For some unexplainable reason the city of Louisville has produced its share of major league pitchers; I don’t really know why but it’s the truth.
And, yet another example of that is Todd Wellemeyer who first came to the attention of baseball scouts while at his alma mater Bellarmine University.
Before even graduating Wellemeyer got the call to the bigs from the Chicago Cubs in 2003, instantly finding success against the Milwaukee Brewers pitching three strike-outs in a 17 inning game. Despite continually delivering strong performances Wellemeyer was traded to the Florida Marlins in 2006, playing with them for only a brief time before moving to the Kansas City Royals.
It wasn’t until he made his way to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2007 though that he really had his breakout. Garnering the best pitcher ERA on the team and finishing in the top 20 pitchers in the league in both wins and ERA.
More recently Wellemeyer was signed to the farm system for the San Francisco Giants in 2010, prior to his eventual retirement from baseball in May of that year after eight years in the majors.
Still a young guy it’s difficult to tell where Wellemeyer will go from here- be it in commentating, coaching, or leaving the game entirely to pursue other interests but Wellemeyer’s raw talent and abilities are hard to ignore.
Despite being shuffled around the league his positive attitude and skills always followed Wellemeyer, and perhaps his career would have been prolonged had he been able to find steadier ground but as it is there’s no question that Todd Wellemeyer is a Sports legend of the Ville.
Outside Sources
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