
Former PaddleHead Zach Penrod Traded To Los Angeles Dodgers
Penrod Looks To Make Impact With Defending World Series Champion Dodgers
The Missoula PaddleHeads have made a habit of sending players to affiliated baseball as an independent professional baseball club dating back to 2021. Missoula has seen 20 players get opportunities in affiliated baseball after spending time with the PaddleHeads organization. Last September, a former PaddleHead became the first player to appear in Major League action doing so in September of 2024.
Left-Handed pitcher Zach Penrod would work his way up in the Boston Red Sox minor league system after being signed from the PaddleHeads roster in 2023. Penrod would go on to pitch in 7 games with the Red Sox last season after being called up from the Worcester Red Sox. Due in large part to a recent blockbuster trade in Major League Baseball, Penrod is now moving on to a new opportunity.
It was announced on Friday that Penrod had been traded from the Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Recently, the Red Sox designated Penrod for assignment in their organization to make room on the 40-man roster for a pair of pitchers they acquired from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for All-Star infielder Rafael Devers. Now Penrod will get a chance to make an impact pitching with the defending World Series Champion Dodgers. To make room for Penrod on the Dodgers roster, Los Angeles placed pitcher Roki Sasaki on the 60-day inactive list.
Penrod made his professional debut on September 14 last fall doing so in one of Major League Baseball's most iconic venues Yankee Stadium. The Nampa Idaho native would strike out a pair in a scoreless inning of relief in a Red Sox victory over the Yankees. In a full circle moment, Penrod's first career strikeout victim in Major League Baseball was infielder Jazz Chisholm. Chisolm also began his journey to the big leagues in Missoula playing in 63 games with the Osprey in 2016.
Penrod appeared in 13 games (10 starts) with the PaddleHeads during the 2023 season before being signed by the Red Sox. The southpaw finished with a 4-1 record to go along with a 2.98 ERA 54 ⅓ innings of work. The former Nighthawk struck out 65 batters in those innings. The flamethrower would also record 2 saves for Missoula in July of the 2023 campaign. These late inning appearances would prove to catch the eyes of scouts as Penrod would be signed by the Red Sox soon after these appearances.