In high school, Chad Patrick pitched well but couldn’t grab attention from college coaches. Chad could throw a great fastball, but his off-speed pitches were only so-so.
The turning point in his career came when he joined the Traverse City Pit Spitters in the the Northwoods League, a prestigious summer league for college players. Now he’s in the big leagues.
While at Hebron High School in Indiana, Chad could throw around 88 miles an hour—above average for a high school athlete, but the pros were looking for more. To pursue his dreams, Chad played college baseball at Purdue University Northwest. While playing there, his fastball quickly earned recognition from the Traverse City Pit Spitters, who were hoping to add him to their prestigious roster.
When he joined the Pit Spitters, he played alongside top draft prospects who showed him what it took to be a professional baseball player. Chad soon learned from his fellow pitchers that blowing fastballs by batters would not last very long in the Northwoods League. Chad would have to work more intensively on his slider and changeup if he had any aspirations to pitch at the next level.
“They taught me how to become a great pitcher instead of a guy that can just throw the ball hard,” Patrick told Michigan Enjoyer.
The Traverse City Pit Spitters were the Northwoods League champions while Patrick was there in 2019. With this success on the field, fans came out in droves to see this talented team play.
Some of these talented players included current Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach as well as Kansas City Royals farmhand Andrew Hoffmann. Both pitched alongside Patrick and shaped his pitching style.
After that summer, Patrick got to work and never looked back.
The Northwoods League touts some top MLB alumni, including players like Pete Alonso and Tigers hero Curtis Granderson. Patrick says playing alongside some of America’s top prospects taught him a lot, including work ethic.
“While I was in Traverse City, I learned how hard you have to work to be a great player,” Patrick told the Enjoyer.
In his first year with the Pit Spitters, he etched a 3.75 earned run average. With his newfound work ethic and God-given fastball, he developed himself into a formidable pitcher.
Patrick was selected for the Northwoods League All-Star team and also invited to the Major League Dreams Showcase, where some of the top talent from the Northwoods League attends to compete in front of MLB scouts.
While Chad only threw a couple of innings and recorded a few strikeouts, this was enough to gain the attention from major league scouts. This is when the tide turned in his baseball career.
“I began to believe in myself and realized that I could play at the next level,” Patrick said. “Some really good players were telling me that I was a nasty pitcher.”
“This gave me a lot of hope that I could become something special.”
Something special he became. In his last year on his college team, Purdue University Northwest, Patrick garnered All-American honors with 97 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched.
That same year, he was selected in the 4th round of the 2021 MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, which included a $350,000 dollar signing bonus.
After a couple of trades and three years in the minors, Chad finally got the call to attend spring training with the Milwaukee Brewers.
“I was about to head home from spring training when I got a call telling me I was not allowed to leave,” Patrick said.
He knew exactly what that meant. Soon after, he was congratulated by his fellow coaches and teammates on the great accomplishment of being called up to the major leagues.
His first stop in his MLB career was none other than the baseball cathedral of Yankee Stadium. While his first appearance only included one inning pitched and one earned run, Patrick got his feet wet enough and has had an impressive start to his major league career.
Patrick currently holds a 2.45 earned run average in five games started for the Brewers.
“I was overjoyed,” Patrick recalls. “It was something I had always dreamed of as a kid. It felt like such an amazing reward for all the work I put in.”
Patrick’s journey to the major leagues warms the heart of any Michigan baseball fan. Let it be a sign of hope to all MLB hopefuls.
Through hard work and listening to the right people, you can become the best version of yourself.
Ray Hilbrich is a minor league baseball player in Utica, Michigan. He is an avid enjoyer of sports, America, and a good cigar.
