Houston Astros: Dallas Keuchel hasn’t escaped his haphazard ways
By Kyle Cardoza
2015: A year to remember
It seemed like a fluke. There wasn’t a clear explanation for how – or why – he perplexed hitters on a nightly basis.
While the lowly Astros treaded through the 162-game season in 2014, there was promise. And it came from an unlikely source.
Keuchel, 26 at the time, wasn’t the definition of a dominant pitcher. He owned a 5.09 ERA in Triple-A across three seasons. He wasn’t a top prospect at the time, in the shadow of Mark Appel and Lance McCullers Jr.
Yet, the left-hander dazzled when called to the bigs.
The Arkansas alumnus topped out at just 93 mph, but he confused hitters with an above-average slider and a hard-moving sinker. More importantly, he used accuracy.
Keuchel painted corners with preciseness, as an artist does his masterpiece. He distinguished himself from the game’s elite power pitchers.
The lefty was different. And while other pitch-to-contact veterans fell off the wagon in 2015, the Houston hurler got better – much better.
Keuchel refined his slider, making it nearly unhittable. He added a changeup to his arsenal as well. Everything clicked.
Few qualified the Houston pitcher as a strikeout machine, but he racked up more than 200 whiffs in 2015. He boasted the second-best ERA in the American League.
The relatively unknown pitcher earned recognition. And though he wasn’t considered one the game’s elite, manager A.J. Hinch placed him in a similar class.
“He’s the definition of an ace,” Hinch told MLB Network’s Brian McTaggert after Keuchel won the Cy Young award.
Keuchel helped the Astros reach their first playoff series since 2005. As the newfound ace, he headed the ship as the club exited its rebuilding era.
Yet, as they became contenders, Keuchel took a significant leap back.