In the mid-2010s, Dallas Keuchel was one of the best and most reliable left-handers in MLB.
From 2014 to 2018, he achieved three sub-3.00s ERA finishes and a 3.74 mark in 2018, often surpassing 200 innings.
He even won a Cy Young award in the American League, back in 2015 when he was with the Houston Astros.
But things have gone downhill in a hurry in the last couple of seasons.
When the Chicago White Sox signed him before the 2020 campaign, they thought they were getting a rotation cornerstone for years.
That contract has been a nightmare.
While he did finish with a 1.99 ERA in that 2020 season, his underlying numbers were starting to signal his debacle.
That debacle started in 2021, when he had a 5.28 ERA in 162 innings.
He made eight starts with the White Sox this year, and had a woeful 7.88 ERA.
The White Sox released him and he ended up with the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he was even worse (9.64 ERA in four turns).
His Future In MLB Is Cloudy
He was recently designated for assignment by the D-Backs, too.
A key number to understand his downfall is his WHIP.
It examines walks and hits allowed per inning pitched: if a hurler allows way too many baserunners, he will have a hard time posting a decent ERA.
During the pandemic season, Keuchel was still a decent hurler.
“WHIP in 11 starts in 2020: 1.089. WHIP in 12 starts in 2022: 2.033,” Codify Baseball tweeted.
WHIP in 11 starts in 2020: 1.089
WHIP in 12 starts in 2022: 2.033 https://t.co/n6Beeychhi— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) July 21, 2022
A 1.089 WHIP is often associated with a nice, low ERA.
A 2.033 WHIP will get you off a 40-man roster in a hurry and put an enormous cloud on your future in MLB.
That’s the situation with Keuchel at the moment.
It’s unclear if another MLB team will take a chance on his declining left arm.
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