Walter Pennington

American baseball player (born 1998)

Baseball player

Walter Pennington
Pennington with the Omaha Storm Chasers in 2024
Texas Rangers – No. 52
Pitcher
Born: (1998-04-14) April 14, 1998 (age 26) Broomfield, Colorado, U.S.
Bats: Left Throws: Left
MLB debut
July 5, 2024, for the Kansas City Royals
MLB statistics (through August 15, 2024)
Win–loss record	0–0
Earned run average	1.69
Strikeouts	7

Teams
Kansas City Royals (2024) Texas Rangers (2024–present)

Walter Carlton Pennington (born April 14, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals.

Career

Kansas City Royals

After going unselected in the 2020 MLB draft, Pennington signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals on August 24, 2020.^[1] He did not appear for the organization in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2] Pennington split his first professional season between the rookie–level Arizona Complex League Royals and Single–A Columbia Fireflies. In 25 games for the two affiliates, he accumulated a 3.32 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 4 saves across 43+1⁄3 innings pitched.^[3]

Pennington split the 2022 campaign between the High–A Quad Cities River Bandits and Double–A Northwest Arkansas Naturals, compiling a 5.19 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 3 saves across 36 appearances.^[4] He spent the majority of the 2023 season with the Triple–A Omaha Storm Chasers, having received a promotion following eight scoreless appearances for Northwest Arkansas. In 41 games for Omaha, Pennington logged a 7–2 record and 3.69 ERA with 64 strikeouts across 61 innings.^[5]

Pennington began 2024 back in Omaha, where he posted a 2.35 ERA with 76 strikeouts across 32 outings. On July 5, 2024, Pennington was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. ^[6]

Texas Rangers

On July 29, 2024, the Royals traded Pennington to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Michael Lorenzen, with Pennington being optioned to the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, the Round Rock Express, after the trade.^[7]

References

^ "Royals bring Frazier off IL, promote pitcher for big-league debut". kctv5.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
^ "Walter Pennington - Stats - Pitching". fangraphs.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
^ "Walter Pennington Stats & Scouting Report". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
^ "Walter Pennington - Baseball Stats". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
^ "Royals Select Walter Pennington". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
^ "Royals acquire Michael Lorenzen from Rangers to boost rotation". ESPN.com. July 29, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2024.