A’s Sign Guy Who Hit 96 Mph During In-stadium Pitch-speed Challenge

There's shooting your shot for a job on Twitter, but what about pitching your pitch? That appears to have worked for A's free-agent signing Nathan Patterson.

Patterson signed a minor league contract with Oakland on Thursday, just 17 days after his brother tweeted a video of him hitting 96 mph at a speed pitch challenge during a Colorado Rockies game at Coors Field.

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! pic.twitter.com/g0fKrvUxzt— Christian Patterson (@cpatterson_7) July 15, 2019

View this post on Instagram

"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, 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 Aug 1, 2019 at 2:10pm PDT

While Patterson might have gone viral within the last two weeks, he seems to have been working at this for quite some time. Since January, he has posted footage on Instagram and Twitter of himself training at Parker Sports Performance in Nashville, Tennessee, and Patterson tweeted in June that he topped out at 95 mph in a game.

Sports

Steph Curry 5 hours ago

Warriors provide encouraging update on Steph's injury before Game 5

MLS 4 hours ago

San Jose Earthquakes host Lionel Messi, Inter Miami in highly anticipated match

2019 Draft Eligable
-Fastball 92-95
-Changeup 81-84
-Slider 79-82

Cast 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

View this post on Instagram

Happy to be back playing the game I love. Been a wild ride so far but this is just the beginning!

A post shared by Nathan Patterson (@njpatterson12) on Feb 12, 2019 at 5:26am PST

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

Looking for market inefficiencies has been in the A's DNA since "Moneyball," but this feels more like something out of "The Rookie." Give or take a few years, at least, since Patterson's Facebook page lists him as 23 years old.

Of course, Patterson's story by itself has the makings of a true-to-life tale. He surely hopes signing Thursday is just the beginning.