Jeff Bennett

David Jeffrey Bennett (born June 10, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, and Tampa Bay Rays.

Early life Jeff Bennett grew up in Brush Creek, Tennessee, and was an all-state pitcher for Gordonsville High School. He holds the school's career home run record.

Baseball career

Pittsburgh Pirates Bennett was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 19th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft. He played his first professional season with the Rookie Gulf Coast League Pirates in 1998. In 13 games, he compiled a 2–4 win–loss record with a 4.63 earned run average (ERA). He advanced through the Pirates' minor league system, playing as high as Triple-A with the Nashville Sounds of the Pacific Coast League in 2003.

Tampa Bay Rays Bennett signed with the Tampa Bay Rays on August 1, 2009. In eleven games, all relief appearances, Bennett had a 9.95 ERA. Bennett was released on August 30.

Independent leagues From late 2011 through 2013, Bennett played for a number of teams in the Mexican Pacific League, Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, Atlantic League, and Mexican League.

Los Angeles Dodgers Bennett signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 16, 2014. He made 21 starts for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, compiling an 8–6 record with a 3.82 ERA. He made one start in winter ball after the season, managing only one out. After the out, he lost feeling in his pitching hand and took himself out of the game. He decided to retire from baseball the following March.

Personal life In early 2015, Bennett began giving baseball lessons to local youth athletes in Middle Tennessee near his home in Mt. Juliet. Initially borrowing places to train, his business soon grew large enough to necessitate owning his own facility: Jeff Bennett's Baseball Academy, near Lebanon, Tennessee.

He and his wife have four children.