Benjamin John Hendrickson (born February 4, 1981) is a former baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

. Hendrickson was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and originally signed with the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

in the tenth round of the

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...

First-Year Player Draft. He made his major league debut with the Brewers in , going only 1-8 with a 6.22

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

the same season he was named the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

after going 11-3 with a 2.02 ERA and 93 strike outs in 21 starts for the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which opene ...

. Hendrickson spent all of with the Brewers' triple A affiliate, the

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music industry, ...

, but was once again a major leaguer for . He struggled in his major league starts in early 2006, twice struggling to get out of the first inning. He was reassigned to Triple-A Nashville on May 21, 2006, after a dismal start against the Twins in which he allowed six runs on five hits and a walk without recording an out. He was the 14th pitcher in Brewers history to fail to record an out in a start and the first since Jamie McAndrew on August 28, . He went 9-8 with Nashville, and was named a

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

All-Star. He has a career major league ERA of 6.48 and has played in 13 games in his career, 10 in and 3 in . Hendrickson also has 58

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

s pitched. During

Spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

, Hendrickson was waived in order for Milwaukee to remove him from their 40-man roster. After clearing waivers, he was again assigned to Nashville, at which point he requested the team trade him. On March 27, Hendrickson was traded to the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...

in exchange for

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher ...

Max St. Pierre. After being released by the Royals during Spring training, Hendrickson signed a minor league contract with the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

and became a free agent at the end of the season. In February , he signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. On June 23, 2009 Hendrickson was released by the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...

. In October of 2018 Hendrickson was charged with cheating a post-baseball employer out of roughly $250,000 while working as its accountant, according to charges. While working for Floors Northwest in Fridley, MN, Hendrickson would alter the amount of cash received to make it look like less was collected from sales staff. Hendrickson deposited the lower amount and kept the rest. Nearly $160,000 of the money he stole was taken in the final two years of his employment. He also shifted $10,000 of the company’s money to a personal health care account that paid his medical bills. Hendrickson admitted to police that he stole from the company, but thought the total was between $50,000 and $75,000. He said he took the money “to help pay bills as he was working paycheck to paycheck and not getting ahead.”

References

External links

Minor League Splits and Situational StatsOmaha Storm Chasers Player Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hendrickson, Ben 1981 births Living people Baseball players from Minnesota Beloit Snappers players Durham Bulls players High Desert Mavericks players Indianapolis Indians players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Nashville Sounds players Ogden Raptors players Omaha Royals players Sportspeople from Bloomington, Minnesota Peoria Saguaros players Rochester Red Wings players