Quick Facts about Keone Kela
| Full Name | Keone Cole Kela |
| Known As | Keone Kela |
| Date of Birth | April 16, 1993 |
| Birth Place | Carson, California, United States |
| Nick Name | Key, Llave |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Age | 29 years old |
| Height | 6 ft 1 inch (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 104 kg (229.285 lb) |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | John Kela |
| Mother’s Name | Shannon Kela |
| Siblings | No |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife’s Name | Capri Kela |
| Kids | Daughter, Khari Kela |
| Profession | Baseball player |
| Position | Pitcher |
| Currently Plays For | San Diego Padres |
| Former Affiliation | Texas Rangers (2015-2018)
Pittsburgh Pirates (2018-2020) |
| First game | 04-07-2015 (Age 21) |
| Active Years | 2012-present |
| Net Worth | $ 3,725,000 per annum |
| Social Media | |
| Merch | Baseball Trading Card, Autograph Baseball card |
| Last Update | July, 2022 |
Keone Kela (pronounced as KEY-oh-nee KELL-uh) is an intriguing major league right-handed reliever. He is an American professional baseball pitcher for San Diego Padres.
Prior to MLB, Kela played for the Texas Rangers. Furthermore, he is an above-average player who instills fear and savors the game with his bullet-proof confidence.
According to the PITCH f/x system’s track record in between the years 2013-2020, Kela has served 3,930 pitches.
The common facts on the players are highlighted in the table below.\
Keone Kela | Personality
Kela has a rectangular face and tanned skin. He stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and has an athletic build with firm muscles (1.85 m). The player is 104 kg and has small black eyes and a black beard (229.285 lb).
Keone Kela | Childhood
Keone Cole Kela was born on April 16, 1993, in Carson, California, to a young teenager John Kela and Shannon Kela. His father was only 15 years old, and his mother was 16.
Kela spent every summer in Hawaii. His father’s family is from Hawaii, despite the fact that he was born in California. As a result, his grandparents used to live in Keaukaha, on the Big Island. As a result, his childhood days were spent enjoying Puhi Bay and Hilo.
Keone attended Carson Senior High School in Carson, California, before enrolling in and graduating from Chief Sealth High School in Seattle, Washington.
Following that, he was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 29th round of the 2011 MLB first-year player draft. Keone, on the other hand, did not sign up for it.
Instead, he enrolled at Everett Community College and joined the baseball team. Kela was a centerfielder for the college baseball team for one season.
Keone Kela | Work
Kela began his professional career in 2012, but his official career began on April 7, 2015, when he made his debut with the Texas Rangers.
The Texas Rangers
Keone Kela was selected 396th overall by the Texas Rangers in the 12th round of the 2012 MLB first-year player draft. Following the draft, Kela signed with the Texas Rangers.
Kela made it to the Class A South Atlantic League in 2013. Kela began the 2014 season in Class A-Advanced before being promoted to the Frisco RoughRiders of the Class AA Texas League.
And she later received an invitation to spring training in 2015. Kela made the Rangers’ Opening Day roster on May 2, 2015, and recorded his first career win against the Oakland Athletics.
He then finished the 2015 season with a 2.39 earned run average (ERA).
Kela suffered an elbow injury during a game in October 2015, resulting in one hit. As a result, he was unable to pitch further and missed three months of the 2016 season. Following his recovery, Kela went 5-1 with a 6.09 ERA in 35 games in 2016.
Kela demonstrated an unprofessional lack of effort in a minor league intrasquad game in 2017. In the end, the Rangers assigned him to the Round Rock Express of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League to begin the 2017 season.
Keone Kela made a total of 39 appearances for the Rangers, missing various events due to a stiff right shoulder.
Kela underwent stem-cell therapy after the season ended in November to treat persistent shoulder soreness.
Pirates of Pittsburgh
On July 31, 2018, Kela was traded by the Texas Rangers to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Taylor Hearn and Sherten Apostetol after the first few months of 2018.
On April 7, 2019, Kela was ejected from a game against the Cincinnati Reds due to his involvement in a bench-clearing incident involving Chris Archer, Derek Dietrich, Yasiel Puig, Amir Garrett, David Bell, and Felipe Vázquez.
Similarly, Kela was involved in the second brawl on July 30, 2019, and received a two-game suspension on August 1.
The Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen has struggled to find consistency this season. Along with Kela, the team’s main setup man and second-best reliever behind Felipe Vazquez has been injured.
Padres of San Diego
On February 18, 1021, Kela signed a one-year contract with the San Diego Padres worth 1.2 million dollars.
Keone Kela’s Business | Rumors
According to reports, the Milwaukee Brewers discussed trading reliever Keone Kela with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
If Kela is traded to the Brewers, their depleted lineup will be bolstered. Because they are missing their dominant weapon, their team will become dominant while Kela stands in front of left-hander Josh Hader.
Kela has a win, no losses, a 3.45 ERA, and has allowed six earned runs in 15 2/3 innings. He will be a free agent in 2021 after only one season with the team.
Thrive For Betterment | Keone Kela
During the 2020 spring training, Keone Kela stated that he was more than just a closer for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Starting with the Texas Rangers, Kela progressed from setup man to closer to replace jailed two-time All-Star Felipe Vazquez.
Since his involvement in the center of clubhouse chaos last season, Kela has been labeled as the self-described bull in a china shop.
Kela was harsher than Reds pitcher Amir Garrett even in the second brawl. Despite the fact that this is not a respectable change, he added that he would grow up with much more self-awareness.
Kela credited his wife, Capri, and daughter Khapri for his notable image makeover.
#KeoneKela has been activated, and #JakeDiekman has been d.l. https://t.co/MKkZNuRQaT pic.twitter.com/olV3lkvoTd
July 16, 2016 — Zesty MLB Rangers (@zesty TXrangers)
COVID 19 | Keone Kela
Kela was not on the field despite having passed the Injured List (IL) date. As a result of extensive negotiations, manager Derek Shelton announced during the evening exhibition against the Cleveland Indians that Kela had indeed tested positive for COVID-19.
Kela had been dealing with injuries since before his trade in 2018. As a result, he only pitched in 32 games and 29.2 innings in 2019. COVID 19 is currently battling an injury.
Kyle Crick and Nick Burdi are the first two pitchers who may cross the path of the Pittsburgh Pirates for replacement due to his condition, albeit temporarily.
This also allows pitchers like Michael Feliz and Richard Rodriguez to pitch in high-leverage situations.
Pitch | Keone Kela
Kela primarily relies on two pitches for Arsenal, though he has thrown 1-2.5 percent change-ups. Kela has a fastball that averages 95.8 – 96.3 mph and a devastating curveball.
Velocity
Kela averages 83.1 MPH with a top speed of 85.1 MPH. He usually has 17.4 revolutions per minute (2312 RPM) from hand to plate. Kela’s throws are in the strike zone 29 percent of the time.
Jersey’s Keone Kela
Kela’s MLB jersey number is 27 for the San Diego Padres. Here’s a photo of Kela in his jersey:
Keone Kela | Statistics
Baseball-reference.com has Keone Kela’s career statistics available.
Keone Kela | Salary
Keone Kela signed a three-year, $3.725 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates that will begin in 2022.
This annual contract includes his salary as well as all other necessities. Kela is a UFA because he has served more than four seasons, not to mention that he will be a UFA in 2021. (Unrestricted Free Agent).
You might be interested in learning more about Max Fried.
Personal Life of Keone Kela
According to sources, Keone Kela is married to Capri and has a daughter, Khapri, who was born in November. However, no further information about his love life or personal life is available.
Pronunciation of Keone Kela
The name is spelled kee-OWN-ee KELL-uh. In this interview, you can hear him say his name:
Social Media | Keone Kela
Keone is a reserved player, so there is a lot of information about him. Even his social media accounts are ambiguous; his Instagram handle is @keonekela35, while his Twitter handle is @keonekela35.
Keone Kela FAQs
Is Keone Kela going to take over Pittsburgh Pirates’ closer?
Since Keone Kela has been terrific lately, with just one earned run over his last 19.0 IP; therefore, he may be the option for the Pittsburg Pirates. However, Richard Rodriguez and Francisco Liriano are also in the line.
What is Keone Kela’s issue with the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Keone Kela while playing for the Texas Rangers was called for a balk by Los Angeles Dodgers’ player Jim Joyce and the umpire Marvin Hudson.
Another Dodger Kike Hernandez received home because of Kela’s balk, bringing a 1-0 victory for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Moreover, Kike Hernandez while talking with the associated press said that he faked a run to home so that he could disrupt Kela’s concentration, and was glad that the plan worked.
You may also Like: Top 34 Nate Diaz Quotes