Switch Pitching 101

How does Pat Venditte warm up both arms in the bullpen? Pat Venditte talks about how he prepares to switch pitch: Having two arms to warm up also leads to specialized routine as far as getting ready in the pen, “If there is a group of lefties coming up and I’m coming in to face a lefty, then I’ll get the left one hot first. If it’s just a normal situation, I’ll go righty first, because it takes a little bit longer to get loose and I only need probably four or five throws to get loose lefty and then not very many pitches from the left side to get ready to go into the game. It’s just a different angle and it seems it’s a lot easier to get loose from the sidearm slot.” (source: CBS Pilly) In college, Pat Venditte dropped down to a sidearm angle, left-handed. The sidearm slot made his pitches more deceptive, plus it was easier for him to warm up. While he has thrown with both arms since childhood, he says it was at Creighton that the ability really started to be refined, “Freshman

Pat Venditte @ PatVenditte Follow Pat Venditte on Twitter Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte to be available in Rule 5 draft Matthew Pouliot Nov 18, 2011 The Yankees added 2B David Adams, OF Zoilo Almonte, INF Corban Joseph, RHP D.J. Mitchell and RHP David Phelps to the 40-man roster prior to Friday’s deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft, but they left switch-pitcher Pat Venditte off the list, making him eligible to be picked on Dec. 8. (hardballtalk.nbcsports.com) Injury News  Venditte hoping to avoid surgery on torn labrum By Steven Pivovar WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER Monday May 21, 2012 Former Creighton pitcher Pat Venditte, professional baseball’s only ambidextrous pitcher, has a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Venditte said Monday night that he is hoping to avoid surgery that would sideline him for around 10 months. He is currently rehabbing the injury at the New York Yankees’ training complex in Tampa, Fla. (source: O

Trenton’s Venditte An Effective Switch…Pitcher August 4, 2011 TRENTON, NJ (CBS)  – In the world of minor league baseball, you are liable to see just about anything. Teams utilize any kind of promotion or gimmick to draw attention to their respective squad. But there may be nothing as fascinating this season as the story emerging in the Double-A Trenton Thunder bullpen. And it’s anything but a gimmick. Pat Venditte was a 20th round draft pick of the Yankees back in 2008, out of Creighton. Now 26-years-old, Venditte is one of the top relievers for their Double-A team, the Thunder. And he is ambidextrous, having become an effective reliever with both his left and right arms. “I was three-years-old when my dad started working with me to pitch with both hands and it’s just been a work in progress ever since,” Venditte says. Read more Pat Venditte News 2012

Checking In On Baseball Oddity Pat Venditte   by Jack Moore - May 28, 2010 fangraphs.com In case you’re not familiar,  Pat Venditte  is a pitcher in the New York Yankees minor league system who has made some waves for his remakarkable talent: he’s a switch pitcher. Venditte pitches proficiently with both arms. His story made some national waves last year when an at-bat against a switch hitter led to  a bit of a debacle  (link includes video). Not only was Venditte’s season a point of interest for those into baseball trivia and oddities, he actually performed quite well. Although his age (23) was advanced for A and A+, it was only his second professional season, and so his 2.07 cumulative FIP and 2.24 FIP at A+ Tampa certainly  piqued the interest of some , although others  aren’t exactly convinced yet . Read more Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte delivers thrill for New York Yankees BY MARK FEINSAND DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Wednesday, March 31, 2010 LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - After CC Sa

Venditte Keeps On Rolling by Dave Cameron - April 15, 2009 (FanGraphs) Last year, Eric pointed you  to a video of  switch-pitcher  Pat Venditte  facing switch-hitter  Ralph Henriquez . The match-up was a sensation and led to “The Pat Venditte rule”, as the Professional Baseball Umpries Corporation issued an official ruling on how such situations should be handled going forward. Needless to say, Venditte has gotten significantly more recognition than most 20th round picks. However, with the way he’s pitched as a professional, he’s giving people reason to think that he might be more than a circus sideshow. Read more

Switch Pitchers - Class of 2015 Henry Knight throws deceptive changeups from both sides as a high school switch pitcher The Class of 2015 has only four notable ambidextrous pitchers, but they are very talented – with the skills to play multiple positions. Plus, they are solid hitters, which is becoming a trademark of ambi players. Below are highlights of ambidextrous high school baseball players from the class of 2015. ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- - Cole Critchfield  (2015) -  Star Valley High School,  Afton, Wyoming Cole Critchfield is a 6'2" athlete who plays basketball and baseball. In the summer, he plays P, 1B, and OF for the Jackson Giants of the American Legion. Read more about Cole Critchfield ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Tyler Hopman  (2015) - Old Bridge, New Jersey Tyler Hopman is a 6'2" switch pitcher who plays