Pat Neshek was born in Madison, Wisconsin but attended Park Center High School in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota where he was an all-state pitcher. The Minnesota Twins drafted Neshek in round 45 after Neshek graduated from high school in 1999 but he said no to pro ball and went on to attend Butler University. The Twins drafted him again in 2002, this time in the sixth round and this time the Twins got their man.
Like a lot of Twins before him, Neshek started his pro career in Elizabethton and worked his way up the big league ladder until he made his major league debut on July 7, 2006 at Ameriquest Field in a 9-4 Twins loss to the Rangers. Pat pitched the final two innings for the Twins keeping the Rangers off the board allowing just one hit and striking out one of the seven batters he faced.
Neshek pitched for the Twins from 2006-2010 but missed the entire 2009 season due to injury. The Twins lost Neshek in March 2011 to a waiver claim by the San Diego Padres. Since then Neshek has been in high demand as a reliever pitching for the Padres, The A’s, the Cardinals, and this past season for the Phillies and the Rockies. Neshek, now a two-time all-star has 11 big league seasons in the books and expects to pitch in the majors in 2018 barring anything unforseen.
Todate Neshek has pitched in 494 games and has a 33-22 record with an outstanding 2.75 ERA. In 445.2 innings Neshek has struck out 447 batters…. The Twins could use him in their bullpen in 2018.
Neshek is an avid card collector and has his own website at www.patneshek.com .
Redbirds’ Neshek is a real card … collector, that is