SARASOTA, Fla. – The best season of Keegan Akin’s professional life came with one harsh outcome that he’s able to laugh about five months later.
It took that long.
Pitchers dread the slow walk back to the dugout after surrendering a game-winning run. Head bowed, the roar of the opposing crowd ringing in his ears, reporters seeking an explanation and reaction.
Akin would like to forget, but the reminder has a locker set up on the other side of the spring training clubhouse.
Outfielder Tyler O’Neill punctuated a three-homer series against the Orioles in September by clearing the Green Monster in the 10th inning. The Red Sox responded to Emmanuel Rivera’s tie-breaking single by taking advantage of a Jackson Holliday error and bringing O’Neill to the plate.
Bedlam ensued.
“Yeah, we joke about it,” Akin said. “I said I’d rather see him on this side. My neck still hurts from whiplash on that one.
“Hopefully, I’m not gonna face him for the next (three) years and go from there. I’d rather that he be on this side than the other side.”
The vast majority of Akin’s 2024 memories are fond ones – much warmer than a September evening in Boston. A lower-back injury limited him to 24 appearances in 2023, the last on June 28 when he took the loss against the Reds and raised his ERA to 6.85 and WHIP to 1.775. Akin’s only removal from the active roster last season came with his paternity leave, and he posted a 3.32 ERA and 0.941 WHIP in 66 games that ranked second behind Yennier Cano’s 70. He also averaged 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
“Definitely good to do that with being on the injured list the year before,” he said. “Just good to bounce back and put a good, long, consistent season together.”
This is sort of how the organization’s previous front office envisioned Akin, except he was drafted in the second round in 2016 to be a starter. He’s earned a level of trust after last season to perhaps be used in more high-leverage situations, especially with Danny Coulombe back in Minnesota. The bullpen is likely to carry three left-handers, including Cionel Pérez and Gregory Soto.
“I think it could be very good,” he said. “We have a lot of depth, we have a lot of really good arms. I think you’re going to see the radar gun get lit up on a nightly basis, so it’s gonna be fun to watch.”
Akin didn’t tamper with his success during his offseason in Michigan. Unlike some teammates, he kept his repertoire intact. No tinkering with grips, arm angles or new pitches.
“Still a three-pitch mix and then trying to keep everything as close to the same shape as last year and repeat that,” he said. “Definitely good to do that.”
Also wise is the idea of incorporating exercises designed to prevent another back injury.
“Just try to get stronger, keep everything around it stable, and then just maintain that through the course of 162, and then a few extras there at the end,” he said. “In this game if you can stay healthy, then that’s the No. 1 key, to stay on the field. That was obviously the No. 1 goal last year, and then putting together that season just kind of topped it off a little bit.”
Akin has appeared in two games this spring, retiring the side in order and striking out one Tuesday against the Tigers after surrendering a run in the opener against the Pirates. He struck out two batters, but former Orioles outfielder D.J. Stewart took him deep in a left-on-left matchup.
That one didn’t hurt as much as O’Neill’s walk-off.
“Very impressive,” Akin said of his new teammate. “Quick hands, a lot of pop. Definitely glad to have him over here.”