Austin P. Shenton (born January 22, 1998) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.
Career
Shenton attended Bellingham High School in Bellingham, Washington. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 34th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft but did not sign and played college baseball at Florida International University.[1] In 2018, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was named a league all-star and the playoff most valuable player of Wareham's league championship run.[2][3]
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners selected Shenton in the fifth round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft and he signed with the team.[4] He started his professional career that year with the Everett AquaSox before being promoted to the West Virginia Power, batting .298 with seven home runs and 36 RBIs over 53 games between both teams.[5] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 since the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] He spent the summer as a member of Seattle's 60-man player pool.[7][8] Shenton started 2021 with Everett before being promoted to the Arkansas Travelers.[9]
Tampa Bay Rays
On July 29, 2021, the Mariners traded Shenton and J. T. Chargois to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Diego Castillo.[10] He was assigned to the Montgomery Biscuits where he finished the year. Over eighty games between Everett, Arkansas, and Montgomery he slashed .295/.398/.549 with 14 home runs and seventy RBIs.[11]
On November 14, 2023, the Rays added Shenton to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He was optioned to the Triple–A Durham Bulls to begin the 2024 season.[12] However, following injuries to multiple players, Shenton was recalled to the Rays' Opening Day roster.[13]
References
- ^ Smith, Lauren (June 11, 2016). "Indians select Shenton in MLB draft". Bellingham Herald. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- ^ "#12 Austin Shenton - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ Matt Goisman (August 14, 2018). "Wareham Gatemen ride 6–0 postseason to CCBL title". southcoasttoday.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "Dream come true: Seattle Mariners draft, sign Bellingham grad". June 11, 2019.
- ^ "Mariners draft pick, former AquaSox refuses to be ordinary". July 26, 2019.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
- ^ Smith, Lauren (August 12, 2020). "Mariners prospect Austin Shenton makes history as latest to tame center field wall in Tacoma". Tacoma News Tribune. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- ^ "Jose Canseco, Jay Buhner … Austin Shenton? Mariners prospect joins Cheney Stadium lore with 453-foot homer". August 13, 2020.
- ^ "AquaSox slugger Shenton promoted to Double-A Arkansas". July 17, 2021.
- ^ Divish, Ryan (July 29, 2021). "Mariners get reliever Diego Castillo from Rays in exchange for J.T. Chargois and Austin Shenton". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ "Austin Shenton Makes Quality Contact". August 20, 2021.
- ^ "Rays' Austin Shenton: Optioned to minors camp". cbssports.com. March 15, 2024.
- ^ "Rays pick Austin Shenton, trade for Ben Rortvedt to complete roster". tampabay.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)