CPBL Foreign Players Updates Volume #325
Fubon Guardians News: Keyvius Sampson
On February 8, Taiwan baseball columnist Wang Yi-Hsuan (王翊亘) broke the news on his social media that the Fubon Guardians had signed 33-year-old American right-hander Keyvius Sampson as their foreign player for the 2024 CPBL season.
Keyvius Sampson, who previously played for the Uni-Lions during the 2022-23 seasons, will return for his third CPBL season in Taiwan.
消息來源透露：富邦悍將 @FubonGuardians 第四位洋將為去年效力統一獅 @unilions_tw 的 #克維斯 #KeyviusSampson ，且富邦已獲得統一許可，將不受228條款限制接觸。
對此消息，富邦球團回應：球隊第4號洋投已有屬意人選，待合約細節確認完成後將正式公佈。#CPBL
— Yihsuan Wang 王翊亘 (@YihsuanWang_) February 7, 2024
Sampson Not Limited to the 228 Rule: Guardians Recieved Permission from Uni-Lions
According to Wang Yi-Hsuan, the Guardians reportedly received the Uni-Lions’ permission to approach and sign Keyvius Sampson before February 28.
Under the CPBL regulations, should a foreign player stay with their CPBL team after the August 31 trade deadline, the team will retain that player’s negotiation rights until February 28 next year. Other teams in the league are forbidden to approach that foreign player without permission from the team that holds the negotiation rights.
Keyvius Sampson was active in the CPBL from 2022 to 2023. During those two seasons, he logged 171 innings over 32 games as a member of the Uni-Lions.
In 2023, Keyvius Sampson posted a 3.11 ERA and 1.23 WHIP across 110 innings. It is worth mentioning that he increased his K% from 22.7% to 25.1% and lowered his BB% from 12.3% to 9.6%, which shows signs that he is getting used to playing in the CPBL. Despite his high K% and Whiff%, his Achilles’ heel has always been not being able to pitch deep into the game, as per foreign player standards in the CPBL.
Concussion Concern? But Everything is Okay Now
Keyvius Sampson made one appearance as the Game 2 starter in the 2023 Playoff Series. However, he was stuck in the head by a comebacker in the second inning and was rushed to hospital. A further medical examination later revealed that he suffered a concussion.
After a few weeks of rest, during the 2023 off-season, Keyvius Sampson went to play winter ball for the Aguilas de Mexicali in Mexico. Leading to the signing with the Fubon Guardians, he recorded a 4.78 ERA and 1.81 WHIP over 32 innings.
As of today, the Fubon Guardians have Enderson Franco, Nivaldo Rodríguez, Brandon Brennan and Keyvius Sampson as their foreign players for the 2024 CPBL season.
2023 #CPBL Playoff Series G2
Uni-Lions’ Keyvius Sampson suffered a concussion after being struck in the head with a comebacker. pic.twitter.com/6CD2TrpGRo
— CPBL STATS 🪬🔮 (@GOCPBL) October 29, 2023
Further Readings
Foreign players come and go. Therefore, we have compiled a tracker to monitor all foreign player signings for the 2024 CPBL season.
I like Keyvius Sampson. He’s good stuff, and there is always the hope that one day he’ll improve his command enough to have a really big season in the CPBL.
Having signed a lot of new to the CPBL foreign pitchers, it seems like a good move to have one foreigner CPBL veteran starter signed.