When he started his MLB career with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012, big things were expected from right-handed pitcher Chris Archer: he had one of the best sliders in the game back then, and his strikeout totals were incredible for several years after that.
From 2013 to 2015, he kept his ERA in the low-3.00s and earned more than a strikeout per inning.
Inconsistency with his third pitch caused his ERA to climb to the low-4.00s in 2016 and 2017, then he started suffering some terrible injury luck and faded in subsequent years.
But here we are in 2022, and Archer, now with the Minnesota Twins, is relevant again.
After a few mediocre years, the righty, now 33 years old, feels like a big part of a contending team again.
He is having a solid season for the first-place Twins, and had a fantastic game on Wednesday night against the hottest team in baseball: the New York Yankees.
He Lifted His Team Against A Top Offense
Archer kept them to a single run in five innings, in which he allowed a couple of hits and issued four walks.
His two strikeouts are far from what he used to achieve in that category in his early career years, but it doesn’t matter: he is not that pitcher anymore, but that’s OK.
He is more mature and intelligent now, and a better pitcher overall.
And his Twins are good, too: at 33-25, they have a four-game advantage over the second-placed team in the division.
“Chris Archer: ‘When we step on the field, that’s what we are capable of every single night’,” MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park tweeted, quoting the pitcher.
Chris Archer: "When we step on the field, that’s what we are capable of every single night."
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) June 9, 2022
Archer, who now has a 3.65 ERA in 44.1 innings, with 34 strikeouts, has managed to resurrect his career.
Good for him.
NEXT: Twins Taking A Chance On A Former All-Star Pitcher