Patrick Biondi and Tony Kemp (Photo by Joe Cavanaugh, 2012)
By Joe Pratt | Baylor University
Patrick Biondi is one of two Cotuit Kettleers to be inducted to the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame. Biondi competed for the Ketts in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons and will join the 173 Cape league players in the hall along with five other total individuals receiving the honor. Justin Smaok (2006) from Cotuit accompanies Patrick as another Kettleer to make it to the hall of fame. Other former Cape league players such as Marcus Stroman, Ian Happ, Billy Wagner and former league executive Steven Wilson.
“Looking at the names that I’m going in with obviously all those guys had great big league careers. It’s pretty, pretty cool to be able to look back and feel like my time there made an impact on the people in Cotuit in a way that they felt like, ‘hey, we want you to represent us in this.’ I think, as a player, we’re always talking about you’re always chasing something bigger.”
That something bigger for Patrick Biondi was being honored in the ‘22 CCBL hall of fame class. Biondi is not only being recognized for his two years with the Kettleers but also his career post Cape League.
In 2011, Patrick hit .172 throughout 37 games for the Ketts. Biondi then went back to the University of Michigan for his sophomore year, and returned to Cotuit for the ‘12 season. After recording no extra base hits in year one, Biondi came roaring back the next summer, hitting .388, 52 hits in 41 games to earn the batting title for the league that season.
“It was kind of surreal,” Biondi recalled. “In my mind going back out there, I was determined to prove I could play into play the way I knew I was capable of. I never really thought about the award side of it, I just was really focused on the baseball side of it.”
Although he struggled in year one, coach Mike Roberts decided to give Patrick a second chance. Biondi described his close relationship to coach Roberts and sung his praises to the long tenured Cotuit head coach.
“There’s a lot of big personalities in baseball players that can clash. So for me, I always got along really well with [Mike Roberts], and he gave me a second opportunity after I struggled that first year. And I think I just really appreciate the opportunity that he gave me and the time that he spent with me during those two years.”
In the 2013 draft, the Michigan native was selected by the New York Mets with the 266th overall pick, during round 9. From there, he bounced around in the minors, playing with the likes of Mets’ stars Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil. He also played alongside MLB outfielder Tony Kemp in Cotuit. Things learned with the Ketts helped the outfielder further his career in professional baseball.
“Going through my career, I understood that I could bounce back from those struggles because in pro ball, you have the same stuff where you maybe struggle for a month where you’re hitting .180 for a month, and so being able to navigate that and bounce back. I think it was always for me, just that challenge of trying to do it earlier – not take as much time to mentally flip back into that attack.”
Pat Biondi closed out his professional ball stint in 2019 after serving in the minor leagues for 6 seasons. Post baseball, Biondi’s passions of design and uniting people drove him to create The Elevate Movement. The Elevate Movement is a clothing company that works with and donates to various charities in an attempt to construct positive change. Pat also hosts The Elevate Movement Podcast where he discusses with other athletes and experts about the health world involving both lifestyle and baseball.
Patrick Biondi will be recognized for both his performance on and off the field at the Cape League Hall of Fame ceremony which will be held on November 20, 2022, at the Wequassett Inn in Harwich, Mass.