Name: Nicholas James Adenhart
Nickname: Nick
Born: August 24, 1986 in Silver Springs, MD, US
Position: Starting Pitcher
Throws: Right
Number: 34
Bats: Right
Years as an Angel: 2008-2009
Angels Stats: 1-0, 18 IP, 6.00 ERA
Minor League Stats: 37-28, 506.2 IP, 3.87 ERA
How Acquired: Selected in the 14th round of the 2004 draft.
Why You Should Know Him: Nick Adenhart will always be remembered as the young pitcher who tragically lost his life in car accident at the age of 22. The accident occurred hours after Adenhart pitched the best game of his brief Major League career. Adenhart was a beloved teammate and the 2009 Angels dedicated the season to honor his memory.
Prior to drafting him, the Angels’ Director of Scouting, Eddie Bane, followed Nick's senior year in High School closely. Nick threw a perfect game in his very first outing, striking out 15 of the 21 batters that he faced. By the end of the regular season, he had a 5-1 record, a 0.73 ERA and an average of 2.2 strikeouts per inning.
Adenhart was projected as a top 10 draft pick, but he suffered a partial ligament tear in his elbow, in his final regular season high school game, just two weeks before the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft. This forced Nick to have Tommy John surgery and dropped him to the 413th overall pick in the 14th round. The Angels were happy to select him there. Nick quickly established himself as one of the best pitching prospects in the Angels’ Minor League system and quickly rose through the organization. Most baseball people believe that if Nick had not been killed, that Nick would have been a very good Major League pitcher.
Most Memorable Game: April 8, 2009 v Oakland A’s at Angels Stadium. Adenhart threw six shutout innings, striking out five. He battled through some tough situations early in the game, pitching with a Major League confidence level.
Anecdotes and Quotes: “We were just kind of reminiscing about what Nick brought to the team, to the clubhouse. He was a very funny kid and he's going to be missed.” Torii Hunter a day after the death of Nick Adenhart.
Where is he now: Nick Adenhart died on April 9, 2009 in Fullerton, CA shortly after midnight. Police reported that Andrew Thomas Gallo who was driving a red Toyota Sienna minivan ran a red light, hitting a gray Mitsubishi Eclipse in which Adenhart was a passenger, sending the Mitsubishi crashing into a telephone pole. Gallo had a blood alcohol content of .19 percent two hours after the crash. He was also driving with a suspended license. On June 8, 2009, Gallo entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment. A Superior Court judge in Orange County, California, has postponed Gallo's trial for six months at the defense's request, with a new start date of April 19, 2010.
On July 3rd AngelsWin.com presented two large photo collages in a cherry wood frame of Nick Adenhart's minor league and major league photos and presented them to Angels' Vice President of Communications Tim Mead to deliver to both the father and mother of Nick Adenhart.
See also the following stories on Nick Adenhart:
http://angelswinblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/nick-adenhart-tribute-video.html
http://angelswinblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/angelswin.html
http://angelswinblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/day-angels-baseball-died.html
http://angelswinblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/baseball-marked-its-time.html
http://angelswinblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/adenhart-gives-it-another-try.html
http://angelswinblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/angelswin-top-50-angels-prospects.html
Contributed by Kevin Mark - AngelsWin.com Columnist
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