Kenneth Edward Vining (born December 5, 1974) is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB)

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. Vining played for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

during the 2001 season. In 8 career games, he posted an 0–0 record and an

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) of 17.55. Vining batted and threw left-handed.

Amateur career

Vining attended Cardinal Newman High School in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

. He was a 62nd–round draft pick of the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

in the 1993 draft, but he went to

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

Clemson, South Carolina Clemson () is a city in Pickens and Anderson counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Clemson is home to Clemson University; in 2015, ''the Princeton Review'' cited the town of Clemson as ranking #1 in the United States for " town-and-gown" ...

instead of signing with Cleveland. Vining spent three seasons with Clemson. In 1994, his freshman season, Vining posted a 3–0 record and a 4.20 ERA in 20 appearances. The following year, he saw action in 22 games, making 9 starts. He had a 4–0 record, two saves, and a 3.39 ERA. As a junior in 1996, Vining started in 16 of his 19 appearances, tallying a 10–3 record and ERA of 2.97. From 1994 to 1996, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Chatham A's The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in t ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

and was named a league all-star in 1994.

Professional career

During the 1996 Major League Baseball draft, the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

selected Vining in the 4th round. He officially joined their organization on June 28. Vining made his professional debut with the Single–A

Bellingham Giants The Bellingham Giants were a Minor League Baseball team in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, based in Bellingham, Washington, for two seasons (1995, 1996), and were an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. After years of struggling atte ...

of the

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...

. He made 12 appearances (11 starts) in 1996, posting a 4–2 record and a 2.09 ERA. In 60.1 innings, Vining

struck out In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denote ...

69 batters and surrendered 23 walks. Vining began the 1997 season with the

San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark. Games San Jose Giants ga ...

of the Single–A

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

. In 23 starts, Vining went 9–6 with a 4.21 ERA. He recorded 142 strikeouts and 60 walks over 136.2 innings. On July 31, 1997, Vining was one of six prospects (along with

Keith Foulke Keith Charles Foulke ( ; born October 19, 1972) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. A graduate of Hargrave High School in Huffman, Texas, Foulke attended Galveston College and Lewis–Clark State College. Between 1997 and 2008, he p ...

Bob Howry Bobby Dean Howry (born August 4, 1973) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Early life Howry attended, and played baseball at Deer Valley High School in Arizona, then he attended McNeese State University and was drafted b ...

Lorenzo Barceló Lorenzo Barceló (born August 10, 1977) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He played for the Chicago White Sox from –. Career MLB career San Francisco Giants Barceló was originally signed by the San Francisco Gia ...

, Mike Caruso, and Brian Manning) traded to the White Sox in exchange for

Wilson Álvarez Wilson Eduardo Álvarez Fuenmayor (born March 24, 1970) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher. During a thirteen-year baseball career, he pitched for the Texas Rangers, ...

Danny Darwin Danny Wayne Darwin (born October 25, 1955), known as the "Bonham Bullet" and "Dr. Death", is an American professional baseball pitcher and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, ...

, and Roberto Hernández in what became known as the

White Flag Trade The White Flag Trade was a trade made between two Major League Baseball teams in 1997. On July 31, 1997, the Chicago White Sox traded three veteran pitchers to the San Francisco Giants for six minor league players. At the time, the trade was mali ...

. Now a member of the White Sox organization, Vining finished the year by making 5 starts for the Single–A Winston–Salem Warthogs. He had a 2–2 record and an ERA of 2.86. In 1998, Vining made 28 starts for the

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...

of the Double–A Southern League. He posted a 10–12 record and a 4.07 ERA, striking out 133 batters and walking 91 in 172.2 innings. Vining remained with Birmingham for the following season, but only made three starts. He was credited with an 0–2 record and an ERA of 9.26. Vining made the transition from a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

to a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...

prior to the 2000 season, which he again spent with Birmingham. In 43 appearances, Vining posted an ERA of 4.08 and a 1–5 record. In 46.1 innings, he struck out 41 and walked 18. Following the 2000 season, Vining played in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

as a member of the

Phoenix Desert Dogs Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), ...

. In 12 games, he posted a 1.50 ERA and a 3–0 record, striking out 12 batters and walking only one. In 2001, Vining spent most of the season with the Triple–A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. He appeared in 41 games for Charlotte, posting an ERA of 1.96 over 46 innings, while striking out 47 batters and surrendering 19 walks. Vining made his MLB debut on May 23 against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. He faced two batters, and recorded his first MLB strikeout against

Tony Batista Leocadio Francisco "Tony" Batista Hernandez (born December 9, 1973) is a Dominican former Major League Baseball infielder. He played in the major leagues from to and to , and with the SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League in . Care ...

. In 8 appearances with the White Sox, Vining surrendered 13 earned runs over 6.2 innings, amassing an ERA of 17.55. He made his final major league appearance on July 5. Vining spent the 2002 season with Charlotte, posting a 2.87 ERA over 44 appearances (47 innings). He had a 2–5 record, walked 25, and struck out 35. He left the White Sox organization after the season and signed with the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

on November 6. During the 2003 season, Vining made 41 appearances, including 6 starts, for Houston's Triple–A affiliate, the

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. In 64 innings, he had a 5.20 ERA, struck out 30 batters, walked 22, and tallied a 3–5 record. He was released by the Astros organization on August 22.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vining, Ken 1974 births Living people Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Bellingham Giants players Birmingham Barons players Charlotte Knights players Chatham Anglers players Chicago White Sox players Clemson Tigers baseball players New Orleans Zephyrs players Phoenix Desert Dogs players San Jose Giants players Winston-Salem Warthogs players People from Decatur, Georgia