Ben Petrick

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=black
bgcolor2=#333366
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Ben Petrick


position=Catcher / Outfielder
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1977|4|7
debutdate=September 1
debutyear=1999
debutteam=Colorado Rockies
finaldate=
finalyear=2003
finalteam=Detroit Tigers
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.257
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=27
stat3label=RBIs
stat3value=94
teams=
*Colorado Rockies (by|1999-by|2003)
*Detroit Tigers (by|2003)
highlights=

Benjamin Wayne Petrick (born April 7, 1977) is a former Major League Baseball player.

Petrick, who was born in Salem, Oregon, was a highly accomplished athlete while attending Glencoe High School in Hillsboro, Oregon. He was recruited heavily to play both football and baseball, and ended up going straight into the Colorado Rockies' farm system when they drafted him in the second round (38th overall) of the 1995 amateur entry draft. Petrick became a solid prospect, finding a great deal of success with the Rockies' AAA affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. He was called up to the Rockies for the first time in 1999 and hit .323 with 4 home runs in only 62 at-bats. In 2000, he hit .322 in 52 games for the major league club. However, he soon experienced a dramatic dropoff in production, hitting only .238 in 85 games in 2001. On July 13, 2003, Petrick was acquired by the Detroit Tigers from Colorado in exchange for pitcher Adam Bernero. After an unsuccessful stint with the Tigers, Petrick was released. He attempted a brief comeback with the AAA Portland Beavers, and then retired.

In May 2004, when Petrick announced his retirement from baseball, he disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2000. He revealed that as time went on, it had become clear that despite the medication and treatment he was receiving, the effects of Parkinson's would no longer allow him to play baseball at a high level. Later he learned that he was misdiagnosed. He had Lyme disease all along.

Petrick has done numerous interviews and has spoken publicly about his story at various events and fundraisers in order to raise awareness of Parkinson's disease. His father Vern (former athletic director at Glencoe) also suffers from Parkinson's. Ben Petrick now coaches baseball and football at Glencoe.

Ben Petrick's aunt is Connie Ballmer, wife of Microsoft CEO and billionaire Steve Ballmer.

Petrick is also featured in the documentary film "Under Our Skin". The film profiles the Lyme Disease epidemic and the struggles of doctors, patients and families fighting the disease. It seems as though Petrick was possibly misdiagnosed as having Parkinson's, but, in actuality, is suffering from Lyme Disease.

External links

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/petribe01.shtml Career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com]
* [http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/sports/1131940513108340.xml?oregonian?spz&coll=7 "Petrick's battles are off the field now"] by Norm Maves Jr., from "The Oregonian"
* [http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=28539 "When life gets shaken up"] by Jason Vondersmith, from "The Portland Tribune"
* [http://www.openeyepictures.com/underourskin/index.html "Under Our Skin"] a film from Andy Wilson and Open Eye Pictures"