Confidence is Key for Kenten Egbert in Myrtle Beach

July 23, 2024 by Sam Weiderhaft

“As a UDFA, you’re not really sure if you belong when you first get out here.”

After not being selected in the 2023 MLB Draft, Kenten Egbert was working behind a cash register when he received a call from the Cubs. That phone call led to Egbert, previously a pitcher for Miami Ohio, signing as an undrafted free agent.

After dealing with confidence issues on the mound in 2022, Egbert put up solid numbers for the Redhawks in 2023 in his senior year, with a 3.96 ERA through 15 games and 75 innings with 90 strikeouts and just 29 walks. Those numbers put him on the radar for the Cubs who signed him shortly after the draft.

Egbert, the 23-year-old right-hander, would make his full-season debut for the Pelicans on April 9^th at Columbia, allowing two runs through 3 2/3 innings. Ever since that first start, Egbert has continued to get better and has turned into one of the top starting pitchers on the Myrtle Beach staff.

“It’s a lot of confidence,” Egbert said. “It’s proving to myself that I am good enough to be out here and dominate like everyone else.”
Egbert has been dominant in the 16 games he’s pitched, sporting a 3.00 ERA through 66 innings with only 24 walks and 68 strikeouts. His fastball has continued to increase in velocity as the season has gone on as well.

“It was like one bullpen last week, all of the sudden I was up a tick in the bullpen,” Egbert said prior to the series with Kannapolis in early July. “Threw another bullpen when we were in Charleston, it was up another tick. It was like ‘alright cool, this is real so let’s try and carry that into the game.’”

The Ohio native has become recognizable for Pelicans’ fans, trotting out to the mound with his long hair and high light-blue socks. His delivery is unique, with a high leg-kick that shoots his foot above his head as he fires to the plate.

“It was my sophomore year of college, and it just got way more aggressive,” Egbert said about his delivery. “The leg kick just got way higher, I guess I was trying to be a better athlete to move a little faster and throw harder.”

Through his first summer of professional baseball, Egbert has continued to build his confidence which have led to his solid results. As with most players at the Single-A level, Egbert hopes to use his first full-season as a way to learn how to be a professional with the help of the Cubs’ staff.

“As the year goes on, just want to keep adding on to my routines and figure out what works for me and get a better understanding for who I am as a professional athlete.”