Zak Kent Bio
Zachary Allen Kent (born February 24, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher. He currently plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals and wears jersey number 57. Over the course of his professional career, Kent has also appeared in the majors for the Cleveland Guardians and the Minnesota Twins.
A right-handed pitcher from rural Virginia, Kent has progressed through multiple organizations since being drafted in 2019, working his way up through the minor leagues before reaching the majors in 2025. He is known for his strikeout ability and has logged more than 130 career strikeouts across his minor league stops.
Early Life and Background
Zachary Allen Kent was born on February 24, 1998, in Heathsville, Virginia, a small community in the Northern Neck region of the state. He grew up in a rural part of Virginia and attended Northumberland High School in Heathsville, where he developed into a notable two-way player.
As a sophomore, Kent was part of Northumberland’s Class 1A State Championship team in 2014, posting a 1.96 ERA as a pitcher while also batting .315. He continued to refine his skills on the mound, and during his senior season in 2016, he was named to the Virginia High School League’s Class 1A All-State team as a pitcher. Although he went undrafted out of high school, Kent had already shown the kind of arm talent that would attract professional attention.
Following high school, Kent enrolled at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), where he played college baseball for the VMI Keydets across three seasons. He enjoyed his strongest campaign as a junior in 2019, going 5-5 with a 4.64 ERA and striking out 132 batters over 97 innings pitched. That breakout junior year helped position him for the 2019 MLB Draft.
Path to Major League Baseball
Kent’s path to professional baseball began when the Texas Rangers selected him in the ninth round of the 2019 MLB Draft, with the 265th overall pick. He signed with the Rangers for a $140,000 signing bonus and began his pro career that summer. He split his debut season between the AZL Rangers of the Rookie-level Arizona League and the Spokane Indians of the Low-A Northwest League, combining for a 0-1 record and a 5.12 ERA with 18 strikeouts over 19 and one-third innings.
Kent did not play in 2020 because the minor league season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned in 2021 and opened the year with the Hickory Crawdads of the High-A East, where he excelled with a 6-2 record, a 2.83 ERA, and 78 strikeouts over 60 and one-third innings. After a midseason promotion to the Frisco RoughRiders of the Double-A Central, he went 0-4 with a 5.34 ERA in limited action.
In 2022, Kent split the year between Frisco and the Round Rock Express of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, going a combined 3-4 with a 3.94 ERA and 110 strikeouts over 109 and two-thirds innings. On November 15, 2022, the Rangers added him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. After an injury-limited 2023 campaign with Round Rock, Kent was traded to the Cleveland Guardians on March 28, 2024, in exchange for international bonus pool space, beginning the next chapter of his career.
Zak Kent Career
Cleveland Guardians Era (2024–2025)
After joining the Guardians organization in March 2024, Kent was assigned to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. He was designated for assignment in late June 2024 and cleared waivers, only to be released on July 5. The Guardians re-signed him to a minor league deal on July 16, and he returned to the organization.
On April 21, 2025, Kent was selected to Cleveland’s 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made 12 appearances for the Guardians during the 2025 season, going 1-0 with a 4.58 ERA and 16 strikeouts across 17 and two-thirds innings. On September 28, 2025, he recorded his first career MLB win, allowing two earned runs over two innings pitched against the Texas Rangers.
Minnesota Twins (2026)
Following the 2025 season, Kent was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals on December 5, 2025. He was designated for assignment by St. Louis on January 6, 2026, and claimed by the Texas Rangers on January 9. Texas designated him for assignment on February 13, and the Cardinals reclaimed him on February 16. On February 21, St. Louis designated him for assignment again, and on February 26, the Minnesota Twins claimed him off waivers.
Kent appeared in two games for Minnesota and posted a 4.91 ERA with two strikeouts over three and two-thirds innings. On April 28, 2026, he was designated for assignment by the Twins following the promotion of Luis García to the major league roster.
Washington Nationals (2026–Present)
On May 3, 2026, Kent was claimed off waivers by the Washington Nationals and joined their big-league pitching staff. Through his early appearances in Washington, he has continued to log strikeouts, recording 23 across his initial outings while posting a 5.00 ERA and a 1-0 win-loss record.
Kent’s 2026 season has been defined by frequent moves across organizations, but he has remained active at the major league level and is contributing out of the bullpen for the Nationals.
Notable Events and Milestones
Kent’s first MLB win on September 28, 2025, against the Texas Rangers marked a defining moment in his career, coming against the team that originally drafted him. Earlier, his standout 2019 junior season at VMI and his 132 strikeouts that year set the foundation for his professional trajectory. Being added to Texas’s 40-man roster in November 2022 was another key milestone, signaling that the Rangers viewed him as a legitimate prospect.
Zak Kent Career Highlights
Across his professional career, Kent has established himself as a steady strikeout pitcher, particularly during his time in the minor leagues. His most productive minor league season came in 2021, when he posted a combined 2.83 ERA across High-A Hickory before his promotion to Double-A Frisco. In 2022, he combined for 110 strikeouts over 109 and two-thirds innings between Frisco and Round Rock.
Cleveland Guardians Highlights
Kent made his MLB debut with the Cleveland Guardians in 2025 and appeared in 12 games, finishing the year with a 1-0 record, a 4.58 ERA, and 16 strikeouts in 17 and two-thirds innings. His first MLB win came on September 28, 2025, against his original organization, the Texas Rangers.
Zak Kent Family
Personal Life
Zachary Allen Kent is married. He grew up in Heathsville, Virginia, and has spoken about his lifelong fandom of the Baltimore Orioles, the closest major league team to his hometown. His upbringing in rural Virginia and his education at the Virginia Military Institute have been central to his identity as a pitcher.
2025 Season Performance
Zachary Allen Kent’s 2025 campaign was his first full year in the major leagues. After opening the season in Triple-A Columbus, he was promoted to Cleveland on April 21 and spent the remainder of the year in the Guardians’ bullpen. Across 12 appearances, he went 1-0 with a 4.58 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 17 and two-thirds innings, with his first career win coming on September 28 against the Texas Rangers.
Kent’s transition from minor league starter to major league reliever shaped his statistical profile, as he focused on shorter outings and emphasized his strikeout ability. By season’s end, he had established himself as a reliable depth arm for the Guardians, setting the stage for his whirlwind winter of waiver moves across four different organizations.
