Nick Adenhart facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nick Adenhart |
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Adenhart pitching for the Salt Lake Bees in 2008
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: August 24, 1986 Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
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| Died: April 9, 2009 (aged 22) Orange, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| May 1, 2008, for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| April 8, 2009, for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 1–0 | ||
| Earned run average | 6.00 | ||
| Strikeouts | 9 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Nicholas James Adenhart (born August 24, 1986 – died April 9, 2009) was an American baseball pitcher. He played for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nick was a right-handed starting pitcher. He played in only four games during his career. In those games, he pitched 18 innings and had a record of one win and zero losses.
Nick graduated from Williamsport High School. He was a highly talented baseball player in high school. However, an injury in his last game required a special surgery called Tommy John surgery. The Angels still chose him in the 14th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft. After his surgery was successful, he began playing in their minor league teams.
He spent three full seasons in the minor leagues. Then, he made his first big league game on May 1, 2008. After playing in three games, Nick spent the rest of 2008 in the minor leagues. He worked on improving his skills. In 2009, he earned a spot in the Angels' main starting group of pitchers.
Sadly, just after pitching his first game of 2009, Nick Adenhart was killed in a car accident. Both the Angels and the Salt Lake Bees, where Nick played in 2008, canceled their next games. Many tributes were held for him throughout the season. His former teammates honored him by celebrating with one of his jerseys. This happened after they won the 2009 American League West division championship.
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Nick's Early Life and Baseball Start
Nicholas James Adenhart was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. He was the only son of Janet and Jim Adenhart. His father was a former United States Secret Service officer. Nick played Little League Baseball in Halfway, Maryland. He also attended Springfield Middle School in Williamsport, Maryland. He pitched for the Hagerstown PONY League for six years. His team won the Maryland District 1 title in 1999.
After middle school, Nick went to Saint Maria Goretti High School. There, he played shortstop and outfield, along with pitching. He was also a guard on the basketball team. That team won the Baltimore Catholic League championship. When he was 14, Nick joined the Oriolelanders. This was a special team for talented amateur players in Maryland. He played with them for four years. In 2003, at age 16, Nick pitched for the Youse's Maryland Orioles. They won the All American Amateur Baseball Association Tournament that year.
Nick later moved to Williamsport High School. He decided to stop playing basketball to focus only on baseball as a pitcher. Baseball scouts started watching him closely. Baseball America magazine named him the top junior player to watch.
High School Success and Injury
In his junior year, Nick had an amazing record of 6 wins and 0 losses. His earned run average (ERA) was very low at 1.04. Because of this, he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Maryland. In a playoff game, he pitched a "no-hitter" (meaning no one on the other team got a hit). He also struck out 14 batters.
Before his final high school season, Baseball America called Nick the best high school player in the country. In his senior year, Nick pitched a perfect game in his very first game. He struck out 15 of the 21 batters he faced. Before his last regular season game, he had a 5–1 record and a 0.73 ERA. He was striking out about 2.2 batters per inning. Nick had planned to play for the University of North Carolina baseball team. However, his chances of being picked high in the professional draft kept getting better.
In his final high school game, many scouts were watching. Nick felt a "pop" in his elbow after throwing a curveball. This injury ended his season suddenly. It was a partial tear in a ligament in his elbow. This meant he needed Tommy John surgery. He was expected to be a top draft pick. But the injury caused his draft position to drop significantly.
Nick's Professional Baseball Journey
Drafted and Minor League Play
Because of his injury, Nick was picked much later in the draft. The Anaheim Angels chose him as the 413th player overall in the 14th round. Angels scout Dan Radcliff and scouting director Eddie Bane convinced Nick to join the Angels. He chose this over a scholarship to the University of North Carolina. He signed with the team on July 26, 2004.
After his Tommy John surgery, Nick spent the next year recovering. He worked on strengthening his elbow at the Angels' training center. During this time, he also took classes at Arizona State University.
Nick played his first professional game on June 25, 2005. He played for the Orem Owlz, a Rookie League team for the Angels. He pitched well, allowing only one run and striking out seven batters. He spent the rest of 2005 with another Angels team in the Arizona League. In 13 games, he had 2 wins and 3 losses.
In 2006, at age 19, Nick was invited to train with the Angels' main team. He was considered one of the Angels' best young players. He played for the Cedar Rapids Kernels, a Low-A team. He pitched very well, winning 10 games and having a low 1.95 ERA. His great performance led him to play in the 2006 All-Star Futures Game. Soon after, he was promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, a High-A team. He continued to do well there. Nick also played for the U.S. Olympic Qualifying team in 2006.
In 2007, Nick became one of the top young players in all of baseball. He played for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers. He had 10 wins and 8 losses that season. The next year, Nick moved up to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees. He spent most of the 2008 season there. He was named the 24th-best young player in the major leagues that season. In April, he had a fantastic record of 4 wins and 0 losses.
Playing for the Los Angeles Angels (2008–2009)
Because of his strong performance, Nick was called up to the Angels' main team. He was set to make his first Major League start on May 1, 2008. He pitched against the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. At that time, he was the youngest pitcher playing in the major leagues. In his first game, he struggled, giving up five runs. Nick was disappointed, saying he felt he let his team down.
His second start was better. He pitched against the Kansas City Royals. His manager, Mike Scioscia, said it was "a start in the right direction." Nick earned his only career win on May 12, 2008. This was against the Chicago White Sox. The Angels won 10–7. After this win, Nick was sent back to the Salt Lake Bees. He spent the rest of 2008 there.
Going into 2009, Nick was again named the best young player in the Angels organization. He earned a spot in the Angels' starting group of pitchers for the 2009 season. He pitched well in spring training. Nick started the 2009 season as the third pitcher in the Angels' rotation. In his first game of 2009 on April 8, he pitched six innings. He gave up no runs and struck out five batters.
Nick's Tragic Death
Just after midnight on April 9, 2009, Nick Adenhart was in a car accident. This happened in Fullerton, California, only hours after his great game. Police said a driver in a minivan ran a red light. The minivan hit a car Nick was riding in. The car then crashed into a telephone pole. The driver of the car, Courtney Stewart, and another passenger, Henry Pearson, died at the scene.
Nick and another passenger, Jon Wilhite, were taken to the hospital. Sadly, Nick died from his injuries at the age of 22.
The minivan driver ran away from the crash site. However, police later arrested him. He was found guilty and sentenced to a long time in prison.
Remembering Nick Adenhart
Nick's family shared a message after his death. They thanked the Angels team for their support. They said Nick "lived his dream" and was part of a caring team. The Angels' General Manager, Tony Reagins, also shared his sadness.
The Angels team postponed their game the day after Nick's death. To remember Nick, the team wore a black number 34 patch on their uniforms for the rest of the 2009 season. This was Nick's jersey number. His locker at Angel Stadium remained untouched. A locker was also set aside for him during road games. The team hung one of Nick's jerseys in their dugout during games.
A black-and-white photo of Nick, with his name and number, was placed on the center field fence at Angel Stadium. Fans created a memorial outside the stadium gates. The Angels staff took care of this memorial.
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The Salt Lake Bees, the Angels' Triple-A team, also postponed their game. They wore a number 32 patch, which was Nick's number with their team. The number 32 was also painted on the grass in front of their dugout.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia dedicated his 2009 American League Manager of the Year Award to Nick.
The Angels created the Nick Adenhart Pitcher of the Year award. This award goes to an Angels pitcher who performs very well each season. The team also had a bronze statue of Nick made. It is displayed in the Angel Stadium trophy case. Smaller versions of the statue are given to the award winners.
Nick's family started the Nick Adenhart Memorial Fund. This fund helps youth baseball groups. It provides money for equipment and other costs to keep youth baseball going. The first donation from the fund went to the Halfway Little League in Halfway, Maryland. Two yearly events, the Nick Adenhart 5K Run and Walk and the Nick Adenhart Baseball Camp, help raise money for the fund.
Nick's number 21 jersey was retired by the Cedar Rapids Kernels, another Angels team, on June 20, 2010. The Kernels and Nick's family also created the Nick Adenhart Memorial Scholarship. The Orem Owlz, where Nick played briefly, wore special jerseys with his picture and number 34. The Little League field where Nick played in Halfway, Maryland, was renamed the Nicholas James Adenhart Memorial Field. The Hagerstown Suns baseball team held a fundraiser for the memorial fund. They also added Nick to their Wall of Fame. The city of Manhattan Beach built a special wall honoring all four victims of the crash.
Many baseball players remembered Nick. Angels pitcher Jered Weaver wrote Nick's initials "NA" in the dirt on the pitcher's mound before each game. Weaver also named his son Aden in Nick's memory. Mike Napoli, who was the catcher in Nick's last game, wrote Nick's name in the dirt before every game. Darren O'Day, who played with Nick in the minor leagues, wrote Nick's number and initials on his caps. Baltimore Orioles pitcher Miguel González wore one of Nick's gloves in his first major league game.
Nick Adenhart is buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Williamsport, Maryland. This is across the street from the middle school where he played baseball. A public memorial service was held at Williamsport High School.
The Angels did not let another player wear Nick's number 34 for many years. In 2022, Noah Syndergaard wore it with the Adenhart family's permission. Syndergaard's first game with the team was on April 9, 2022, the 13th anniversary of Nick's death.
See also
- List of baseball players who died during their careers
