Luis Patiño's Road to Recovery Made a Stop at Hodgetown

Patience is a part of the process for former Sod Poodle Luis Patiño, and the road back from Tommy John surgery brought him back to a place where he once helped the team on their way to their first Texas League Championship. 

“It feels really good to be back. I was here in 2019 and I had a great time in the month and a half that I was here. That was my first championship in the minors, so when I remember this place, I remember being a champion.” Patiño said during his week back in Amarillo. “That team we had in 2019 here was a special team. We had so many great players on the team at that moment. So it feels good to be back at this place. The stadium is beautiful, and I'm happy to be here and to continue my rehab and my process.”

Patiño, just 19 in Double-A that season, wasn’t exaggerating about the great players on the roster that year. The Sod Poodles at one point had a bullpen that had three major league closers in Trevor Megill, David Bednar, and Andrés Muñoz who have combined for over 180 saves in the big leagues so far in their careers. Sod Poodles legends Ivan Castillo, Owen Miller, and Edward Olivares also populated a talented roster that Patiño was the youngest piece of, still a teenager who always wore a smile on his face and the loudest guy in the dugout cheering on his teammates despite a limited time pitching due to an injury. Current New York Mets catcher Luis Torrens, who caught the majority of the games for Amarillo that season, once called Patiño “just nasty” after catching him for the first time in a game follwing the pitchers debut.

Washington Nationals ace and current major league strikeout leader MacKenzie Gore wasn’t a part of the roster at the same time as Patiño outside of a few days but they spent a lot of time in at the time High-A Lake Elsinore together while both dominated the level, and they stay connected to this day. 

“I called him two weeks ago. I'm proud of him. You know, he's my brother. I'm always proud when he has great games, the bad games too. I'm always going to support him, I’ll always be there.” Patiño said of his bond with the possible first time All-Star. “We are on different teams now, but we're still brothers. He’s text me throughout my rehab process to ask me how everything is going. That’s my brother. I feel really happy for him. I hope he’s the strikeout leader at the big league level at the end of the season.”

Patiño's first go with the Padres organization when the #23 prospect by MLB Pipeline at the times headlined a prospect package for Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, and would pitch for the Rays that postseason. Eventually the Rays would spend 2021-2023 with the Rays, pitching for them in the 2021 playoffs, but would be purchased by the Chicago White Sox in August of 2023. Chicago would designate Patiño for assignment before his former team claimed him off of waivers, before needing Tommy John the following spring training. Through all of that Patiño still has his patented positive attitude and is still the loudest voice in the dugout when something good happens.

It's good. I’m really enjoying the moment being back with San Diego. You know, this team gave me my first opportunity in professional baseball, I feel happy to be back after the DFA with the White Sox. Patiño said while in Amarillo last week."At the same time, I feel really happy for my with the White Sox, because they gave me a little opportunity to get my comfort back when I they traded for me in 2023 and the Tampa  organization too. I’m  just grateful to these organizations for giving me the opportunity to play baseball and helping me to improve my career."

Across four MLB seasons with the Padres, Rays, and White Sox, Patino has recorded a 5.02 ERA (5.30) over 136.1 innings, while striking out 124 batters and walking 70. He's lived a baseball players journey since 2019, and come even longer since he was signed out of Colombia when he was 16, and he's learned some lessons along the way.

"I've got a little more experience now. I remember the guy that tried to throw 100 every pitch." Patiño said talking about the 19 year old version of himself. "Now I'm trying to throw quality pitches, and throwing my fastball in the spots that that I want. That's what I focus on now. 
Throwing quality pitches every time I get the ball in my hands to help the team win."

To this point in the season, his former team is the only team to do any damage off of the right hander at Double-A level. Soddies third basemen LuJames Groover homered in his first at bat against Patiño in his return to Hodgetown. Other than that the 6 '1 right hander did his job working 3.2 innings, in line within the limitations that the organization has set so far for his recovery. Patiño followed up that performance with another four innings of shutout baseball for the Missions in San Antonio against Frisco, back in the middle of another Texas League playoff chase.

“Patiño has been such a welcome addition to the San Antonio staff during this playoff run. He looks healthy and sharp, and he brings tremendous energy and experience to a young San Antonio team.” Brian Yancelson Public Relations and Broadcasting Manager for the Missions said. “It is clear he is returning to the form that made him one of baseball’s best young pitching prospects.”

The right hander from Barranquilla, Colombia knows that patience is a part of the process for his recovery and even tattooed the words "Be Patient" on his wrist as a reminder.

"That's a lot of it when you go through a process like this. You have to have the mental skills to be patient, because when you go through this, it's not for a month, it's a year or more. So I'm patiently going through with the plan right now with San Antonio. I'm throwing four innings and enjoying the moment."

Patiño so far is meeting the moment that he is enjoying every second of.

To continue following Patiño's journey check out East Village Times "Down on the Farm" every night, usually published by our friends Diego Garcia and James Clark.