March 17, 2008
Getting the Finger
Tyler Kepner notes the progress of Scott Patterson from independent league starter to consideration for the Yankees bullpen. It's all thanks to a finger injury:
Patterson is here because of his overwhelming success as a relief pitcher, first for the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League and the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League. His acumen for the bullpen earned him a spot with the Yankees' Class AA affiliate in 2006, but it would never have happened without a freak injury.
"I stubbed my finger in a door at my host family's house in Lancaster," Patterson said. "They brought me back slowly and said, 'Could you work out of the pen?' It was my first time ever doing that, and I just let it go for an inning. I was up to 90, 91, 92 miles an hour, and I was like, This could be good; let me stay here for a little bit."
He mixes his fastball with a slow curve. Since his last stint with Gateway, he's been a full time reliever. In that time he's struck out 208 batters in 166 1/3 innings while walking 36. That's someone worth a look in the majors, especially if you want to move Chamberlain to the rotation at some point.
Posted by David Pinto at
12:44 PM
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