TRAVERSE CITY -- It was an extra 330 miles that David Nathanson didn't mind driving.
The pitcher ended up taking a long detour on his way back to the Traverse City Beach Bums' starting rotation.
Traded on Jan. 9 to the Joliet Jackhammers, the Bums reacquired him three months later on April 24.
"I was getting all ready to go to Chicago and heard I got traded back," Nathanson said. "I'm so excited to be back. I didn't want to leave, and it all worked out to come back."
Last year, he came on in mid-season and finished strong, going 5-2 with a 2.95 ERA in 12 starts with the Bums after finishing up his senior year at Rollins College. He walked only 11 batters in 761/3 innings.
"I felt good at the end of the year," Nathanson said. "I was really nervous early on. But I'm looking to build on that. I think we've got a really good group of guys."
In his last two starts, Nathanson gave up just two earned runs and struck out 11 in 142/3 innings.
"David's a quality guy, on and off the field, and brings a lot to the table," manager Jon Cahill said. "John Sexton, our pitching coach, was ecstatic to have him back. He'll be a key part of our starting rotation."
While his stats stand out, the 6-foot-3 Nathanson really doesn't on a pitching staff that has the look of a basketball team.
"I'm 6-3 and I feel like a midget," Nathanson joked.
With 6-foot-10 Rory James, 6-8 Stephen Read, 6-7 Matt Dillard, 6-6 Jared Locke, 6-5 Jeff Williams a 6-foot-4 hurlers Ryan Gehring, Ted Gjeldum and Zac Cole, the Bums pitching staff is one that's hard to miss.
"I've been on some tall teams before," said first baseman Kyle Maunus, "but a lot of these pitchers are taller than me and I'm all of 6-4. I'm not used to looking up at people. But it's good having a bunch of tall guys to intimidate the other team."
New Joliet manager and former New York Mets infielder Wally Backman brought several of his former South Georgia players with him, leaving the Jackhammers over the Northern League training camp limit, so some players had to be dealt away. The Bums received Nathanson, along with righty Shannon Wirth (9-5, 3.44 ERA), for a player to be named later.
Nathanson was originally dealt to Joliet with righty Tyler Meigs for Tim Hutting and Jake Whitesides. Hutting was later traded to Sioux Falls for Matt Imwalle. So the Bums essentially ended up getting an All-Star third baseman (Imwalle hit 15 homers in 96 games last year) and a veteran outfielder (Whitesides hit .281 last year) for an effective reliever (Meigs; 1-2, 2.66 ERA).
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