The Arizona Diamondbacks signed former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Keyvius Sampson to a minor league contract on Dec. 17, according to tweets from Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Sampson’s deal includes an invite to Spring Training to compete for a spot in the rotation.
Dbacks have signed right-hander Keyvius Sampson to a minor league deal. He'll compete in spring training for a bullpen spot.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) December 17, 2016
Sampson will have the opportunity to make himself a key part of the bullpen. Considering he never got a legitimate shot with neither the Reds nor the San Diego Padres (the team he was drafted by), this could be a great value signing for the D-backs.
General manager Mike Hazen is taking as many chances as he can to acquire more depth pieces to the pitching rotation. Hazen has already added closer Fernando Rodney and reliever Tyler Jones. There are surely still more moves to be made. Even with another acquisition, the bullpen is still the biggest need to be filled.
Diamondbacks Sign Keyvius Sampson To Minor League Deal https://t.co/FelXqDtP84 pic.twitter.com/C2Vsaxw0Yu
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) December 17, 2016
Sampson was originally drafted by the Padres in the fourth round of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft. He showed potential but also had trouble sustaining consistent success in the Padres system. The Reds claimed Sampson off waivers in Jan. 2015.
Now let’s take a look at three reasons why the Arizona Diamondbacks signing Keyvius Sampson makes sense.
1. Sampson has never been given an extended chance in the MLB
In 39 1/3 innings pitched last season, Sampson posted a respectable 4.35 earned run average and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings. Moreover, he was never given more than 52 1/3 innings pitched in a single season with any MLB team since he was drafted seven years ago. Getting a chance with a rebuilding bullpen in an organization that has a new manager and general manager could be the perfect opportunity for a pitcher like Sampson.
2. The D-backs add depth to the bullpen with a low-priced pitcher
Last off-season, the D-backs spent more than $200 million on a pitcher that could not post an ERA below 4.00 and also gave up their former number one overall pick in Dansby Swanson for another pitcher who would eventually be demoted to Triple-A. While Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller still offer value to the team, the D-backs investment in them limited their options for this off-season. Acquiring pieces to the bullpen like Jones and Sampson are the types of moves that the D-backs will have to live with.
3. Sampson could fit the role of middle or long reliever
Sampson spent the majority of the 2016 season with the Reds Triple-A affiliate Louisville Bats. He posted a 3-3 record, 1.88 ERA, 0.947 WHIP, and 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings, over 62 1/3 innings pitched. Some of the innings pitched with the Bats were from games started, but some were out of the bullpen. A smaller workload could put less pressure on Sampson to succeed and therefore let him pitch more consistently. Yet, he could also eat up some valuable innings as a long reliever if that’s the role the D-backs need him to fill.
Andrew Miller is a writer for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays on Outside Pitch MLB. You can follow and interact with him on Twitter.
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