CPBL Foreign Players Updates Volume #344
Rakuten Monkeys News: Luke Westphal
On August 17, the Rakuten Monkeys announced the signing of Luke Westphal. According to the team, the 35-year-old American left-hander has already arrived in Taiwan and reported to the team.
Recta alta de 95 millas para que Westphal ponche a Villegas para el tercer out de la primera entrada.
Presentado por Aprecio Mercado#TorosAquí🐃📍 pic.twitter.com/B2auEkqnKL— Toros De Tijuana 🐃 (@TorosDeTijuana) April 27, 2024
Luke Westphal has had a career akin to a travelling sword-for-hire in professional baseball. He began his journey in 2013 in the Frontier League and eventually landed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins organisation in 2015.
Over the next few years, Westphal moved in and out of the MLB system and played in various leagues, including the Atlantic League, Australian Baseball League, American Association, Dominican Winter League, Puerto Rican Winter League, and Mexican League.
In 2024, he started his season with the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League, where he posted a solid 3.32 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over 38 innings. His success in LMB earned him another shot in the MLB system, where he was assigned to the Padres’ Triple-A team. However, his latest stint in Triple-A was less successful, as he compiled a 7.27 ERA and 1.88 WHIP across 26 innings in 13 games.
According to Baseball Savant, Luke Westphal throws a 4-seam fastball (92.9 mph), a slider (83.3 mph), and a curveball (77.7 mph).
With the addition of Luke Westphal, the Rakuten Monkeys now have Pedro Fernández, Manny Bañuelos, Marcelo Martinez, and Matthew Kent as their foreign players.
Pos qué querías 😂 ¡Westphal deja miraaaaando a Mazara para el tercer out de la tercera alta!
Tres ponches en el inning para Luke 🍫🍫🍫
Presentado por Salsa Huichol #ÉchaleHuichol🌶️
📺 Fox Sports Premium #TorosAquí🐃📍 pic.twitter.com/oXoyCrUliI— Toros De Tijuana 🐃 (@TorosDeTijuana) May 15, 2024
Further Readings
Foreign players come and go. Therefore, we have compiled a tracker to monitor all foreign player signings for the 2024 CPBL season.