Sports

Naugatuck Pitcher is One Step Closer to 'The Show!'

Pat Dean gets called up to triple-A affiliate for the Minnesota Twins.

Greg Dean got a call from his son around 1 a.m. Sunday with a somewhat odd request considering the late hour.

“I need a ride to the airport in a few hours,” Pat Dean said.

The timing of the call and request might have been abnormal had it not been for what Pat Dean does for a living: he’s a minor league baseball player working his way to the big leagues.

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As they say, you never know when the call is going to come. And for Pat Dean, the latest good call in his career came just after midnight Sunday: he needed a ride because he just got a little closer to that league they call, simply, 'the show.' He has been promoted to the triple-A Rochester, N.Y., Red Wings, and is now one step away from the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball. 

Pat Dean, 24, has been the pride of Naugatuck since he graduated from Naugatuck High School in 2007 and went on to play for Div. 1 Boston College on a scholarship.

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The left-handed pitcher soared to success with the B.C. Eagles and was drafted in the spring of 2010 into the Twins organization in the third round. At the end of the 2011 season, he was called up to double-A ball and pitched one game for the New Britain Rock Cats in front of a large Naugatuck fan base. The following year, he went back to the Twins’ single-A franchise, the Fort Meyers Miracle, where he was a mid-season all-star last year. He was called up to the Rock Cats at the beginning of this season, and he remained there until 1 a.m. Sunday.

“Our game got over late and after the game (the coach) called me in and said you could be going for a couple of games or you could be going for good,” Dean told Patch. “He told me it’s better to pack like I’m going to be there for a while, so that’s what I did. I hope I can prove myself and maybe they will keep me around. I’m extremely grateful to the organization for this opportunity.”

He pitched more innings than any other Rock Cats pitcher this season, compiling a 6-11 record with 125 innings pitched, a 4.68 ERA (earned run average) and a 1.34 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched).

Dean started the season a little slow but has come on strong in recent starts. On July 11, he gave up six hits in a shutout against the Trenton, N.J., Thunder, and earned division pitcher of the week honors.

In his last start on July 31, he gave up just two runs on seven hits in a win over the Akron, Ohio, Aeros.

“I’ve been pitching pretty well of late, and I think they see I’m getting better every outing,” he said.

On Monday night, Dean will pitch his first triple-A game against none other than the Durham Bulls, the same team made famous by the 1988 Hollywood movie Bull Durham starring Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon.

If Dean is worried about playing arguably the most famous minor league ball club in the nation, he’s certainly not showing it.

“Not at all,” he said when asked if he's nervous. “The game doesn’t change. I still have to throw strikes; I still have to get guys out.”

Dean says he’s throwing his four-seam fastballs between 87-and-91-mph and hitting between 85-and-88-mph with his sinker.

“I’m really learning how to pitch this season,” he said. “I’m learning that even though I’m not throwing 95 mph, I need to be able to go inside to hitters with fastballs and keep hitters honest. I need to be able to control the inside corner (of the plate) and hit corners. …I’ve got to keep the ball down in the zone and change speeds. If I can keep hitters off balance, I’m going to have success.”

Dean says he’s still far from playing in the majors. He’s not on the Twins' 40-man roster – the list of players signed to a Major League contract who can be called up to play in MLB games – and says he’s not thinking about that at this point. All he is thinking about is his next start.

“I try not to think too far ahead, but I definitely plan on making a career out of this,” he said. “I’m in a good spot. This is a great organization, and I’m really excited about where I’m at right now.”

The Twins drafted Dean in his junior year at B.C., but he finished school that December with a degree in elementary education.

He has substitute taught at schools in Naugatuck, where students frequently asked for his autograph. The kids love seeing a pro ball player who once played for the same schools, on the same fields, as they do now. 

“It’s nice to go back home and go to a store where people recognize me,” he said. “To have a small little bit of celebrity back home is great. I appreciate all of the support I’ve been getting back home.”


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