Cliff Pennington

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2008-2018)

Cliff Pennington was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 2008 to 2018 for 5 teams, including the Athletics, a span of 11 seasons. In 971 career games, he hit .242 with 678 hits, 36 home runs, and 242 RBI.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .242
HR 36
RBI 242
H 678
OPS .648
PIV -4,454
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 200 lb
Born
6/15/1984 in Corpus Christi, TX, USA
MLB Debut
2008-08-12
Last Game
2018-04-25

Full name: Clifton Randolph Pennington

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Career Batting Statistics

Cliff Pennington — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
971 2,799 324 678 120 21 36 242 84 266 619 .242 .309 .339 .648 -4,454

Career AVG .242 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 5.2% below league average.

Career OBP .309 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .339 vs. league average .407 across their career seasons — 16.9% below league average.

Career OPS .648 vs. league average .730 across their career seasons — 11.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Cliff Pennington Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
2008 OAK AL 36 99 14 24 5 0 0 9 4 13 18 .242 .263 (-8%) .333 (+2%) .416 (-30%) .749 (-16%) -214.4
2009 OAK AL 60 208 27 58 11 3 4 21 7 19 46 .279 .262 (+6%) .332 (+3%) .417 (avg) .750 (+1%) 53.6
2010 OAK AL 156 508 64 127 26 8 6 46 29 50 96 .250 .257 (-3%) .325 (-2%) .402 (-9%) .728 (-6%) -465.5
2011 OAK AL 148 515 57 136 26 2 8 58 14 42 104 .264 .255 (+4%) .320 (-1%) .399 (-8%) .719 (-4%) -359.5
2012 OAK AL 125 418 50 90 18 2 6 28 15 35 90 .215 .254 (-15%) .318 (-13%) .405 (-23%) .724 (-19%) -1234.0
2013 ARI NL 96 269 25 65 13 1 1 18 2 26 54 .242 .253 (-5%) .317 (-2%) .396 (-22%) .714 (-13%) -519.2
2014 ARI NL 68 177 21 45 5 3 2 10 6 20 36 .254 .251 (+1%) .313 (+8%) .386 (-9%) .700 (-1%) 25.6
2015 ARI NL 72 135 15 32 3 0 1 10 3 16 29 .237 .254 (-7%) .316 (-1%) .404 (-30%) .721 (-17%) -334.0
2015 TOR AL 33 75 9 12 3 0 2 11 0 11 20 .160 .254 (-37%) .316 (-15%) .404 (-31%) .721 (-24%) -334.0
2016 LAA AL 74 172 18 36 4 2 3 10 1 13 55 .209 .255 (-18%) .321 (-18%) .417 (-26%) .738 (-22%) -626.4
2017 LAA AL 87 194 23 49 6 0 3 21 3 16 58 .253 .254 (-1%) .324 (-6%) .425 (-23%) .750 (-15%) -497.0
2018 CIN NL 16 29 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 5 13 .138 — — — — 0.0
Career · 12 seasons 971 2,799 324 678 120 21 36 242 84 266 619 .242 — — — — -4,505

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Pitching Statistics

Cliff Pennington — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 1 0 2 1 9.00 0.0

Career ERA 9.00 vs. league average 4.15 across their career seasons — 116.9% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Cliff Pennington — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
2018 CIN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 1 2 1 9.00 — 0.0
Career · 1 season 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 1 2 1 9.00 — 0

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Cliff Pennington — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
9 15 1 4 0 0 0 1 4 4 .267

Playoff Batting by Year

Cliff Pennington — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2015 ALCS TOR 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
2015 ALDS2 TOR 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2012 ALDS2 OAK 5 14 1 4 0 0 0 1 3 4 .286

Playoff Career Pitching

Cliff Pennington — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 0 0 0.1 2 0 0 0 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Cliff Pennington — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2015 ALCS TOR 0 0 1 0 0 0.1 2 0 0 0 0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (972 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Cliff Pennington — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home492135616232215120.237
Away479144316235621122.247

Pitching — Home / Away

Cliff Pennington — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home11.011219.00

Last 10 Games — Batting

Cliff Pennington — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
2018-04-25 CINATLL 201000000
2018-04-23 CINATLW 310000011
2018-04-21 CINSTLL 100000000
2018-04-20 CINSTLL 100000000
2018-04-18 CINMILL 100000001
2018-04-17 CINMILL 300000001
2018-04-14 CINSTLL 400000001
2018-04-13 CINSTLL 200000001
2018-04-12 CINSTLL 100000001
2018-04-11 CINPHIL 200000002

Last 1 Games — Pitching

Cliff Pennington — Last 1 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
2018-04-12 CINSTL — 1.0111210

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Cliff Pennington — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 3 0 2 1 0 1
2B 233 168 312 506 11 119
3B 64 36 25 80 5 5
OF 8 4 11 1 0 0
P 1 0 0 0 0 0
SS 609 544 817 1663 82 365

Season-by-Season Fielding

Cliff Pennington — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2008 OAK 2B 16 15 33 44 0 17
2008 OAK 3B 9 8 8 11 1 2
2008 OAK SS 10 6 10 16 4 5
2009 OAK SS 60 60 90 181 8 41
2010 OAK SS 156 147 218 496 25 100
2011 OAK SS 147 143 216 374 22 90
2012 OAK 2B 32 26 67 85 2 12
2012 OAK SS 93 90 150 272 9 58
2013 ARI 2B 29 19 33 64 2 14
2013 ARI 3B 2 2 0 6 1 0
2013 ARI SS 51 47 58 152 5 30
2014 ARI 2B 18 15 34 48 0 12
2014 ARI 3B 8 8 5 19 0 2
2014 ARI SS 23 20 24 54 2 13
2015 ARI 2B 11 7 10 25 1 4
2015 ARI 3B 12 1 2 6 1 0
2015 ARI OF 5 2 6 1 0 0
2015 ARI SS 24 16 17 60 4 13
2015 TOR 2B 22 18 28 56 2 10
2015 TOR 3B 6 1 0 5 0 0
2015 TOR OF 3 2 5 0 0 0
2015 TOR SS 5 0 1 1 1 1
2016 LAA 1B 3 0 2 1 0 1
2016 LAA 2B 58 33 66 98 1 27
2016 LAA 3B 1 0 1 0 0 0
2016 LAA SS 17 10 25 34 1 8
2017 LAA 2B 47 35 41 86 3 23
2017 LAA 3B 18 11 8 19 0 0
2017 LAA SS 18 4 7 21 1 5
2018 CIN 3B 8 5 1 14 2 1
2018 CIN P 1 0 0 0 0 0
2018 CIN SS 5 1 1 2 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Cliff Pennington Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 1
First Base 3
Second Base 233
Third Base 64
Shortstop 609
Left Field 8
Designated Hitter 4

Salary History

Cliff Pennington's recorded salaries total $11,090,000 over 7 seasons, 2010 to 2016. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Pennington's career ran from 2008 to 2018. His seasons after 2016 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 2008 and 2009.

Cliff Pennington — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
2016 LAA AL $1,500,000
2015 ARI NL $3,275,000
2014 ARI NL $3,250,000
2013 ARI NL $1,750,000
2012 OAK AL $490,000
2011 OAK AL $420,000
2010 OAK AL $405,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $11,090,000

College History

Cliff Pennington — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Texas A&M University College Station TX 2003, 2004, 2005

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Cliff Pennington (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Desi Relaford
    .243 avg, 40 HR
  2. 95
    Rob Wilfong
    .248 avg, 39 HR
  3. 94
    Sibby Sisti
    .244 avg, 27 HR
  4. 93
    Tom Foley
    .244 avg, 32 HR
  5. 92
    Ramon Santiago
    .243 avg, 30 HR
  6. 92
    Pete Coscarart
    .243 avg, 28 HR

Cliff Pennington: the record in brief

Cliff Pennington's major league career runs from a debut on August 12, 2008 to a final game on April 25, 2018. Pennington played for the Oakland Athletics (2008 through 2012), the Arizona Diamondbacks (2013 through 2015), the Toronto Blue Jays (2015), the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2016 to 2017), and the Cincinnati Reds (2018). The bio lists Pennington as a shortstop who batted from both sides and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 200 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. The birth record reads June 15, 1984, in Corpus Christi, TX, USA. The given name on file is Clifton Randolph Pennington.

Pennington finished with 678 hits from 2,799 at bats in 971 games, which works out to .242, plus 36 home runs, 242 runs batted in, and 84 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .309 and .339 give Pennington a career OPS of .648. The league as a whole hit .256 across Pennington's seasons, which puts the .242 career mark 5.2% below average. In OPS terms, Pennington's .648 stands 11.2% below the league's .730.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cliff Pennington

What years did Cliff Pennington play?
Cliff Pennington played in Major League Baseball from 2008 to 2018.
Was Cliff Pennington a pitcher?
No. Cliff Pennington was a position player (Shortstop), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
How many home runs did Cliff Pennington hit?
Cliff Pennington hit 36 career home runs with 678 hits.
What teams did Cliff Pennington play for?
Cliff Pennington played for 5 teams: the Oakland Athletics (2008–2012), the Arizona Diamondbacks (2013–2015), the Toronto Blue Jays (2015), the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2016–2017), and the Cincinnati Reds (2018).
What were Cliff Pennington's career stats?
In 971 games, Cliff Pennington had 678 hits, 36 home runs, 242 RBI, 324 runs, and 84 stolen bases, with a .242 batting average.
How much did Cliff Pennington earn in his career?
Cliff Pennington's recorded salaries total $11,090,000 over 7 seasons, 2010 to 2016. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Pennington's career ran from 2008 to 2018. His seasons after 2016 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 2008 and 2009.
What was Cliff Pennington's salary?
Cliff Pennington's last recorded salary was $1,500,000, in 2016. His highest recorded salary was $3,275,000, in 2015, and his lowest was $405,000, in 2010. The Salary History table lists each season from 2010 to 2016.
What position did Cliff Pennington play?
Cliff Pennington played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Cliff Pennington and how much did he weigh?
Cliff Pennington was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 200 pounds.
How many home runs did Cliff Pennington hit each season?
Cliff Pennington's home runs by season: 0 in 2008, 4 in 2009, 6 in 2010, 8 in 2011, 6 in 2012, 1 in 2013, 2 in 2014, 3 in 2015, 3 in 2016, 3 in 2017, and 0 in 2018. His most in one season was 8, in 2011.
What was Cliff Pennington's career batting average?
Cliff Pennington batted .242 over his career, with 678 hits in 2,799 at bats.
How many RBI did Cliff Pennington have?
Cliff Pennington drove in 242 runs in his career.
What was Cliff Pennington's career ERA?
Cliff Pennington finished with a 9.00 career ERA, going 0-0 with 1 strikeouts.
Is Cliff Pennington in the Hall of Fame?
No. Cliff Pennington has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.