Brewers select Port Jefferson native Brian Fitzpatrick in 10th round of MLB Draft
St. Anthony's relief pitcher Brian Fitzpatrick (23) delivers a pitch against Chaminade during the sixth inning of the game on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at St. Anthony's High School. Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
Brian Fitzpatrick already has the introduction down.
“This is Brian Fitzpatrick of the Milwaukee Brewers,” he said as a way of introduction on a phone call to Newsday on Monday night.
Fitzpatrick, 22, a Port Jefferson native and St. Anthony’s High School graduate, was selected 312th overall by the Brewers with the 26th pick in the 10th round of the MLB Draft on Monday.
“I’ve been thinking of this moment since I picked up a baseball,” said Fitzpatrick, a lefthanded pitcher who played three seasons at Rutgers. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet that I got drafted to a major-league organization. Which is kind of unbelievable to say but, at the same time, I put myself in a position to get where I am . . . It’s a dream-come-true kind of day.”
The call came moments before Fitzpatrick left his house to go throw.
“It was nearing the end of the day and I didn’t think that I was going to get drafted,” said Fitzpatrick, who was waiting for the call at his Port Jefferson home with family and friends. “One of my best friends was there and I said, ‘Hey, I still haven’t thrown today, do you mind if we just go and throw?’ I was walking out the door and I ended up getting the call from the Milwaukee Brewers.”
Fitzpatrick said he’s awaiting a minor-league assignment and is excited to join the Brewers’ organization.
Fitzpatrick started six games for Rutgers this season, pitching to a 3.91 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 23 innings. He was 3-1 and held hitters to a .214 batting average.
This summer, he was untouchable in four starts in the Cape Cod League, the premier college summer league in the country. He was 2-0 and didn’t allow a run in 19 innings. He struck out 19, walked two and yielded 11 hits for the Brewster Whitecaps.
