One of the Okotoks Dawgs ' most valuable pitchers during the 2011 season has earned a minor league contract with the Major League Baseball club he grew up cheering for.
Right handed pitcher Andrew Kittredge, who appeared as a starter and reliever for the Dawgs, has signed a minor-league contract with the Seattle Mariners — the team he idolized growing up in Spokane.
Kittredge wrestled with the decision to either sign with the Mariners and report to their single A affiliate, the Everett AquaSox, or play with the renowned Lewis and Clark State College ball club in Idaho.
“ It was actually one of the deciding factors,” Kittredge said of his chance to play in his home state. “ I was right there in the middle with what I was going to do and to get a chance to play in Everett I looked at the schedule and saw that the week after I ' d get there we ' d go to Spokane, which is my hometown.”
“ It ' s kind of cool to be local and to have a chance to play for the team I rooted for growing up,” said Kittredge who was drafted by the Mariners out of high school in the 45th round of the 2008 MLB Draft.
In the 2011 Western Major Baseball League season, Kittredge pitched 30.2 innings for the Dawgs, compiling a 2-2 record with 26 strikeouts and a 3.52 ERA.
The right-hander was switched to closer late in the season and excelled in the high-pressure role. He finished with five of the Dawgs ' six saves during their playoff run. Further showcasing his versatility, Kittredge started Game 4 of the WMBL finals against the Regina Red Sox, a game Okotoks dropped 7-3 to give the Regina its first league title. He pitched four shutout innings before running out of gas.
When reflecting on his brief stint with the Dawgs, Kittredge said he has fond memories of his one season of ball in the Foothills.
“ Playing in Okotoks was definitely a great time, just the way everyone in the community supports the team and the ownership is awesome,” Kittredge said. “ And if you have a chance to play for a championship that ' s something you ' ll remember for the rest of your life.”
And the Dawgs influence on Kittredge doesn ' t end there. Okotoks head coach Brandon Newell played a big part in Kittredge ' s decision to sign with the Mariners.
“ There were some parts where I wasn ' t sure if I was going (sign) because I had a good school lined up to go play at,” Kittredge said. “ I actually talked to Brandon Newell, he ' d been a scout before so he had knowledge in that area and he really made it clear what I should do.”
The Dawgs now have 13 active players in MLB organizations, with Kittredge being the seventh Dawg to join a MLB organization through the draft or free agency this season.
“ I ' m really, really pleased for him obviously,” Dawgs pitching coach David Robb said. “ It ' s every kids dream to get a major league contract.”
“ It ' s something that he definitely deserved,” Newell said. “ It took him a little bit of time to pitch himself into shape and to his credit he worked very hard this summer on getting his body and his arm in shape. At the end of the season he got an opportunity to go to a workout at Safeco Field and he made the most of it.”
“ Number one he ' s a big, physical kid with a very good arm. When you combine the physicality, the mentality he has as well as his arm strength and it ' s a recipe for success.”
Newell, who pitched for four seasons in the New York Mets minor league system, said he urged Kittredge to make the most of his opportunity with the Mariners organization.
“ All I told him was ‘ hey, there ' s a lot of guys in your situation right now, there ' s 1,500 players drafted every year and they ' re all trying to fight for 25 roster spots on 30 teams. Every year there ' s a lot of guys that get released, so don ' t be satisfied just with getting to pro baseball. Your goal has to be to play in the major league and if that ' s not your goal you shouldn ' t have signed a pro-contract, ' ” said Newell.
“ And Andrew ' s not going to be satisfied with just being a pro athlete, he wants to play professional.”
Kittredge has a narrow window with which to make an impression on the Mariners organization this season. He ' s made just one appearance for the AquaSox, whose season ended Saturday.
“ I just hope to go out and just try to stay within myself and not do too much and just show in as little amount of opportunity as I ' ve had what I can do and get myself on the radar a little bit,” Kittredge said.
“ I ' m definitely going to be back (with Everett) next year and hopefully moving on up from there.”
