Jeffrey Allen Bettendorf (born December 10, 1960) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Bettendorf was primarily a starting pitcher over the course of his nine-season professional baseball career. He was a second-round draft selection in the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Mets. After never advancing above Double-A in the Mets system, Bettendorf was drafted by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

in the December 1983 Rule 5 draft. After making the A's major league roster, as is required under Rule 5, he made his first major league appearance on April 8, 1984 against the Boston Red Sox at the Oakland Coliseum, earning a save in three no-hit scoreless innings. He would go on to pitch in a total of three games for the A's, giving up 5 runs in 9 innings. On May 9, 1984, Bettendorf was traded back to the Mets for a conditional pick and immediately optioned to the Double-A Jackson Mets. He would not return to the majors. After a severe elbow injury in 1986 while pitching for the Double-A Columbus Astros, Bettendorf returned in 1987 to play with the Double-A

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...

, where he became a

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

pitcher, going 9–1 in 43 appearances (all in relief). That season he was named to the Southern League All-Star team (despite only 2 saves and a 4.55 ERA) and helped the Barons to the Southern League Championship series win before retiring from professional baseball. Advancing through primarily the Mets strong minor league organization of the late 70's/early 80's, Bettendorf earned five Minor League Championship rings and three Minor League All-Star selections over his career.

References

Baseball Almanac
1960 births Living people Oakland Athletics players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from California Grays Harbor Loggers players Little Falls Mets players Lynchburg Mets players Shelby Mets players Jackson Mets players Tidewater Tides players Columbus Astros players Birmingham Barons players People from Lompoc, California {{US-baseball-pitcher-1960s-stub