A few weeks ago, Nathan Patterson and his brother attended a Colorado Rockies game at Coors Field in Denver, and Nathan stepped into a cage in the stadium concourse to test his pitching skills.
He topped out at 96 mph, and Christian Patterson made a case for his brother on Twitter:
“Guys, we were just chillin at a @rockies baseball game, and my brother decided to step into a speed pitch challenge…he hit 96 mph. @MLB Let’s get him signed!”
And the Oakland Athletics did just that, signing him to a contract on Thursday.
Patterson already was on the A’s radar after hitting 96 mph on the gun at a Nashville Sounds game last August. At the time, the Sounds were the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate.
Feeling inspired by that performance – now 23, he hadn’t pitched since high school — he began training, MLB.com reported. Then, last fall, his training was briefly derailed when he required surgery on his non-throwing arm after being hit by a car.
He had casual conversations with the A’s this spring before taking his chances with the speed machine at Coors Field. Once Christian Patterson posted a video on social media, the Athletics got in touch, MLB.com reported.
And on Thursday, Nathan Patterson signed a contract with the A’s at their facility in Mesa, Ariz.
“Words cannot describe this feeling and I cannot thank everyone enough who has been part of this journey so far!,” he posted to social media along with a photo of his contract signing.