Keyvius N. Sampson (born January 6, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Uni-President Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and the KBO League for the Hanwha Eagles.
| Keyvius Sampson | |
|---|---|
| Uni-President Lions – No. 49 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1991-01-06) January 6, 1991 (age 31) Ocala, Florida | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: July 30, 2015, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| KBO: March 24, 2018, for the Hanwha Eagles | |
| MLB statistics (through 2016 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 2–7 |
| Earned run average | 5.60 |
| Strikeouts | 84 |
| KBO statistics (through 2018 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 13–8 |
| Earned run average | 4.68 |
| Strikeouts | 195 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Sampson was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the fourth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.[1] In 2010, he went 12–3 with a 2.90 earned run average and 143 strikeouts in 118 innings pitched. He started the 2013 with the Triple-A Tucson Padres but was demoted to Double-A San Antonio Missions after posting an 8.03 ERA.[2] He was promoted back to Triple-A on August 7, 2013, after going 10–4 with a 2.26 ERA in Double-A.[3][4] He was added to the Padres 40-man roster on November 20, 2013.[5] Sampson was designated for assignment on December 29, 2014.[6]
On January 8, 2015, he was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds.[7] The Reds promoted Sampson to the major leagues on July 30.[8] He was designated for assignment on April 20, 2016, when they called up Drew Hayes. Sampsons contract was purchased by the Reds when the Reds placed Homer Bailey on the 60-Day DL on May 18, 2016. On November 28, 2016, Sampson was designated for assignment.[9] He was non-tendered on December 2.
On December 17, 2016, Sampson signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks that included an invitation to spring training.[10] He was released on June 15, 2017.
On June 16, 2017, Sampson signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers. He was released the next day.
On June 26, 2017, Sampson signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.
On November 13, 2017, Sampson signed with the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League.[11] He became a free agent following the 2018 season.
On January 5, 2019, Sampson signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants.[12] He became a free agent following the 2019 season.[13]
On April 2, 2021, Sampson signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox organization.[14] Sampson posted a 6.43 ERA in 8 appearances between the Low-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers and the Triple-A Charlotte Knights before he was released on July 20.[15]
On July 28, 2021, Sampson signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association of Professional Baseball.[16]
On April 21, 2022, Sampson was traded to the Lexington Legends of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.[17]
On July 7, 2022, Sampson signed with the Uni-President Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.[18]