A year younger than the “Korean Monster” Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays), it looked like he was going to disappear from the mound forever. But then he made a dramatic comeback.
Dallas Keuchel, 35, a veteran left-hander who once dominated the major leagues, has made a dramatic comeback. He has finally found a new home with the Minnesota Twins.
“Minnesota has signed veteran left-handed pitcher Dallas Keichle to a minor league contract,” MLB.com announced on Wednesday.
Keichle won the American League Cy Young Award in 2015 with the Houston Astros, going 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA in 232 innings pitched. He was also a five-time Gold Glove winner with his defense. He’s also a two-time All-Star.
But after going 9-9 with a 5.28 ERA in 2021 with the Chicago White Sox, he went downhill last year, bouncing between the White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Texas Rangers, going 2-9 with a 9.20 ERA and facing the biggest test of his career. To make matters worse, he was unable to sign a contract before this season and faced the prospect of retirement.
But Keichle didn’t give up. In a recent live session at the Driveline Center, Keichle showed signs of resurgence, raising his fastball velocity to 89 mph (143 km/h) and his sinker velocity to 88.9 mph (143 km/h). The fastball, in particular, is up 1.8 mph from 87.2 mph (140 km/h) last year.
Minnesota is barely a half-game out of first place in the American League Central despite winning 38 games. 메이저사이트 It remains to be seen how Japanese right-hander Genta Maeda will pitch on April 24 against the Detroit Tigers after a two-month absence due to a right triceps injury. As MLB.com notes, “Kikle hasn’t pitched in an official game since Sept. 5 of last year, and Minnesota has some depth in its starting rotation. The outlook for Keichle will depend on how Maeda looks when he returns from the disabled list.”
Minnesota head coach Rocco Baldelli welcomed the addition, saying, “It’s good to see him back and I’m glad we got him.” It will be interesting to see if Keichle, who has had a dramatic resurgence, can continue to show the promise of a 101-win pitcher in the major leagues.
