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{{Infobox baseball biography
|name = Zak Kent
|number =
|team = Free agent
|position = [[Pitcher]]
|bats = Right
|throws = Right
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|2|24}}
|birth_place = [[Henrico, Virginia]]
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate =
|debutyear =
|debutteam =
|statleague = MLB
|statyear =
|stat1label = [[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value =
|stat2label = [[Earned run average]]
|stat2value =
|stat3label = [[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value =
|teams =
}}
'''Zachary Allen Kent''' (born February 24, 1998) is an American [[professional baseball]] [[pitcher]] who is a free agent.
==Amateur career==
Kent attended Northumberland High School in [[Heathsville, Virginia]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zak Kent (2016, RHP) Commits to VMI|url=http://www.mysite.com/Blog/145385/Zak-Kent-2016-RHP-Commits-to-VMI|access-date=2021-10-04|website=www.mysite.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Hinton-Valdrighi|first=Lisa|date=April 10, 2019|title=NHS grad Zak Kent pitches into the spotlight|url=https://rrecord.com/nhs-grad-zak-kent-pitches-into-the-spotlight/|access-date=2021-10-04|website=Rappahannock Record}}</ref> As a sophomore Kent was a member of their 1A State Championship team in 2014; a season in which he hit .315 and posted a 1.96 ERA.<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 4, 2019|title=Rangers make eight selections on day two of 2019 First-Year Player Draft|url=https://www.mlb.com/press-release/rangers-make-eight-selections-on-day-two-of-draft|access-date=2021-10-04|website=[[MLB.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Zak Kent - 2018-19 - Baseball|url=https://vmikeydets.com/sports/baseball/roster/zak-kent/4868|access-date=2021-10-04|website=[[Virginia Military Institute]]}}</ref> Kent was named [[Virginia High School League|VHSL]] 1A All-State as a pitcher in his senior season of 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 21, 2016|title=VHSL 1A All-State Baseball teams|url=https://usatodayhss.com/2016/vhsl-1a-allstate-baseball-teams|access-date=2021-10-04|website=[[USA Today]]}}</ref> Undrafted out of high school, Kent attended the [[Virginia Military Institute]] to play [[college baseball]] for the [[VMI Keydets baseball|VMI Keydets]] for three seasons. Kent enjoyed his best season as a junior in 2019, when he went 5–5 with a 4.64 ERA and 132 strikeouts over 97 innings.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|title=Zak Kent College & Minor Leagues Statistics & History|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=kent--000zak|access-date=2021-10-04|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref>
==Professional career==
===Texas Rangers===
Kent was drafted by the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] in the 9th round, with the 265th overall selection, of the [[2019 MLB draft]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hinton-Valdrighi|first=Lisa|date=June 12, 2019|title=Zak Kent is drafted by Texas Rangers|url=https://rrecord.com/zak-kent-is-drafted-by-texas-rangers/|access-date=2021-10-04|website=Rappahannock Record}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://augustafreepress.com/vmi-baseball-zak-kent-taken-in-ninth-round-of-2019-mlb-draft-by-texas/|title=VMI Baseball: Zak Kent taken in ninth round of 2019 MLB Draft by Texas|date=June 5, 2019}}</ref> He signed with Texas for a $140,000 [[signing bonus]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Grant|first=Evan|date=2021-08-13|title=Rangers' top 20 prospects: Post-trade deadline, midseason reshuffle after a busy July in Texas|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/rangers/2021/08/13/rangers-top-20-prospects-post-trade-deadline-midseason-reshuffle-after-a-busy-july-in-texas/|access-date=2021-10-04|website=[[The Dallas Morning News]]}}</ref>
Kent split his professional debut season of 2019 between the [[AZL Rangers]] of the [[Rookie-level]] [[Arizona League]] and the [[Spokane Indians]] of the [[Class A Short Season]] [[Northwest League]], going combined 0–1 with a 5.12 ERA and 18 strikeouts over {{frac|19|1|3}} innings.<ref name=":6" /> Kent did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the [[Minor League Baseball]] season because of the [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports|COVID-19 pandemic]]. He opened the 2021 season with the [[Hickory Crawdads]] of the [[High-A East]], going 6–2 with a 2.83 ERA and 78 strikeouts over {{frac|60|1|3}} innings.<ref>{{Cite web|author=<!--Not stated--> Reports|date=August 6, 2021|title=Kent dazzles as Crawdads blank Grasshoppers 7-0|url=https://morganton.com/sports/local/kent-dazzles-as-crawdads-blank-grasshoppers-7-0/article_ddf5e84d-8432-5899-b3d7-f890cb1fcc58.html|access-date=2021-10-04|website=[[The News Herald (North Carolina)|The News Herald]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Newberg|first=Jamey|date=August 16, 2021|title=Texas Rangers 2021 midseason prospect rankings: Nos. 72 through 43|url=https://theathletic.com/2766933/2021/08/16/texas-rangers-2021-midseason-prospect-rankings-no-72-through-43/|access-date=2021-10-04|website=[[The Athletic]]}}</ref> After being promoted to the [[Frisco RoughRiders]] of the [[Double-A Central]] in August, he posted a 0–4 record with a 5.34 ERA and 39 strikeouts over {{frac|28|2|3}} innings.<ref name="Weaver2021">{{Cite web|last=Weaver|first=Levi|date=September 30, 2021|title=How Rangers prospect Zak Kent went from unheralded draft pick to grabbing attention in 2021|url=https://theathletic.com/2840794/2021/09/30/how-rangers-prospect-zak-kent-went-from-unheralded-draft-pick-to-grabbing-attention-in-2021/|access-date=2021-10-04|website=[[The Athletic]]|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Grant|first=Evan|date=August 8, 2021|title='Best stuff I've seen this year': Hickory trio flashes potential of Rangers' minor-league pitchers|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/rangers/2021/08/08/best-stuff-ive-seen-this-year-hickory-trio-flashes-potential-of-rangers-minor-league-pitchers/|access-date=2021-10-04|website=[[The Dallas Morning News]]}}</ref> Kent split the 2022 season between Frisco and the [[Round Rock Express]] of the [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] [[Pacific Coast League]], going a combined 3–4 with a 3.94 ERA and 110 strikeouts over {{frac|109|2|3}} innings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hinton-Valdrighi |first=Lisa |date=September 7, 2022 |title=Zak Kent moves up the ladder to Round Rock Express {{!}} Rappahannock Record |url=https://rrecord.com/zak-kent-moves-up-the-ladder-to-round-rock-express/ |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=Rappahannock Record}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Postins |first=Matthew |date=October 12, 2022 |title=Rangers Top 30 Prospect Wraps: Zak Kent |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/rangers/news/texas-rangers-top-30-prospect-review-zak-kent-2022 |access-date=2022-11-20 |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]}}</ref>
On November 15, 2022, the Rangers selected Kent to their [[40-man roster]] to protect him from the [[Rule 5 draft]].<ref name="Weaver2021"/>{{verify inline|date=March 2024|reason=Speculative fix for reerencing error on subscription-required site}} Kent was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to begin the 2023 season but was placed on the injured list after one game due to an oblique strain.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rangers' Zak Kent: Out with oblique strain |url=https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/rangers-zak-kent-out-with-oblique-strain/ |access-date=2023-05-12 |website=[[CBSSports.com]]|date=20 April 2023 }}</ref> In just 10 games due to injury, Kent posted a 0–1 record with a 3.97 ERA, and 34 strikeouts over 34 innings. Following the 2023 season, Kent played for the [[Surprise Saguaros]] of the [[Arizona Fall League]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
===Cleveland Guardians===
On March 28, 2024, Kent was traded to the [[Cleveland Guardians]] in exchange for international bonus pool space. He was subsequently optioned to the Triple-A [[Columbus Clippers]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-28 |title=Guardians Acquire Peter Strzelecki From D-backs, Zak Kent From Rangers |url=https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/03/guardians-acquire-peter-strzelecki-from-d-backs-zak-kent-from-rangers.html |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=MLB Trade Rumors |language=en-US}}</ref> Kent was designated for assignment by the Guardians on June 29.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guardians Activate Eli Morgan, Designate Zak Kent|url=https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/06/guardians-activate-eli-morgan-designate-zak-kent.html|access-date=June 29, 2024|website=mlbtraderumors.com|language=en}}</ref> After clearing waivers, Kent was released by the Guardians on July 5, 2024.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{baseballstats|mlb=687849|espn=|br=|fangraphs=|brm=kent--000zak}}
*[https://vmikeydets.com/sports/baseball/roster/zak-kent/4868 VMI Keydets bio]
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