Walter Pennington in 200 Words

     Walter Pennington was born on April 14th, 1998 in Broomfield, Colorado. Pennington pitched four years at the Colorado School of Mines, and in 51 appearances (30 starts) in that time, threw to a record of 24-10. He threw a shutout and saved three games in his college tenure. Due to the 2020 Covid year, the June Amateur Draft was reduced to just five rounds, and Pennington was not included among the players chosen. He ended up signing with the Kansas City Royals as an undrafted free agent for a much smaller bonus. In 149 games and 245 innings across four seasons in the minor leagues, Pennington acquired a 23-11 record and 3.49 ERA. He got his chance to debut in the majors in 2024 with the Royals before he was traded mid-season to the Texas Rangers in exchange for starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen. Overall, in his brief 16 game debut season Pennington owned an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.67, whilst acquiring a 1-0 record and 17 strikeouts in 18 innings. Hopefully he will get the chance to pitch a full season in 2025 for the Rangers, and grow to become a successful major leaguer.