Having made the majors as a starter the previous year, Brian Keyser admitted to The Chicago Tribune in 1996 he didn't much prefer his second-year role as a reliever.
Keyser, however, didn't exactly mind, he told The Tribune.
"I've always aid I'd prefer to start," Keyser told The Tribune, "but I'd rather be here relieving than starting in Triple A."
Keyser ended up serving as a full-time reliever with the White Sox just that one year, 1996. That year, however, proved to be his last. He went on to play in a total of 10 seasons as a pro, seeing time in two of them in the bigs.
Keyser's career began in 1989, taken by the White Sox in the 19th round of the draft out of Stanford University.
Starting out at Stanford, Keyser had to adjust in playing time from his high school days at Chico High. But Stanford coach Mark Marquess told The Chico Enterprise-Record he saw good things from Keyser.
"He's got good arm strength, a good breaking ball and he's very competitive," Marquess told The Enterprise-Record, "so we're very high on him."
The White Sox ended up being high on him, too. With the White Sox, Keyser started at high-A Utica. He went 4-4 over 13 starts, with a 2.98 ERA.
He made high-A Sarasota in 1990, then AA Birmingham briefly in 1991. He made AAA Nashville in 1993. He went 9-5 over 30 outings, 18 starts for Nashville, with a 2.79 ERA.
Then, in June 1995, he made the White Sox in Chicago. He went 5-6 over 23 outings, 10 starts, with a 4.97 ERA.
He nearly had a complete game in a July contest. going 8 2/3 with a big lead, before giving up three runs and getting pulled, The Associated Press wrote.
"When you're up by that many runs, you know everybody is up there swinging, so you just try to throw the fastball and locate it," Keyser told The AP afterward.
Keyser then returned for another 28 games in 1996, all in relief. He went 1-2, with a 4.98 ERA and one save.
Keyser played two more seasons in the minors, at AAA with the White Sox in 1997, then AAA with the reds in 1998 to end his career.
- Chico Enterprise-Record, April 10, 1986: Update: Brian Keyser
- Northwest Herald, July 2, 1995: Sox regain stroke in route of Royals
- Chicago Tribune, April 22, 1996: Forgotten man
Made the Majors:1,285-33.7%-X
Never Made Majors:2,524-66.3%
5+ Seasons in the Majors:526
10+ Seasons in the Minors:320
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