The Mariners plucked former Rangers right-hander Nolan Kingham off waivers and assigned him to Triple-A Tacoma. Some have to wonder what exactly the Mariners see here. Kingham doesn’t exactly have shiny numbers in Triple-A Round Rock. He hit waivers after posting a 1-5 record with a 7.62 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP across 10 appearances. He’s allowed 44 hits and issued 26 walks over 41 1/3 innings while striking out 35. They’re rough numbers no matter what angle you look at them from.
It’s even more strange when you look at the walks. Mariners development loves a good strike thrower, but they claimed him anyway.
That tells us the Mariners are betting on specific traits rather than the complete resume. Kingham is a 6-foot-4 righty with solid velo and four pitches. During his major league debut with Texas on Aug. 3, his four-seamer averaged 95.4 mph and his sinker averaged 94.4 mph. He also mixed in a slider and changeup during the 22-pitch appearance.
Another wrinkle that makes this claim a little more fascinating, Kingham faced the Rainiers at Cheney Stadium on June 27. He got rocked for seven hits and four runs, three of them earned, over four innings. Two of those hits left the ballpark.
Seattle’s evaluators didn’t have to search very far for evidence of Kingham’s flaws. Their own Triple-A hitters supplied plenty of it.
So, the Mariners watched Kingham struggle against their affiliate and still decided he deserved a spot in the organization. Perhaps it was the fastball velocity. Or maybe that he already has two fastballs. They also just watched Casey Lawrence pack his bags, and they need to fill a rotation spot. Kingham started nine of his 10 games for Round Rock, but we’ll see what his future looks like in Seattle’s system.
Whatever the plan is, the Mariners are not working off flattering outings.
Kingham’s path may also explain some of the appeal. He spent six seasons in the Braves organization before being released in March 2024. He also spent time pitching in Mexico before signing a minor league deal with Texas in late May. A little more than two months later, the Rangers gave him his first major league opportunity.
As one would expect, his debut was messy. Kingham allowed one run on one hit and two walks in one inning against the Giants. He recorded his first major league strikeout, but Texas DFA’d him four days later. That’s how he found himself with Seattle.
The good news is that there’s no expectation to have Kingham in the majors any time soon. He’s going to Tacoma as depth and a potential development project. If the Mariners can help him throw more strikes, there may be a useful multi-inning arm buried inside those ugly numbers.
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