Athletes - John Van Benschoten

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	Athletes - John Van Benschoten

John Wesley Van Benschoten (Born April 14, 1980 in San Diego, California) is a Major League Baseball player. A starting pitcher who bats and throws from the right side, Van Benschoten is 6'4" tall and weighs 217 pounds.

Professional career

Van Benschoten was a power-hitting star at Kent State University, leading all of Division I in home runs his junior year with 31. He also worked as the team's closer, however, and the Pittsburgh Pirates thought that he had more potential as a pitcher than as a hitter. They made him the eighth overall selection of the 2001 MLB Draft, and announced that he would be a pitcher.

Van Benschoten performed well as a prospect. He pitched a scoreless inning in the 2003 All-Star Futures Game while a member of the Altoona Curve, and Baseball America named him the top prospect in the Pirates system in both 2003 and 2004.

Van Benschoten made his major league debut on August 18, 2004, in a 6-3 loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Scheduled starter Kip Wells had complained of elbow pain before the game, so the Pirates called up Van Benschoten to take his place, designating reliever Willis Roberts for assignment to create roster space. Van Benschoten went on to pitch in six games for the Pirates, five of them starts. He compiled a 6.91 ERA in 28 2/3 innings pitched, winning one game and losing three. He also hit his first major league home run, against Casey Fossum.

The Pirates benched Van Benschoten for medical reasons on September 18, 2004, citing "shoulder fatigue" in his right arm. He did not pitch again that year, and in November, he had surgery to repair tears to the glenoid labrum and rotator cuff of his left arm. Those injuries did not affect his pitching, presenting a problem only as a batter, and Van Benschoten participated in the team's minicamp in January of 2005. There, he began experiencing a pinching sensation in the shoulder of his right arm. He ultimately had surgery to repair a tear to the labrum of his right shoulder as well, and missed the entire 2005 season.

Van Benschoten has recovered from his operations, and is expected to begin 2006 with the Indianapolis Indians, the Pirates' AAA affiliate.

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