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Earlier today it was announced that Red Sox Legend Pedro Martínez Sadly Kicks The Bucket @52 After being DFA’d by the White Sox, Keller was taken off the scrap heap by the Sox. After being cut by the White Sox this season, Zack Short and minor league pick Bailey Horn are the other two players that Craig Breslow has acquired; Keller is now the third.
As you may be aware, the White Sox are the poorest baseball team and are headed for an unprecedentedly poor season. In general, you want to steer clear of selecting individuals who were judged unfit for duty by the league’s bottom team.
You’ve already met Brad Keller, who goes by that name! After the O’s had taken a 7-0 lead, he entered the game to pitch in the fifth inning. Not only was he unable to halt the bleeding, but he also threw a few additional leeches into the wound.
Early in his career, Keller did exhibit some promise, and he did so as a starter. Keller made 57 starts in 78 games as a pitcher for the Kansas City Royals between 2018 and 2000. During that span, he combined for a very solid 3.50 ERA in 360.1 innings, along with 131 ERA+, 326 hits, 24 home runs, 137 walks, and 253 strikeouts. That’s not at all horrible! He was quite good at keeping the ball on the ground, even if he didn’t strike out many batters. Toward the conclusion of 2020, he even pitched the Pittsburgh Pirates to a perfect game shutout.
However, the next three seasons he spent with the Royals were complete busts, coming at the perfect time for him to be reaching his peak physically. It’s challenging to pinpoint the precise issue. Although his walk rate increased, his ground ball rate stayed consistent, and his control wasn’t too bad. He was taking a lot of hits, but that was also the case when he was effective; the heavy hits were simply finding fewer gloves.
It didn’t matter, those were miserable years for him; in 318.2 innings, he finished with a 5.14 ERA, 166 walks, 353 hits, 36 home runs, and 253 strikeouts for an ERA+ of only 84. He battled with shoulder tendonitis, was shifted to the bullpen, and was released over the offseason to recuperate from surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.
With both Sox teams, things haven’t gotten any better this season, but the ground balls are still around. Perhaps Bailey and Breslow believe he’s just a few adjustments away from returning to his previous form.
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