Mark Hendrickson Los Angeles Dodgers:
Mark Allan Hendrickson was born June 23, 1974 in Mount Vernon, Washington, USA. Mark Hendrickson is an American professional athlete who has accomplished the rare feat of playing in both Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association.
A star in both basketball and baseball at Washington State University, Hendrickson was drafted by both the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers (2nd pick, 2nd round, 31st overall) in the 1996 Draft and baseball's Toronto Blue Jays (20th round) of the 1997 amateur draft. Hendrickson elected to play basketball and joined the 76ers, playing part time in 29 games in the 1996-97 NBA season. The 76ers let him go after the season and Hendrickson began a nomadic existence, playing part time roles with the Sacramento Kings, New Jersey Nets, and Cleveland Cavaliers over the next three seasons.
In 2000, Hendrickson elected to abandon basketball and resume his baseball career. A pitcher, Hendrickson moved through the Blue Jays' minor league system and became a major league baseball player in 2002. He won three games late in the year and earned a starting role in 2003, when he posted a record of nine wins and nine losses.
Prior to the 2004 season, Hendrickson was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was then traded by Tampa Bay to the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 27, 2006 in a four player deal.
Hendrickson is notable for his size, at 6' 9". The only players in Major League Baseball as of 2006 who are taller than Hendrickson are Jon Rauch, at 6'11"; and Randy Johnson, Andy Sisco, and Chris Young, who are each 6'10". However, where Johnson is a power pitcher with an overpowering fastball and hard-cutting slider, Hendrickson is more of a groundball pitcher, with a fastball in the low 90s, a good breaking ball, and a decent 12-6 curveball. Hendrickson also has a 10-4 slider, but his slider only reaches the high 70s to low 80s and has significantly less movement than Johnson's.
Hendrickson is the only pitcher in Toronto Blue Jays history to hit a homerun, which he did against the Montreal Expos on June 22, 2003.
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