in the Little League World Series throw fastballs 60-70+ mph. Only a few pitchers touched 70+ mph in 2015 and 2016. One man-child hit 81 mph on the radar. This velocity is almost unhittable from 46 feet  and extremely rare for a 13 year old. #18 RHP Carlos Gonzalez - Panama 79-81 mph fastball  105 mph MLB equivalent reaction time #18 RHP Jaekyeong Kim - South Korea 75-76 mph fastball #19 RHP Ryan Harlost - Mid-Atlantic, Endwell, NY 71-74 mph fastball Threw a complete game to win the 2016 Little League World Series Loreto Siniscalchi , a 6'1" pitcher from Canada, threw in the mid 70s and completely dominated the hitters from Japan.  He led Team Canada to its first victory over Japan in 18 years. Big right-hander Isaiah Head from Kentucky threw 70-73 mph fastballs. His record was 3-0, 12 I
Post a Comment
Read more

Pitchers Glove Rules - Size and Color

What are the rules on a pitchers glove? According to the official baseball rules, a pitchers glove can be up to 12 inches in size , of any weight , and any color except white or gray as long as it is not distracting.  The Akadema ABX-00 glove, pictured above, is 12 inches,  solid black and is not distracting according to local umpires. Little League Rules Gray glove is not allowed for pitching  White glove is not allowed for pitching Little League Rule 1.14: Each fielder, other than the first baseman and the catcher may wear a glove not more than 12 inches long nor more than 7 3/4 inches wide, measured from the base of the thumb crotch to the outer edge of the glove. The glove may be of any weight. Little League Rule  1.15 (a) : The pitcher's glove may not, exclusive of the piping, be white or light gray, nor, in the judgment of an umpire, distracting in any manner. (source: Little League Baseball Rules Regarding Bats and Gloves ) Off
Post a Comment
Read more

Baseball Glove Options for Switch Pitchers

Custom made  Mizuno ambidextrous glove Looking for a glove for a switch pitcher? Before spending hundreds of dollars on a custom glove, please think about age of the player and how much time they will spend pitching. Here are glove options for ambidextrous pitchers, based on age: Age 3-5 Kids don't pitch at this age. They should be learning the proper way to throw. Young kids should try catching the ball with two hands. Use tennis balls or foam balls for throwing. Forget about the low quality plastic glove - it's in the landfill within a year. Gloves are awkward for young kids. If they learn two hand catch when they are young and continue with the skill, they will do well fielding balls when they are older. Learning to throw with both arms is easy at this stage. If a child can throw with either hand when they are three-years-old, it doesn't mean that they are talented or ambidextrous - it just means that they are a typical kid. Gloves:  Buy a small leath
7 comments
Read more