Art (Pat) Veltman was born in Mobile, Alabama on March 24, 1906. He had the distinction of playing with Dizzy Dean on an Army team in the early 1920's. He made his major league debut on April 17, 1926 with the Chicago White Sox. He played a total of 23 games over 6 years from 1926-34 with Chicago White Sox, New York Giants, Boston Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates.

In 1933, he was sent by the Giants to Oakland, where he quickly became a workhorse behind the plate, sharing the catching responsibilities with rookie catcher Billy Raimondi from McClymonds High School. Veltman batted .322 for the Oaks, and was drafted back into the National League by the Pittsburgh Pirates at the end of that season.

In the middle of the 1934 season, Veltman was called back to Oakland, this time to manage the team. The Oaks finished in the second division that year, with the Los Angeles Angels winning the pennant.