Thinking back, 21-year-old righthander Patrick Forbes considers it a blessing in disguise.
Hit by a pitch early in his sophomore season at Louisville, Forbes broke a bone in his left hand, bringing an end to his days as a two-way player.
The focus on pitching has worked out well so far—and, it seems, he is only getting started.
“I think everything happens for a reason,” Forbes said. “I’m not mad about it now. I like the pitcher-only life.”
Forbes always envisioned himself as either a shortstop or center fielder, and when he was younger, he spent relatively little time on the mound. He logged just 13 innings entering his senior season of high school.
He split time between hitting and pitching at Louisville, but the injury simplified things, and he adjusted quickly on the mound.
“I think I had a lot of untapped potential there,” Forbes said. “I think I still do, honestly.”
Evaluators agree. With a fastball that sits in the mid 90s and touches 100 mph to go with a wipeout slider to go with it, he already has two plus offerings. After a stint with USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team in 2024, Forbes was drafted 29th overall by the D-backs in 2025.
Forbes has yet to make his pro debut. He is likely to open this season at High-A Hillsboro.
“This offseason, I’ve been working on a cutter and a changeup,” Forbes said. “I think those have progressed really well. I did use them last year in the college season, but just a little bit, only like 5% of the time.
“Just being able to show hitters that I can throw multiple pitches in any sort of count is the biggest thing, especially being a starter.”
Forbes also could stand to become a more consistent strike-thrower.
“I try not to dig too much into mechanics and stuff like that; I’ve never been big into that,” he said. “But I think the mentality on the mound is the most important thing. Just being able to attack hitters is the biggest thing. Just being fearless, basically. Not being afraid to get hit.”