Minnesota Twins
Rookie, Pat Neshek, was born September 4, 1980 in Madison,
Wisconsin. He attended high school in Brooklyn Park,
Minnesota and attended Butler University (IN). He holds
Butler's single-game (18), single-season (118) and career
strikeout (280) records. He was drafted by the Twins
in 2002 in the 6th round.
In 2003, he was named the Twins
John Deere Pitcher for April, going 2-0 with 3 saves
and a 0.00 ERA. He was also selected for the mid-season
All-Star team. He was then promoted to Fort Myers. In
2002, he finished second in Appalachian League and fifth
in Twins organization in saves. He was also named best
Bullpen Stopper (0.52, 3-2, 14 saves), and best strikeout
pitcher & control pitcher on the River Bandits in
2003 by MWLGuide.com. Pat started the 2005 season with
a 1.55 ERA and 32 saves.
Pat has a very funky, unique pitching style. He starts
his delivery by bending down at the waist and crouches
so low his glove nearly touches the ground. Then he
straightens up and flings the ball home at a sidearm
angle. "Minor-league hitters, especially in the
lower levels, are not used to seeing pitches at that
angle," Miracle manager Jose Marzan said. "It
works for him." His sidearm delivery is effective
because he can throw hard at that angle. His fastball
tops out at 92 mph.
Pat Neshek didn't purposely create his delivery. It
happened by accident. He was hit on his right forearm
by a line drive during his last high school game in
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. When he returned from the
injury two weeks later, Pat— who had always thrown
the ball over the top — was pitching sidearm.
In addition to his unique pitching style,
he is one of few players to maintain his own website
and offer autographs from it as a hobby to reach out
to fans. Pat said that even a big-league promotion—always
possible with the small-market Twins—would not
alter his outlook on reaching out to fans. One aspect
he may be forced to change is offering his autograph
through the website, which costs him only $50 a year
to maintain, but generates a fair amount of paperwork.
n
Pat Neshek was recently named the #25 relief pitching
prospect in minor league baseball, but is expected to
spend the 2006 season in the minor leagues – much
to the dismay of the local Minnesota fan base!
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