Brad Penny Goes All-In on Pickleball After MLB Career
What's the Score?
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Brad Penny, who retired in 2016 after a 14-year career, is now intensely focused on developing his skills in pickleball. Driven by a competitive spirit sparked by a loss, the two-time MLB All-Star and World Series champion has dedicated himself to rigorous training, viewing pickleball as an addicting, fun, and competitive way to stay in shape.
Hit it deeper!
Brad Penny, at 46 years old, retains the competitive drive that defined his lengthy career pitching for teams including the Marlins, Dodgers, Red Sox, Giants, Cardinals, and Tigers. His deep dive into pickleball was reportedly instigated by a specific loss. He recounted getting beaten by someone at Blue Valley Rec whom he felt he "should not beat [him] at anything," which served as the catalyst. Penny stated, "that was it for me. I was like, ‘This will never happen again,’ so I started practicing".
His approach to pickleball mirrors the intensity he brought to baseball, explaining, "Anything I get into, I kind of dive in head first and give everything I've got to get better at it, and pickleball was no different". He finds the sport addicting, fun, and competitive, noting its benefits for maintaining physical fitness. He even quipped, "Without pickleball, I may be 320 pounds sitting here right now".
To accelerate his development, Penny has been training with JOOLA pro Eric White. Their dedication was highlighted by one reported practice session that lasted an impressive six-and-a-half hours. White detailed the comprehensive nature of these sessions, including dinking cross-court and head-on, speed-ups, mid-court play, point play working their way in, and third shots. Video analysis is also a key component, checking wrist positions, paddle head drops, hand positions, and resetting.
Penny's current priority is training, making him an "instructor's dream". He prefers drilling over playing matches at this stage because he's focused on reaching a better level. He explained the difference: in a recreational game as one of the better players, he might hit 30 shots, but with Eric, they hit "a couple thousand balls". He has also benefited from participating in "higher-level games" with pros like Jack Sock, which he feels has fast-tracked his learning process.
Comparing pickleball to baseball, Penny noted that nothing about the game's speed feels overwhelming after facing pitches over 95 mph, where the ball looked much smaller. He also sees similarities in strategy, particularly related to hitting. He likened it to reacting to pitches: if you're prepared for a soft shot, a fast one beats you, but if you're ready for a fast shot, you can generally react to a soft one. He believes professionals likely "look hard and react soft," similar to hitting in baseball. He also mentioned that he and Eric White have similar strategic thoughts on how they should play, finding the game more fun when implementing a game plan.
Looking ahead, the Blackwell, Oklahoma native seems interested in pursuing tournament play but intends to be prepared first. He described himself as more "routine-oriented" due to his baseball background and respects how pickleball pros manage multiple events over several days despite the hectic nature of tournament scheduling. He also expressed interest in seeing former MLB hitters with quick hands play pickleball, specifically mentioning Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield.
The World Pickleball Verdict
Brad Penny's transition from a successful MLB pitching career to an earnest pursuit of professional-level pickleball is a compelling narrative that benefits the sport in several ways. His high profile from baseball brings added visibility to pickleball. More significantly, his intense commitment to training with a pro like Eric White and his candid comments about the dedication required underscore that pickleball is a highly competitive sport demanding significant skill development, even for accomplished athletes from other fields.
Penny's insights drawing parallels between the strategic aspects of baseball hitting and pickleball gameplay make the sport more relatable to fans of other sports and highlight the transferability of athletic intelligence. His acknowledgment that nothing in pickleball is "too fast" compared to a 95 mph fastball adds context to the athleticism involved. While he's taking his time before potentially entering high-level tournaments, his serious approach and rapid improvement, aided by drilling and playing with pros, exemplify the potential for dedicated individuals to progress quickly in pickleball. His story reinforces the growing trend of athletes from diverse backgrounds being drawn to pickleball's unique blend of strategy, skill, and physicality.