Cliff Pennington ‘super excited’ to join Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks needed a shortstop, so they made a trade with the Oakland A’s that landed them Cliff Pennington.

Makes sense, right?

Pennington, 28, played in parts of five seasons with the A’s, spending time at both shortstop and second base. He’s known more for his glove than his bat, which is something he told Arizona Sports 620’s Burns and Gambo is probably a fair assessment.

“Obviously, in major league baseball you’ve got to hit, and hitting is a huge part, but when you’re playing in the middle of the diamond what you bring defensively is very vital as well,” Pennington said. “Defense is something I’ve always taken pride in and hopefully I can bring that to the table for the Diamondbacks.”

Pennington, though, understands he needs to be more productive at the plate. He hit just .215 last season, and brings a career .249 average with him to the desert.

The trade, Pennington said, is “bittersweet”, as he’s leaving the only big league team he’s ever known right after a surprise run to the postseason, but he added that he’s “super excited” to be joining the Diamondbacks.

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