Locke St. John
Kenton Locke St. John is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He has previously played in Major League Baseball for the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs.
Career
St. John attended Pell [City High School] in Pell City, Alabama. He played college baseball at Southern Union Community College for two years and then transferred to the University of South Alabama for one season. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 32nd round, with the 970th overall selection, of the 2014 MLB draft.Detroit Tigers
St. John spent the 2014 through 2017 seasons in the Tigers organization. During his time with them, he played for the GCL Tigers, Connecticut Tigers, West Michigan Whitecaps, and Lakeland Flying Tigers. During the 2017 season, he converted from a conventional over the top pitcher, into a side-armer.Texas Rangers
On December 14, 2017, St. John was selected by the Texas Rangers in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. He split the 2018 season between the Down East Wood Ducks of the High–A Carolina League and the Frisco RoughRiders Double–A Texas League, going a combined 6–3 with a 2.67 ERA in innings. He opened the 2019 season back with Frisco, and on June 6 he was promoted to the Nashville Sounds of the Triple–A Pacific Coast League. Between the two affiliates, St. John went 5–4 with a 4.38 ERA in 48 innings.On June 20, 2019, St. John had his contract selected and he was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut on June 25, retiring the two batters he faced. On September 1, St. John was designated for assignment after posting a 5.40 ERA and 5 strikeouts over innings. He was removed from the 40–man roster and was sent outright to Nashville on September 3.
St. John did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.