Mark Hendrickson
Mark Hendrickson | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 23, 1974 United States |
| Occupation(s) | Professional baseball pitcher, basketball player, baseball coach |
| Years active | 1996–2015 (athlete) |
| Known for | Dual-sport athlete in MLB and NBA |
Mark Allan Hendrickson (born June 23, 1974) is a former American athlete who competed professionally in both baseball and basketball. In Major League Baseball (MLB), he was a pitcher, while in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Continental Basketball Association (CBA), he played as a power forward. Hendrickson is among the exclusive group of 13 athletes who have participated in both MLB and the NBA, holding the distinction as the latest to achieve this feat. Subsequently, he took on the role of pitching coach for the Aberdeen IronBirds.
Standing at , Hendrickson's physical stature was remarkable in both sports. As a pitcher, he specialized in inducing ground balls, emphasizing precision, pitch movement, and strategic placement over sheer velocity. His pitching arsenal featured a fastball reaching the upper 80s mph, a 12–6 curveball, and a 10–4 slider with speeds ranging from the high 70s to low 80s mph.
High school career
During his time at Mount Vernon High School in Washington, Hendrickson demonstrated exceptional talent across tennis, basketball, and baseball. As a sophomore, he contributed to his baseball team's state championship victory and helped the basketball team secure a runner-up finish. In his junior year, he played a key role in winning the state basketball championship, receiving co-MVP recognition along with team captaincy and MVP accolades. He was also selected for All-Area and All-State basketball teams. Additionally, he qualified for state-level tennis competition and earned All-Area honors in baseball.
In his senior year, Hendrickson led the Bulldogs to their second basketball state championship, earning distinctions such as team captain, MVP, All-Area, All-State, and tournament MVP. He was honored as the Gatorade State Player of the Year for basketball. Furthermore, he contributed to winning the baseball state title and qualified again for state tennis competition. The Skagit Valley Herald named him Athlete of the Year for both his junior and senior seasons.
College career
At Washington State University, Hendrickson excelled in both basketball and baseball. On the basketball court, he was twice named to the All-Pac-10 first team and holds second place in school history for total rebounds. Over four years, he averaged 13.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. In baseball, he also received All-Conference honors.
NBA and MLB drafts
Following high school, Hendrickson was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 13th round of the 1992 draft but opted to attend college instead. He was subsequently drafted but did not sign with several teams: the San Diego Padres (1993), Braves again (1994), Detroit Tigers (1995), and Texas Rangers (1996).
After completing college, Hendrickson was chosen by the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers as the 31st overall pick in the 1996 draft and later by MLB's Toronto Blue Jays in the 20th round of the 1997 draft.
Professional basketball career
Initially pursuing basketball professionally, Hendrickson joined the Philadelphia 76ers, appearing in 29 games during the 1996–97 NBA season, where he averaged 2.9 points and 3.2 rebounds over 10.4 minutes per game. On December 23, 1997, he signed as a free agent with the Sacramento Kings, playing in 48 games with averages of 3.4 points and 3.0 rebounds across 15.4 minutes off the bench.
Without an NBA contract entering the 1998 season, Hendrickson spent most of that year playing with the La Crosse Bobcats in the Continental Basketball Association. He had brief tenures with the New Jersey Nets during both the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 seasons, followed by a stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1999–2000. Due to limited consistent playing opportunities in the NBA, he eventually redirected his focus toward a career in baseball.
Over his NBA career, Hendrickson participated in a total of 114 games, accumulating 381 points and securing 316 rebounds.
Minor league baseball career
While continuing his basketball pursuits, Hendrickson also played semi-professional baseball in York, Pennsylvania, signing with the Blue Jays organization on May 22, 1998. He balanced minor league baseball during the summers alongside his basketball activities. In 1998, he pitched for the Single-A Dunedin team, recording a 4–3 win-loss mark with a 2.37 ERA, and in 1999 he advanced to Double-A with the Tennessee Smokies, posting a 2–7 record and a 6.63 ERA.
After dedicating himself fully to baseball in 2000, Hendrickson concentrated on improving his physical conditioning and refining his pitching technique. That season began again at Dunedin, where he went 2–2 with a 5.61 ERA before earning a promotion back to Tennessee, finishing there with a 3–1 record and a 3.63 ERA. Over the following two years, he competed with the Triple-A SkyChiefs, producing varied outcomes: in 2001, he posted a 2–9 record with a 4.66 ERA; in 2002, he improved to 7–5 with a 3.52 ERA.
Toronto Blue Jays
Hendrickson made his Major League Baseball debut for the Blue Jays on August 6, 2002, entering as a relief pitcher against the Seattle Mariners. Although his initial appearance was challenging—allowing five runs in just one-third of an inning—he earned his first starting assignment on September 7, delivering five scoreless innings versus the Boston Red Sox. His inaugural major league victory came on September 14 against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, when he permitted only one run over six innings.
He secured a spot in the Blue Jays' starting rotation for the entire 2003 season, ending with a balanced 9–9 record and a 5.51 ERA across 30 starts, including one complete game shutout. Remarkably, Hendrickson became the first pitcher in Toronto Blue Jays history to hit a home run, achieving this milestone on June 21, 2003, against the Montreal Expos.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
On December 14, 2003, Hendrickson was involved in a trade from the Blue Jays alongside Sandy Nin to the Colorado Rockies for Justin Speier. Speier was immediately dealt to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in exchange for Joe Kennedy. Hendrickson then established himself as a consistent member of the Devil Rays' rotation, compiling records of 10–15 with a 4.81 ERA in 2004; 11–8 with a 5.90 ERA in 2005; and going 4–8 with an improved 3.81 ERA during the first half of the 2006 season.
Los Angeles Dodgers
On June 27, 2006, Hendrickson was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with catcher Toby Hall in exchange for Dioner Navarro, Jae Weong Seo, and minor league outfielder Justin Ruggiano. He initially joined the Dodgers’ starting rotation but was shifted to the bullpen later that year, where his performance notably improved. He closed out the 2006 season with a record of 2–7 and an ERA of 4.68 over 18 appearances (12 starts). In the following year, Hendrickson alternated between starting and relief roles, showing better effectiveness coming out of the bullpen. After the conclusion of the season, the Dodgers chose not to tender him a contract, making him a free agent as of December 12, 2007.
Florida Marlins
Hendrickson signed a one-year deal worth $1.5 million with the Florida Marlins on January 16, 2008. A significant moment occurred on June 9, when Ken Griffey Jr. hit his career milestone home run number 600 off a fastball thrown by Hendrickson during a game against the Cincinnati Reds that resulted in a loss for Florida. On July 7, Hendrickson was reassigned to the bullpen along with Ryan Tucker to accommodate Josh Johnson and Chris Volstad in the starting rotation.
Baltimore Orioles
On December 31, 2008, Hendrickson agreed to a one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles for the 2009 campaign and was subsequently re-signed for the 2010 season. Mainly deployed as a reliever with occasional starts, he achieved his sole major league save on September 11, 2009, by delivering three scoreless innings against the New York Yankees, securing the victory for Chris Tillman. The Orioles chose not to exercise his option for 2011, which led to his free agency; nevertheless, he returned on a minor league deal accompanied by a spring training invitation. In February 2013, Hendrickson once again joined the Orioles organization through a minor league contract before opting for free agency in November.
York Revolution
Hendrickson inked a contract with the York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball on March 29, 2014. He entered free agency following that season. Throughout 55 appearances and 52.2 innings in relief, he posted a 2–0 record alongside a 1.54 ERA, tallying 34 strikeouts and recording 9 saves.
Baltimore Orioles (second stint)
On February 10, 2015, Hendrickson signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles, which included an invitation to spring training. However, he was released on March 16.
Hendrickson officially retired from professional baseball on March 31, 2015.
He is among an exclusive group of 13 athletes who have competed in both the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball, joining distinguished dual-sport players such as Danny Ainge, Gene Conley, and Ron Reed.
Pitching style
Hendrickson’s pitching repertoire consisted of a four-seam fastball ranging from 87 to 91 MPH, a curveball thrown between 71 and 76 MPH, a changeup at speeds of 82 to 84 MPH, and a cutter clocked between 82 and 87 MPH. His cutter was widely regarded as his most potent pitch, while his changeup was less effective due to insufficient velocity separation from his fastball.
Baseball coaching career
On February 27, 2017, Hendrickson was appointed as the pitching coach for the Aberdeen IronBirds, marking a progression in his career focused on baseball coaching and player development.
College
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 1992–93 | style="text-align:left;"| Washington State | 27 || 27 || 34.3 || .556 || .522 || .712 || 8.0 || 1.9 || .9 || .3 || 12.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1993–94 | style="text-align:left;"| Washington State | 28 || 18 || 31.8 || .485 || .343 || .714 || 7.9 || 1.6 || .7 || .4 || 10.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1994–95 | style="text-align:left;"| Washington State | 30 || 30 || 33.0 || .627 || .412 || .794 || 9.0 || 1.3 || .6 || .3 || 16.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1995–96 | style="text-align:left;"| Washington State | 23 || 23 || 33.2 || .572 || .258 || .709 || 9.5 || 1.6 || .9 || .2 || 16.5 |- |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 108 || 108 || 33.1 || .567 || .374 || .731 || 8.6 || 1.6 || .8 || .3 || 13.9
Regular season
|- | align="left" | | align="left" | Philadelphia | 29 || 1 || 10.4 || .416 || .250 || .692 || 3.2 || .1 || .3 || .1 || 2.9 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Sacramento | 48 || 1 || 15.4 || .389 || .000 || .825 || 3.0 || .9 || .5 || .2 || 3.4 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | New Jersey | 22 || 6 || 18.1 || .443 || .000 || .840 || 3.1 || .6 || .5 || .0 || 5.5 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Cleveland | 10 || 0 || 4.7 || .714 || – || 1.000 || 1.1 || .3 || .2 || .1 || 1.2 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | New Jersey | 5 || 0 || 4.8 || .000 || – || .500 || .4 || .6 || .0 || .0 || .2 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 114 || 8 || 13.2 || .416 || .167 || .803 || 2.8 || .6 || .4 || .1 || 3.3