Keone Cole Kela (born April 16, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and San Diego Padres.
Early life
Kela attended Carson Senior High School in Carson, California and graduated from Chief Sealth High School in Seattle, Washington.
He was chosen by the
Seattle Mariners in the 29th round of the 2011 MLB draft, but did not sign and enrolled at Everett Community College,
[ where he played college baseball as a center fielder for one season.][
]
Career
Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers selected Kela as a pitcher in the 12th round, with the 396th overall selection, of the 2012 MLB draft.[ Kela signed with the Rangers following the draft.][
]
In 2013, Kela reached the Single-A South Atlantic League.
After he showed an unprofessional lack of effort in a minor league intrasquad game, the Rangers optioned Kela to the Round Rock Express of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League for the start of the 2017 season.
Pittsburgh Pirates
On July 31, 2018, the Rangers traded Kela to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Taylor Hearn and Sherten Apostel.
In an April 7, 2019 game against the Cincinnati Reds, Kela was ejected after his role in a bench clearing incident involving Chris Archer, Derek Dietrich, Yasiel Puig, Amir Garrett, David Bell, and Felipe Vázquez. On July 30, 2019, Kela was involved in a second bench-clearing fracas against the Reds and was suspended for 2 games on August 1. Kela made 32 appearances for the Pirates in 2019, pitching to a 2.12 ERA with 33 strikeouts in innings. In 2020, Kela only made 3 appearances for the team, giving up 1 run in 2.0 innings with 3 strikeouts.
San Diego Padres
On February 18, 2021, Kela signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the San Diego Padres.
Arizona Diamondbacks
On March 16, 2022, Kela signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Los Angeles Dodgers
On September 1, 2022, Kela signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Tokyo Yakult Swallows
On December 21, 2022, Kela signed with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos
On February 6, 2024, Kela signed with the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League.
On April 14, 2025, Kela re-signed with the Tecolotes.
Chicago White Sox
On April 16, 2025, Kela signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox.
Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (second stint)
On June 20, 2025, Kela signed with the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League.
Personal
When Kela was born, his mother was 16 years old, and his father was 15 years old.
External links
