Brad Keller stands at a height of 1.96 m.
Brad Keller of the Kansas City Royals found himself working from the “have to” in his latest start against the Minnesota Twins on May 30, and it could prove to be a huge step forward in his development as a front-of-the-rotation starter.
Keller found himself in a situation where he had no choice but to surrender his four-seam fastball.
The movement on that pitch that day simply didn’t allow him to deliver the type of command he needed. With three walks in the first inning, it was clear that he was in a bad mood.
Keller needed to try something new. As a result, he began to use his sinker more frequently. His changeup was another pitch that he used a lot more than normal.
In five innings, he used his changeup 16 times. In nine starts last season, he threw a total of 17 changeups.
“It definitely wouldn’t work out well if I just sat there and threw sliders the whole time,” Keller remarked. “It almost pushed me to use the changeup.
To be honest, I learned a lot today. I felt like I could throw it in any count, for a strike, for an off-speed pitch, or for an action pitch.”
Keller got opponents to swing six times out of the 16 changeups he threw. He was hit by a swing-and-miss twice. Three players were called for fouls.
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