Pat Neshek Information & Pat Neshek Links at HealthHaven.com

**Pat Neshek**
Pat Neshek
;
	Minnesota Twins — No. 17
	Relief pitcher
	Born: September 4, 1980 (age 29); Madison, Wisconsin
Bats: Switch	Throws: Right
MLB debut
	July 7, 2006 for the Minnesota Twins
Career statistics; (through 2008 season)
Win-Loss	11-5
Earned run average	2.91
Strikeouts	142
Teams
	Minnesota Twins (2006-2008, 2010-present);

Patrick J. Neshek (born September 4, 1980 in Madison, Wisconsin) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. Neshek is a graduate of Park Center Senior High School in Minnesota and of Butler University.

[edit] Early career

At Park Center High School, he was named to the All-State team. At Butler University, Neshek was a three year letter winner and holds school records for strikeouts in a single-game (18 vs. Detroit, April 15, 2001), strikeouts in a single-season (118, 2001) and career (280) strikeout records. During the 2005 season, Neshek led all minor league Twins players in saves.

Neshek was originally selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 45th round (1337th overall) of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft, but Neshek didn't sign and went onto Butler. Neshek was later drafted in the sixth round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft as the 182nd overall pick. He signed with the Twins that year and was assigned to the Twins Rookie level team. Neshek spent four years in the minor leagues, pitching 293.1 innings in 206 games. In those 293.1 innings, Neshek accumulated 367 strikeouts, a 16-12 record and an ERA of just 2.18.

[edit] Major League career

[edit] 2006 season

In his major league debut, Neshek pitched two innings and allowed just one hit. On July 30, 2006, Neshek got his first career win against the Detroit Tigers after he only pitched ⅓ of an inning.

[edit] 2007 season

Neshek began the 2007 season posting a 2-0 April record with a 2.25 ERA. In May he gave up six hits in 13.2 innings pitched, had eighteen strikeouts and posted a very impressive 0.66 ERA.^[1] On July 1, 2007, Neshek was chosen to be 1 of the 5 players in the final vote for the All-Star game along with Jeremy Bonderman, Kelvim Escobar, Roy Halladay, and Hideki Okajima. The spot went to Okajima, despite a campaign by Twins fans and national sports blogs to "Pitch in for Pat".^[2] Neshek finished third in voting.

Neshek recorded his first loss of the season against the New York Yankees on July 5. After losing to the Yankees, Neshek won three games in fourteen days improving his record to 6-1. He posted a 3.97 ERA during the month of July. He lost his second game, but won his seventh game bringing his season record to 7-2, posting a 5.06 ERA for the month. On September 20, the Twins shut Neshek down for the season because of shoulder/elbow fatigue.^[3]

Neshek ended the season with a 7-2 win-loss record appearing in 74 games for a total of 70.1 innings pitched and a 2.94 ERA.^[4]

[edit] 2008 season

Prior to the beginning of the 2008 season, Neshek became a vegan.

In his first three appearances, Neshek allowed only one hit in 3.1 innings pitched and had a 0.00 ERA. Then Neshek was placed on the 60-day disabled list with a tear of the UCL and missed the rest of the season. On November 11, 2008, it was announced that he would undergo ligament replacement surgery, more commonly known as Tommy John surgery, and miss the 2009 season. He went under the knife a week later, on November 18th.

[edit] 2009 season

Pat is scheduled to miss the entire 2009 season due to Tommy John surgery. He is slated to return in Spring of 2010. ^[5]

[edit] Pitching style

Neshek has a very unorthodox style of delivery that could best be described as something between side-arm and submarine. He developed it after being struck in the forearm with a ball in high school by C.J. Woodrow (a former Philadelphia Phillies farmhand). He then began to throw side arm and play shortstop due to his injury. When it healed, he couldn't change back to over the shoulder and his unique delivery stayed the way it is. He still has a lump in his forearm where he was struck.

The delivery has earned mention on SportsCenter as well as Baseball Tonight. Professional baseball scouts have had a divided opinion on the issue. Some were worried that this violent-looking delivery would lead to arm problems. Others considered the delivery to be an asset, as right-handed batters have a very difficult time seeing the ball. For example, Jose Marzan, his former manager with the Single-A Fort Myers Miracle believes that one of Neshek's greatest strengths is his ability to have enough strength to throw hard from such an angle, as his fastball tops out around 96 mph (154 km/h). Neshek has had great success in both the minor and major leagues as a reliever, averaging more than a strikeout per inning pitched.

Neshek suffered an injury during the 2008 season, tearing the UCL in his pitching arm. This injury ultimately required Tommy John surgery, which sidelined Neshek for the 2009 season.

[edit] Personal website

Neshek has created his own website, which he runs entirely on his own. It is for his fans to interact and talk about collecting autographs. He has been known to auction off some of his game-used items in exchange for memorabilia. The site has over four thousand members. Neshek himself is also an avid autograph collector.^[6]

[edit] Career statistics

Year	Team	League	G/GS	W-L	ERA	IP	R	ER	BB	K
2006	MIN	AL	32/0	4-2	2.19	37.0	9	9	6	53
2007	MIN	AL	74/0	7-2	2.94	70.1	25	23	27	74
2008	MIN	AL	15/0	0-1	4.73	7	7	4	15

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Official Website

[0] ESPN - Pat Neshek Game Logs

[1] Great The OTHER Japanese Red Sox Pitcher Won: Bad Day For Neshek

[2] ESPN - Neshek might be ready to stop pitching this season

[3] The Official Site of The Minnesota Twins: Team: Player Information

[4] A Sad Day: No Pat Neshek in 2009 for Twins

[5] On The Road With Pat Neshek

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