Chad Robert Bentz (born May 5, 1980) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), 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 played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

. Bentz grew up in

Juneau Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of wha ...

, and he made history on April 7, 2004, by becoming the second pitcher, after

Jim Abbott James Anthony Abbott (born September 19, 1967) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the California Angels, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, and Milwaukee Brewers, from 1989 to 1999. He w ...

, to play in the Major Leagues after being born without one of his hands. Bentz fielded and caught 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. He played in 36 games for Montreal in 2004, winning none and losing three, with an ERA of 5.86. He played only four games for Florida in 2005, pitching only two innings, and allowing seven earned runs. Bentz played for the

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

(

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

Triple-A),

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

(

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

Triple-A), and

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

(Cincinnati Reds Double-A) in . In , Bentz was invited to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

with the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

, but did not make the team. In , he pitched for the

Bridgeport Bluefish The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseb ...

of the independent

Atlantic League The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are loc ...

before being released on July 2. He briefly pitched for the American Defenders of New Hampshire of the

Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional baseball league with teams in Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States. Founded in 2005 in Dayton, Ohio, the league was for ...

, but was released June 12, 2009. In 2010, Bentz joined the football team at

Castleton State College Castleton University was a public university in Castleton, Vermont. In July 2023, Castleton University merged with Northern Vermont University and Vermont Technical College to form Vermont State University, of which it now serves as a branch ...

Castleton, Vermont Castleton is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. Castleton is about to the west of Rutland, the county's seat and most populous city, and about east of the New York/Vermont state border. The town had a population of 4,458 at the ...

. 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. In 2013, Bentz was named pitching coach for the Castleton State baseball program. Bentz returned to Juneau to be the athletic director and baseball coach at

Juneau-Douglas High School Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé (abbreviated JDHS and named Juneau-Douglas High School through 2019) is one of two high schools in Juneau, Alaska. It is one of two high schools for the Juneau School District, the other being Yaaḵ ...

in Juneau Alaska. Bentz is married to Caitlyn and has one daughter, Kyla, born in 2004 and twin sons, Riggs and Fisher, born in 2022.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bentz, Chad 1980 births Living people Albuquerque Isotopes players 21st-century American sportsmen American Defenders of New Hampshire players American disabled sportspeople American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball coaches from Alaska Baseball players from Alaska Brevard County Manatees players Bridgeport Bluefish players Carolina Mudcats players Castleton Spartans baseball coaches Castleton Spartans football players Charlotte Knights players Chattanooga Lookouts players Baseball players with disabilities Edmonton Trappers players Florida Marlins players Harrisburg Senators players Long Beach State Dirtbags baseball players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Montreal Expos players Nashua Pride players Sportspeople from Juneau, Alaska People from Seward, Alaska Vermont Expos players Anchorage Glacier Pilots players