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About three weeks ago, 23-year-old Nathan Patterson made news for signing a minor league contract with the Oakland A’s in one of the most unlikely, and completely awesome, stories we’ve seen in sports in some time.
Patterson’s incredible story got its big boost when his brother, Christian, filmed a video of Nathan lighting up the radar gun at the fan booth on the Coors Field concourse to the tune of 96 MPH.
https://twitter.com/cpatterson_7/status/1150829879476260864
That video mixed in with a few previous videos his brother posted to Twitter was enough to warrant the attention of numerous college scouts who asked Nathan to contact them.
Free Agent still looking for an opportunity! First time pitching in a live game in 6 years (since junior year high school)
2 IP
22 Pitches
4 K's/2 Groundouts/0 Walks
Fastball 91-93 T95
Slider 78-80@FlatgroundApp @PitchingNinja pic.twitter.com/kyQXHQvS0R— Nathan Patterson (@npatterson_12) June 26, 2019
2019 Draft Eligable
-Fastball 92-95
-Changeup 81-84
-Slider 79-82Cast comes off in 2 weeks and will start getting the upper body back in shape. You can count on upper 90’s very soon. Any feedback is appreciated!@FlatgroundApp pic.twitter.com/FWxq2rQuE7
— Nathan Patterson (@npatterson_12) January 20, 2019
Someone else who was paying attention to Patterson’s videos was the person in charge of signing prospects for the Oakland A’s, who signed him to a freaking contract.
And 2 weeks later...he’s now a professional athlete. @Athletics @MLB pic.twitter.com/zLnwQKMcRH
— Christian Patterson (@cpatterson_7) August 2, 2019
Patterson wrote, “…for those who tell you that you can’t achieve your dreams, use that as fuel to work even harder. Because those people are the ones that settle. I’m grateful for the @athletics organization for giving me this opportunity!
“This story is not over. It is not the beginning. I am writing the next chapters and excited for this journey! Time to focus even more, work even harder, and it all starts with your mindset. Go after your dreams and make them a reality!”
He wasn’t kidding.
On Thursday, Patterson officially made his professional baseball debut in the Rookie-level Arizona League… and struck out the side. Seriously.
“”Last night was incredible and truly a blessing as I made my first professional outing,” Patterson wrote on Instagram.
I’m not gonna lie, the nerves were flowing until I threw strike one. After that, I took a big deep breathe (sic) and realized all the hard work over the last year has prepared me for this moment. It could not have gone any better and I cannot thank my family, friends, teammates, and coaches enough for the love and support.
“I still have a long ways to go and I love that aspect of this journey. It takes discipline, focus, and consistency day in and day out to be able to compete in professional baseball. I wake up everyday excited to get better and push myself beyond my own expectations. It’s amazing what can happen when you set a goal, take it one day at a time, knock down any barriers, and look back after a few months or years to see what you have accomplished. As @garyvee says ‘macro patience, micro speed!’ #LFG”
#LFG indeed. What a story.