Chad Bentz

Who is Chad Bentz?

Chad Robert Bentz is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Bentz grew up in Juneau, and he made history on April 7, 2004 by becoming the second pitcher, after Jim Abbott, to play in the major leagues after being born without one of his hands. Bentz fields and catches with his glove the same way Abbott did when he played in the 1980s and early 1990s. Like Abbott, Bentz has a deformed right hand. As a freshman in college, Bentz met Abbott who became his mentor.

Bentz played for the Charlotte Knights, Louisville Bats, and Chattanooga Lookouts in 2006. In 2007, Bentz was invited to spring training with the Colorado Rockies, but did not make the team. In 2008, he pitched for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League before being released on July 2. He briefly pitched for the American Defenders of New Hampshire of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, but was released June 12, 2009.

In 2010, Bentz joined the football team at Castleton State College in Castleton, Vermont. His weight then up to 265 pounds, Bentz was a running back for the NCAA Division III program. He appeared in nine games that season, gaining 29 yards on 12 carries and scoring twice. Bentz did not return to the program for the 2011 season.