Mitchell John Dening (born 17 August 1988) is an Australian

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player who is currently a free agent.

Career

Early career in Australia

In Australia, he played for the Auburn Orioles and Belmont Baseball Club in the New South Wales Major League and Newcastle Baseball League respectively. He won

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

whilst at the

New South Wales Institute of Sport The New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) is a high performance sports training institute located in New South Wales, Australia. The New South Wales government agency provides world leading coaching, performance support and daily training ...

in 2005. Dening started his overseas baseball career by touring South Africa with the Australian Schoolboys team in 2005. He then signed with the Red Sox in 2005 after being scouted by

Jon Deeble Jon Deeble (born 18 May 1962 in Melbourne) is the head coach of the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League and the former manager of the Australian national baseball team. Career Deeble was a pitcher on the national team he now coaches ...

at the

MLB 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), ...

Academy on the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

, Australia. In the

2007 Claxton Shield The 2007 Claxton Shield was the 73rd anniversary of the event, it was held between 19 and 28 January 2007, at Baseball Park in Western Australia, the first to be held outside of Blacktown Baseball Stadium in New South Wales since 2002 when it w ...

, he averaged .316 for

Australian Provincial Australian Provincial compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship in Australia. Provincial were formed for the 2002 International Baseball League of Australia Championship, since 2003 they have competed in the Claxton Shield. In 2008, ...

in a fine debut.

Boston Red Sox Organisation

In 2007 in his first season in the United States he had some success, hitting a .301/.372/.375 clip as an OF/1B for the

GCL Red Sox The Florida Complex League Red Sox are a professional baseball team competing in the rookie-level Florida Complex League (FCL) of Minor League Baseball. The team is owned and operated by the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Prior ...

. In 2008, he hit .321/.375/.471 with the

Lowell Spinners The Lowell Spinners were a baseball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. With Major League ...

, coached by

Australia national baseball team The Australian national baseball team represents Australia in international baseball tournaments and competitions. It is ranked as the top team in Oceania, and is the Oceanian Champion, having been awarded the title in 2007 when New Zealand wi ...

coach

. Dening was fifth in the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

in batting average. Returning to Australian in the off season of 2008, Dening hit.409/.458/.545 in the

2008 Claxton Shield The 74th Claxton Shield was held from 28 December 2007 to 10 February 2008. The 2008 Shield was conducted on a Home and Away series made up of 2 Divisions; Eastern Division: Australian Provincial, New South Wales Patriots and the Queensland Rams, ...

. He then made the Australia roster for the

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international baseball competition. It began on 5 9 and finished 5 26. Unlike in 2006, when the round-robin format of the first two rounds led to some eliminations being decided by run-difference tie ...

. He went 0–1 in the Classic. In 2009, he playing for

Greenville Drive The Greenville Drive are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and are a member of the South Atlantic League. They play their home games at Fluor Field at the West E ...

in the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

and hit .261/.333/.361/.693 playing mostly in the outfield. In 2010, he moved to A+ with the

Salem Red Sox The Salem Red Sox are a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB), based in Salem, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. The team competes at the Single-A level in the Carolina League. Ho ...

in the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

showing signs of steady growth as he hit .274/.345/.363/.709. Dening would then return to Australia to play for the

Sydney Blue Sox The Sydney Blue Sox are a professional baseball team, and one of eight foundation teams in the re-formed Australian Baseball League (ABL). The team plays their home games at Blacktown International Sportspark (BISP), one of the two venues used ...

in the winter break. Dening's last season in the Red Sox organisation would come in AA with the

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox syst ...

in the Eastern League where he hit a paltry .220/.303/ .352/.656. He was released by the Red Sox on March 31, 2012.

Washington Wild Things

In 2012, after a season batting .280 back in his home country, Dening signed for the

Washington Wild Things The Washington Wild Things are a professional baseball team based in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The Wild Things are a member of the Frontier League, an independent baseball league which, as of 2020, is an official Partner Le ...

of the independent

Frontier League The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The le ...

. However it was not to be a successful season with club as he hit only .191 Dening would spend the 2012 seasons playing in the

Australian Baseball League The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it ...

with the

hitting .347

Niigata Albirex Baseball Club

On 27 May 2013, it was announced that Dening had signed for

Niigata Albirex Baseball Club The Route Inn BCL, formerly known as the , is an independent minor baseball league in Japan. The league's abbreviated designation is "." League structure The Baseball Challenge League has three divisions, East, Middle, and West, with four tea ...

in the Japanese independent

Baseball Challenge League The Route Inn BCL, formerly known as the , is an independent minor baseball league in Japan. The league's abbreviated designation is "." League structure The Baseball Challenge League has three divisions, East, Middle, and West, with four teams ...

. During the regular season, Dening played in 44 matches hitting .370 and winning batting champion honours. In November at the end of the year, Dening played with the

Canberra Cavalry The Canberra Cavalry (nicknamed Cavs) is a professional baseball team from Canberra, ACT, Australia. Established in 2010, the team is a founding member of the Australian Baseball League (ABL). The Cavs home ground is Narrabundah Ballpark, kno ...

in the

2013 Asia Series The 2013 Asia Series was the seventh and final edition of the Asia Series, the premier Asian club baseball tournament, and the ninth time national champions from Asian leagues have competed against each other. The tournament was held in Taichung ...

hitting 5 in the final to lead the team to the title. In the 2014 Baseball Challenge league season, Dening played in 72 matches averaging .312 and hitting 12

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s where at the season's end he returned to Australia to play for the

Adelaide Bite The Adelaide Giants are a professional baseball team that plays in the Australian Baseball League. They are one of the six foundation franchises of the league, in its first incarnation from 1989 to 1999. The team adopted the name Bite or Adelaid ...

. In 2015 up to the middle of May, he was averaging .270 with one home run and 14 RBIs.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows

On the 22 May 2016, it was announced that Dening had signed with the

Tokyo Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the ...

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

. He became the first Australian playing in the

to sign for an NPB team. Due to long-term injuries to

Wladimir Balentien Wladimir Ramon Balentien (; born July 2, 1984), nicknamed "Coco", is a Curaçaoan-Dutch professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, and in ...

and

Lastings Milledge Lastings Darnell Milledge (born April 5, 1985) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago White Sox and then in Nip ...

it was hoped that Dening could fill a hole in the line-up based on his independent league form. Dening made his debut on the same day as his presentation to the media playing as a pinch hitter against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters at

Meiji Jingu Stadium The is a baseball stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. It opened in 1926 and holds 37,933 spectators. Property of the Meiji Shrine, it is the home field of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows professional baseball team. It also hosts college baseball, inc ...

. On 29 May, Dening hit his first NPB homerun in a game against the

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

. He would then go on to hit his first

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

on June 7 against the

Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. History The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugural ...

. However, with the return of Milledge to the team, Dening was dropped from the side where he found himself out of favour. He finished the season having played 64 games registering 4 homeruns and 22 RBIs. While he was listed for possible action in the

2015 Japan Series The 2015 Japan Series was the 66th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, champions of the Pacific League, played the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, champions of the Central League. The Hawks ...

he did not see any further action during the season. Dening was released by the Swallows on December 22, 2015.

Ehime Mandarin Pirates

On 11 March 2016, it was announced that Dening would be returning to Japanese independent league baseball with the

Ehime Mandarin Pirates The are a professional baseball team in the Shikoku Island League Plus of Japan. Established in 2005, the Mandarin Pirates mainly play their home games at Botchan Stadium in Matsuyama, the capital city of Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture ...

of the

Shikoku Island League Plus The is an independent professional baseball league on the island of Shikoku in Japan. (None of the teams in Nippon Professional Baseball are based in Shikoku.) The league currently has four teams, and has its league headquarters in Takamatsu. Th ...

. In the opening season, Dening helped the Pirates to victory pulling the team along with an impressive .389 batting average with 2 homeruns and 23 RBIs. On 28 July, Dening was released by the team. On 5 October 2016, it was announced that Dening would be returning to the

and the

for the 2016-2017 season after missing the previous season. He finished the season with a league high .340 batting average, and tied with Aaron Whitefield for total bases with 77. He represented Australia in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, but has not played professional baseball since the tournament.

References

External links

Mitch Dening – Baseball America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denning, Mitch 1988 births Living people Adelaide Bite players Australian expatriate baseball players in the United States Australian expatriate baseball players in Japan Canberra Cavalry players Greenville Drive players Gulf Coast Red Sox players Lowell Spinners players New South Wales Institute of Sport alumni Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders Portland Sea Dogs players Salem Red Sox players Sydney Blue Sox players Tokyo Yakult Swallows players Washington Wild Things players 2009 World Baseball Classic players 2013 World Baseball Classic players 2017 World Baseball Classic players People from the Central Coast (New South Wales) Sportsmen from New South Wales