Randy Dean Keisler (born February 24, 1976) is an American former professional baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

. He attended Palmer High School in

Palmer, Texas Palmer is a town in Ellis County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its population was 2,393 in 2020. Geography Palmer is located in northeastern Ellis County at (32.429405, –96.669013). Interstate 45 pas ...

, and

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

Career

New York Yankees

Keisler was drafted by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

in the 2nd round of the

1998 MLB Draft The 1998 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1998. A total of 1445 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds. First round selections ...

out of LSU. He had previously been drafted by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

in the 40th round of the

1995 MLB Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Background Outfielder Darin Erstad of the University of Nebraska was the first pick in the 1995 Rule 4 Draft. Erstad ...

and the 57th round of the 1996 MLB Draft and the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

in the 40th round of the

1997 MLB Draft The 1997 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1997. A total of 1607 players were drafted over the course of 92 rounds. First round selections ...

but did not sign with either of those teams. He signed with the Yankees on June 2, 1998. He was selected as the Yankees Minor League player of the Year in 2000 when he was a combined 14-5 with a 2.85 ERA in 28 starts for Double-A

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

and AAA

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

. Keisler made his Major League debut with the Yankees on September 10, 2000, against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...

, starting and pitching five innings to earn the win while allowing only one earned run. He appeared in 3 more games for the Yankees in 2000 out of the bullpen and then started 10 games for them in 2001. In his two seasons of part-time work he was 2-2 with a 7.19 ERA. He then missed the entire 2002 season while recovering from shoulder surgery he underwent in late 2001. In May 2002, Keisler, already on rehab with the shoulder injury, was bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake while gardening in his backyard. The Yankees released him in February, 2003.

San Diego Padres

Keisler signed as a free agent with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

on February 16, 2003, and made two starts with the Padres, while also appearing in 8 games (6 starts) for the AAA

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

. The Padres released him on June 5, 2003.

Texas Rangers/Houston Astros

He signed as a free agent with the Texas Rangers on June 16, 2003, and appeared in 5 games (2 starts) for the AAA

Oklahoma RedHawks Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

before he was released on July 14. Three days later he was signed by the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

and assigned to AAA

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

on February 17, 2004, and played the 2004 season with the AAA

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

. He was 6-7 with a 3.81 ERA in 21 starts for the Tides.

Cincinnati Reds

He signed with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

as a free agent on November 12, 2004, and began the season with the AAA

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the winged mammal and baseball ...

where he was 5-2 in 12 appearances (7 starts) for a 2.88 ERA. He returned to the Majors on May 24 and made 24 appearances for the Reds in 2005, including 4 starts for a 2–1 record and 6.27 ERA.

Oakland Athletics

The

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

signed him as a free agent on January 5, 2006, and he made 11 appearances (all out of the bullpen for the A's in 2006, with a 4.50 era and no record. He also made 25 appearances (16 starts) for the

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...

in the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

, where he was 9-5 with a 3.83 ERA.

St. Louis Cardinals

He signed with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals h ...

on November 16, 2006, but only made 4 appearances with the Cardinals, 3 of which were starts he finished 0-0 with a 5.19 ERA. He also made 24 starts for the AAA

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redb ...

and was 8-11 with a 4.79 ERA for the Redbirds.

Minnesota Twins/Chicago Cubs/Baltimore Orioles

Keisler signed a minor league contract with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...

on January 11, , but was released during

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

and signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

. On June 3, he opted out of his contract and on June 10, he signed with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. In 2008, he was a combined 6-9 with a 4.03 ERA in 20 starts for the

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The Cubs play their ho ...

and

2009/2010

Unable to sign with any Major League or affiliated minor league team after the 2008 season, he played in 2009 for the

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are members of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League B ...

in the independent

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

and in 2010 he played for the

Vaqueros Laguna The ''vaquero'' (; pt, vaqueiro, , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in Mexico from a methodology brought to Latin America from Spain. The vaquero became t ...

in the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

Los Angeles Dodgers

On March 3, 2011, he attended an open tryout, sponsored by the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...

and was signed to a Minor League contract Los Angeles Dodgers sign Randy Keisler
/ref> He was assigned to the AAA

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

, where he appeared in 23 games (19 starts) and was 7-7 with a 4.67 ERA.

Independent career

He signed with the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor-league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "part ...

for the 2012 season and the

Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...

in 2013.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keisler, Randy 1976 births Living people Albuquerque Isotopes players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan American people of German descent Baseball players from Texas Cincinnati Reds players Columbus Clippers players Greensboro Bats players Iowa Cubs players Leones del Escogido players Long Island Ducks players Louisville Bats players LSU Tigers baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Memphis Redbirds players Mexican League baseball pitchers Naranjeros de Hermosillo players Navarro Bulldogs baseball players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela New Orleans Zephyrs players New York Yankees players Norfolk Tides players Norwich Navigators players Oakland Athletics players Oklahoma RedHawks players Oneonta Yankees players Pensacola Pelicans players People from Grimes County, Texas Portland Beavers players Sacramento River Cats players San Diego Padres players Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players St. Louis Cardinals players St. Lucie Mets players Tampa Yankees players Tigres del Licey players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions players Vaqueros Laguna players Yaquis de Obregón players