Royals minor league report: Walter Pennington pushing for a big league opportunity Kansas City News
Left-hander Walter Pennington pitches for the Omaha Storm Chasers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, on June 15, 2023.
The Kansas City Royals have a lot of left-handed pitching depth, and they'll have even more next season if Jake Brentz, Kris Bubic, Daniel Lynch and/or Josh Taylor return to full health. Even so, Walter Pennington shouldn't be discounted as a potential big league contributor, whether it's in 2024 or even down the stretch this September.
Pennington, 25, was signed as an undrafted free agent out of the Division II Colorado School of Mines following the pandemic-shortened 2020 draft. He got off to a strong start in 2021, posting a 3.32 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 15 walks over 43.1 innings spanning 25 relief appearances, mostly at Low-A Columbia.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound lefty hit a roadblock in 2022, though, struggling throughout the year and posting a 5.19 ERA with a .296 opponent batting average in 67.2 innings — 5.2 at Quad Cities and 62 at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Considering that he was an undrafted free agent, that might have been a fatal blow to his chances in some organizations. But his peripheral numbers — 61 strikeouts and 30 walks — were decent, and the Royals kept the faith, sending him to the Arizona Fall League. Pennington mostly struggled with the Surprise Saguaros, posting a 5.79 ERA in eight appearances (including two as an opener), but he did strike out 10 while walking four in 9.1 innings.
Whether it was due to the adjustments he made last fall or the Royals' revised organizational pitching philosophy, it's all come together for Pennington in 2023. The lefty, whose fastball sits in the low 90s, threw 9.2 scoreless innings at Northwest Arkansas to begin the season, then was promoted to Triple-A Omaha. He's continued to thrive at the minors' highest level, posting a 3.57 ERA with a .244 opponent average, 55 strikeouts and 28 walks over 53 frames.
Pennington has been particularly good lately, allowing just two earned run over his last seven appearances — a span of 13.2 innings. He also achieved an impressive, unique feat on August 22, recording four strikeouts over a perfect inning of relief. Catcher Logan Porter was unable to secure the third strike on Pennington's third strikeout and hitter Yunior Severino advanced to first base, so the lefty had to get an extra out. He did just that, punching out veteran backstop Tony Wolters for his fourth K of the inning.
There's not necessarily a logical spot for Pennington in the Royals' bullpen right now. They already have left-handers Austin Cox, Tucker Davidson and Angel Zerpa — granted, all three of those pitchers are in more of a swingman/long-relief mold than Pennington — and surely would still like to get something out of Taylor Hearn, who they acquired in exchange for Nicky Lopez at the trade deadline. On the other hand, Pennington is forcing the issue more than any other pitcher on the Storm Chasers' staff, so if there's an opening in the Kansas City bullpen before the end of the season, the lefty could be in line for an opportunity.
Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double-A): Over the last decade or so, the Royals have had some tough luck with selecting college pitchers early in the draft. The early returns, however, on right-hander Mason Barnett — taken out of Auburn in the third round last year — are quite good. The 22-year-old righty was dominant over 16 starts with High-A Quad Cities to begin the year, posting a 3.18 ERA with a .203 opponent average, 94 strikeouts and 38 walks over 82 innings. Since being promoted to Double-A last month, the 6-foot, 218-pound Georgia native has continued to thrive, throwing for a 2.25 ERA with a .193 average against, 31 Ks and seven walks in 24 frames spanning five starts.
It should be interesting to see if Barnett gets the bump to Omaha to begin next season. The Royals have a solid collection of starting pitching depth in the upper minors, but at this point, Barnett might have a better chance than anyone else in that group of being a productive starter at the major league level.
Quad Cities River Bandits (High-A): Left-handed-hitting outfielder Eric Kennedy has spent a lot of time on the big stage, playing five seasons at the University of Texas and appearing twice in the College World Series. Despite his big-game experience and the fact that he finished his college career with a career season — 17 homers and a .306/.378/.588 slash line in 63 games — Kennedy went undrafted in this summer's draft. He quickly caught on with the Royals organization, however, and he's made a great first impression.
Through 23 games — four to start off with the Royals' Arizona Complex League affiliate, then 19 with Quad Cities — Kennedy has a .282/.430/.437 slash line with three doubles, a triple, two homers, and as many walks as strikeouts (20 each) while playing plus defense at all three outfield positions.
Kennedy turns 24 years old later this month, so the odds are stacked against him — for context, he's less than a year younger than MJ Melendez, Nelson Velázquez and Drew Waters — but the Royals showed faith in him by aggressively placing him in High-A the same summer that he turned pro, and he has rewarded that faith thus far.
Columbia Fireflies (Low-A): Third baseman Trevor Werner, the Royals' seventh-round pick in this year's draft, has gotten off to an absolutely spectacular start to his pro career. After going 5 for 15 with a double, a triple, a homer and a walk in four games with the Arizona Complex League Royals, Werner was promptly promoted to full-season ball at Columbia. He has continued to dominate following the promotion, batting .344/.460/.699 with 10 doubles, a triple, seven homers and an incredible 28 RBIs in 26 games. The 23-year-old right-handed hitter is far from a finished product — strikeouts can be an issue for him at times, and he's made eight errors in 18 games at third base with the Fireflies. But the Texas A&M product is adept at taking walks (20 in 129 plate appearances) and looks to have game-changing power, so he's definitely an exciting player to have in the system. He appears likely to start next season with Quad Cities, and if he's anywhere near as locked in as he's been with Columbia, he could quickly advance to the upper minors.
