Being a switch hitter in baseball is a desirable trait for any player to have. But being a switch pitcher? That’s on a whole other level of usefulness.
You may remember Pat Venditte, the first ambidextrous pitcher in the Majors since Greg A. Harris to pitch from both his right and left arm. Venditte last pitched in the majors for the Seattle Mariners in 2016. He appeared in 8.2 innings for the Blue Jays prior to being traded to Seattle and is currently on the Philadelphia Phillies’ Triple-A squad.
While Venditte hasn’t found the success you imagine a platoon pitcher would, he certainly captivated the baseball community, and even the sports world, for his unique ability. While Venditte’s career hasn’t panned out quite like you might think, the distinctive capability is making its mark.
Enter Kris Armstrong, a 17-year-old ambidextrous high school chucker out of Palm Beach Gardens who’s committed to Florida.
Kris’ dad, Jack Armstrong, is a former MLB pitcher that spent seven years in the majors split between the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Florida Marlins and Texas Rangers.
Not to be confused with our TSN basketball analyst, Armstrong was an all-star in 1990 with the Reds. He passed down the baseball genes to his sons, Jack Jr. (a 2011 Astros third-round pick) and Kris. You could say the old man inadvertently and indirectly taught his son the ability to pitch from both sides. In an interview with MLB.com’s Jessica Kleinschmidt, Kris explained how the ambidexterity unfolded.
"My dad gives private lessons, and he keeps extra gloves around. I threw against the wall one day [from the left side] and I don't know why I did it to be honest, maybe to preserve my arm."
Kris was born naturally as a righty, and his velocity sits in the low 90’s range. But as a southpaw, he can touch the mid 80’s, which makes him a dual threat from both sides. Once he gets more comfortable throwing from his left-side and develops some secondary pitches, watch out. Could Benjamin high school pitcher be the next Pat Venditte? Perhaps, but he might be something more spectacular.
What makes him even more special is that he’s capable from batting from both sides of the plate as well, unlike Venditte, who can throw from “both” sides, but only bats left.
Imagine, a dual threat from both the plate and the mound.
(H/T Cut4).
