Oakland A's Sign Baseball Fan Nathan Patterson After He Throws 96 mph Fastball

Throughout Billy Beane's career as general manager, the Oakland Athletics proved to be a team that [...]

By John Newby

Throughout Billy Beane's career as general manager, the Oakland Athletics proved to be a team that utilized unique strategies for achieving victory. This trend has continued once again now that the A's have awarded a contract to an unlikely figure.

Thursday, the A's signed a 23-year-old pitcher named Nathan Patterson to a contract after he threw a 96 mph fastball at a Colorado Rockies game. A fairly standard transaction overall, but what made this contract unique is that Patterson hasn't played competitive baseball since high school.

Back in mid-July, Patterson stepped into the speed pitch challenge on the Coors Field concourse, an attraction that lets prospective pitchers test their arm talent against radar guns. Patterson started with a 91 mph throw before upping the speed on each toss. He topped out at 96 mph before calling it quits.

Nathan's brother, Christian Patterson, captured the entire sequence of events on camera and posted the video to Twitter. The clip went viral, and Patterson was signing a deal with the A's a mere two weeks later.

However, the young pitcher's journey doesn't boil down to simply showing up and going viral. No, he actually began seriously considering professional baseball last August at a Nashville Sounds game. Patterson threw a 96 mph fastball that day, which he found surprising, according to MLB.com.

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“How can you not be romantic about baseball” -Billy Beane Words cannot describe this feeling and I cannot thank everyone enough who has been part of this journey so far! My family has given me nothing but constant love and support throughout the last 9 months as I pursue a dream of mine that I’ve had since I was a little kid. It’s been a roller coaster to get here with many challenges and overcoming adversity. I’m grateful for all the trainers, coaches, friends, @rsrbaseball and everyone else who has supported me thus far! And 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!

A post shared by Nathan Patterson (@njpatterson12) on

Patterson started training and utilizing an app called FlatGround that lets pitchers showcase their talents for scouts. His journey hit a snag when he was hit by a car and needed surgery on his non-throwing wrist, but Patterson never stopped throwing.

Patterson ultimately began talking with the A's in February 2019. He kept training, throwing, and even joined a men's league to stay fresh. Once he proved that he could hit 96 mph on a routine basis, he received a life-changing call from the A's.

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