Wild Things’ Hennen picked up by Royals
The Wild Things suddenly have a hole in their pitching rotation.
And nobody within the organization is complaining.
Washington announced Tuesday that the Kansas City Royals have purchased the contract of lefty Ryan Hennen, who won both the Frontier League’s Pitcher of the Year and its Rookie of the Year awards last season.
“It’s about time,” Wild Things manager Tom Vaeth said in a release. “(We) couldn’t be happier that Ryan is finally getting this opportunity. No doubt it is well-deserved.
“That kid came in here, worked his butt off and had a monster year for us. It’s great, not only for our organization, our clubhouse and our fans, but also for the league when the reigning pitcher and rookie of the year is recognized for his accomplishments by getting a chance to further his career with an MLB organization.”
The Wild Things acquired Hennen with the No. 2 draft pick at last year’s Frontier League tryout camp. He led the league with a 2.12 ERA and his 11 wins were tied for second. Hennen was the fourth Wild Things player to win Pitcher of the Year, joining Jared Howton (2002), Aaron Ledbetter (2007) and Thomas Dorminy (2018).
“I just want to say thank you to everyone involved with the Wild Things’ organization, from the front office and coaches to my teammates,” said Hennen. “I’m thankful and beyond excited to be joining the Kansas City Royals organization.”
Hennen pitched only one season of college baseball, where he was named the Division III Junior College Pitcher of the year at Century College in Minnesota in 2017.
He transferred to North Carolina-Greensboro but suffered a torn elbow ligament that required reconstructive surgery before he could play in a game for the Spartans. He was playing a men’s recreation league before deciding to attend the Frontier League tryout last spring in Avon, Ohio, where he caught the eye of Vaeth.
Hennen is the 44th player to go from the Wild Things to a major league organization.
Washington will open its 20th Frontier League season May 13 at home against the New York Boulders.