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Austin Shenton

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Austin Shenton
Shenton with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024
Seattle Mariners
Third baseman
Born: (1998-01-22) January 22, 1998 (age 26)
Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
March 31, 2024, for the Tampa Bay Rays
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.214
Home runs1
Runs batted in3
Teams

Austin P. Shenton (born January 22, 1998) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024.

Career

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Amateur career

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Shenton attended Bellingham High School in Bellingham, Washington. He hit .472 with a .700 on-base percentage as a high school senior.[1] He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 34th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft but did not sign with the team.[2]

Shenton initially committed to playing college baseball for the Washington Huskies but switched to playing at Bellevue College so he could keep his draft eligibility.[3][4] At Bellevue, he hit .395 with 7 home runs.[1] After going undrafted in 2017,[5] he then transferred to Florida International University. In two seasons with the Panthers, he hit .337 with 16 home runs in 105 games. He was twice named to the All-Conference USA second team.[1]

He played collegiate summer baseball with the Bellingham Bells in 2016 and 2017, then the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2018, where he was named an all-star and the playoff most valuable player after Wareham's league championship.[6][7]

Seattle Mariners

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The Seattle Mariners selected Shenton in the fifth round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft, and he signed with the team, getting a $336,000 signing bonus.[8][9] Shenton grew up rooting for the Mariners and dreaming he would play for the team.[10] He started his professional career that June with the Everett AquaSox before being promoted in mid-July to the West Virginia Power. He batted .298 with seven home runs and 36 RBI over 53 games between both teams in 2019.[11][7] He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] Shenton spent the summer in Tacoma as part of Seattle's 60-man player pool.[13][14] Shenton started 2021 with Everett before being promoted to the Double–A Arkansas Travelers in mid-July.[15]

Tampa Bay Rays

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On July 29, 2021, the Mariners traded Shenton and reliever J.T. Chargois to the Tampa Bay Rays for reliever Diego Castillo.[16] Shenton was assigned to the Montgomery Biscuits. His season ended in mid-August due to a thumb injury. Over 80 games between Everett, Arkansas, and Montgomery, he slashed .295/.398/.549 with 14 home runs and 70 RBI.[17][18]

Shenton returned to Montgomery in 2022, but a hip injury ended his season on June 22.[19][20] He also started wearing corrective lens to address vision issues, including astigmatism.[19] Shenton was on the Biscuits for a third consecutive season to start 2023, then advancing to the Triple-A Durham Bulls in July. He hit .304 with 29 home runs and 99 RBI for Montgomery and Durham in 2023.[21] He led the International League in total bases following his July promotion to Durham.[22]

Shenton was optioned to Durham before the start of the 2024 season.[23] However, following several players' injuries, Shenton was added to the Rays' Opening Day roster.[24] He made his major league debut on March 31 as a defensive replacement, hitting a flyout in his first at bat.[25][26][27] He got his first MLB hit and RBI on a groundball double off Dakota Hudson of the Colorado Rockies on April 7.[28][29] Shenton stayed on the Rays roster until May 14, when he was optioned to Durham.[30] On September 5, the Rays recalled Shenton from Triple-A after posting a slash line of .258/.361/.497 in 83 games with 20 home runs and 65 RBI following his demotion.[31] In 19 games in his first season in the majors, he batted .214/.340/.405 with one home run and three RBI. Shenton primarily played first base for the first time in his career in 2024, after mainly being a third baseman.[7] On November 18, Shenton was designated for assignment by the Rays.[32]

Seattle Mariners (second stint)

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On November 19, 2024, Shenton was traded back to the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations. Shenton took the roster spot formerly held by Chargois, who was traded with Shenton to the Rays in 2021.[33][34]

Personal life

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Shenton was adopted by his aunt, Andrea Shenton, and uncle, Dana, when he was 5 years old, after spending two years in foster care.[19][4] He grew up with an older brother, Ian, Andreas's son, who suffered from seizures and developmental disabilities. Shenton has raised money and donated part of his draft signing bonus to the Max Higbee Center, a nonprofit organization supporting teens and adults with developmental disabilities in his hometown of Bellingham.[8][19] Shenton's Mariners teammate George Kirby has also supported the organization.[35]

Shenton has no contact with his biological parents, and he has three other siblings. He is a member of the Chickasaw Nation.[19][4]

Shenton's mother, Andrea Shenton, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, which led him to consider leaving Florida International, though she requested that he continue playing baseball.[4]

Shenton enjoys golf, using part of his draft signing bonus to buy new golf clubs.[8] He also played basketball and tennis in high school.[1] He was an all-conference tennis player his senior season.[36]

Shenton co-owns a baseball training facility in Bellingham.[36]

Shenton was a vegetarian and aspiring travel photographer, as of 2019.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Austin Shenton - 2019 - Baseball". FIU Athletics. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  2. ^ Smith, Lauren (June 11, 2016). "Indians select Shenton in MLB draft". Bellingham Herald. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  3. ^ Schrager, Daniel (April 16, 2024). "Former Bellingham High baseball star Austin Shenton talks about his new life in the majors". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e Villa, Walter (February 8, 2019). "His mother's health weighs heavily on him, but this Panthers player still perseveres". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019.
  5. ^ "MLB Draft Tracker 2017". MLB.com. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  6. ^ Goisman, Matt (August 14, 2018). "Wareham Gatemen ride 6–0 postseason to CCBL title". South Coast Today. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "Austin Shenton Amateur, College & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Brock, Corey. "Mariners prospect Austin Shenton helps make more room in 'a place for friends'". The Athletic. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  9. ^ Shenton, Austin [@austin_shenton] (June 9, 2019). "Officially, official! Extremely grateful that the Seattle Mariners have given me this opportunity!" – via Instagram.
  10. ^ Trent, Eric (June 11, 2019). "Dream come true: Seattle Mariners draft, sign Bellingham grad". Lynden Tribune. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023.
  11. ^ Lang, Andrew (July 26, 2019). "Mariners draft pick, former AquaSox refuses to be ordinary". HeraldNet.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  12. ^ Adler, David (June 30, 2020). "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ Divish, Ryan (August 13, 2020). "Jose Canseco, Jay Buhner … Austin Shenton? Mariners prospect joins Cheney Stadium lore with 453-foot homer". Seattle Times.
  15. ^ Til, Cameron Van (July 17, 2021). "AquaSox slugger Shenton promoted to Double-A Arkansas". HeraldNet.com.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ Topkin, Marc (August 20, 2021). "Austin Shenton Makes Quality Contact". Baseball America.
  18. ^ "Austin Shenton 2021 Amateur, College & Minor Leagues Game Logs & Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d e Topkin, Marc. "'Pretty crazy story' of Austin Shenton's journey to majors with Rays". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  20. ^ "Austin Shenton 2022 Amateur, College & Minor Leagues Game Logs & Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  21. ^ "Austin Shenton 2023 Amateur, College & Minor Leagues Game Logs & Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  22. ^ Cooper, J. J. (September 25, 2023). "Prospect Report: Austin Shenton Is a Sneaky Sleeper". Baseball America. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  23. ^ "Rays' Austin Shenton: Optioned to minors camp". CBS Sports. RotoWire. March 15, 2024.
  24. ^ "Rays pick Austin Shenton, trade for Ben Rortvedt to complete roster". tampabay.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  25. ^ "Austin Shenton flies out to left fielder Davis Schneider. | 03/31/2024". MLB.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  26. ^ "Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Box Score: March 31, 2024". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  27. ^ Topkin, Marc (April 1, 2024). "1st Rays start meant even more to Austin Shenton with parents on hand". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  28. ^ "Austin Shenton hits an RBI double to left | 04/07/2024". MLB.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  29. ^ Topkin, Marc (April 8, 2024). "Rays' Austin Shenton has more to celebrate: first MLB hit, first RBI". Yahoo Sports. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  30. ^ Topkin, Marc (May 14, 2024). "Jonathan Aranda activated by Rays, Austin Shenton optioned to Durham". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  31. ^ "Tampa Bay Rays Roster Moves: Austin Shenton, Alex Jackson and MORE!". The Report on Sports. September 5, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  32. ^ McDonald, Darragh (November 18, 2024). "Rays Designate Austin Shenton For Assignment". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  33. ^ Morgenstern, Leo (November 19, 2024). "Mariners Trade For Austin Shenton, DFA JT Chargois". MLB Trade Rumors.
  34. ^ Divish, Ryan (November 19, 2024). "Mariners bring back former prospect in trade with Rays". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  35. ^ Shenton, Austin [@austin_shenton] (April 7, 2023). "Excited to kick off the 2023 season and announce the return of the #ABaseandK4Friends campaign for another year! Just like last year, I'll be donating $5 per single, $10 per double, $15 per triple, and $20 per Home Run to the Max Higbee Center throughout the season" – via Instagram.
  36. ^ a b "AUSTIN SHENTON". One for One Training. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
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