Zach Penrod dominates in his first start with the Portland Sea Dogs
Red Sox minor league pitching prospect Zach Penrod burst on to the scene last season after he was plucked out of Indy Ball. Penrod made four starts for the Greenville Drive down the stretch, pitching to a 2.18 ERA during that span. After a strong showing for High-A Greenville, he was given an opportunity to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, where he was named to the Fall Stars Game.
With 2023 in the books, Penrod is now with the Portland Sea Dogs and he’s picking up where he left off from the fall.
Penrod made his Double-A debut on Friday night, starting against the Reading Fightin Phils. The left-hander tossed five scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out eight batters.
Finishing with 75 pitches (53 for strikes), holding opposing batters to a .118 batting average while posting a 14.40 K/9 and a 44.4% strikeout percentage in the win.
A native of Nampa, Idaho, he was initially signed by the Rangers after he went undrafted in 2018. Following Tommy John surgery in April 2019, he was released by Texas in 2020. After his rehab was complete, Penrod spent May 2021 through August 2023 pitching in the independent Pioneer League.
Through five appearances in the Red Sox organization, his Double-A start was his most impressive. This was his first MiLB start as a member of the Red Sox organization where he did not walk a batter in his outing. Penrod went 2-1 with a 2.18 ERA with 20 strikeouts, 11 walks, and a 1.31 WHIP over 20 2/3 innings last season.
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, Penrod throws from a high three-quarters arm slot. The lefty operates a four-pitch mix; he has a 92-94 mph fastball that has topped out at 96 mph. He also has an 84-87 changeup, an 82-87 mph breaking ball, and a 90-91 mph cutter, which he uses primarily against right-handed hitters, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.
Penrod, who turns 27 in June, is currently ranked as the 35th prospect in the Red Sox system with SoxProspects. He currently joins a strong Sea Dogs rotation that features fellow starters Angel Bastardo, Wikelman Gonzalez, Isaac Coffey, Helcris Olivarez, and Hunter Dobbins.
The southpaw is considered a potential up-and-down starter and could offer multi-inning depth. As the Red Sox continue to develop a pipeline of pitching, Penrod should benefit from Craig Breslow, Andrew Bailey, Justin Willard, and Kyle Boddy.
