Dean Kiekhefer
Dean Allen Kiekhefer
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.
- School University of Louisville
- High School Oldham County High School
- Debut May 14, 2016
- Final Game September 28, 2018
- Born June 7, 1989 in Louisville, KY USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Relief pitcher Dean Kiekhefer began his professional career in 2010.
He was originally drafted in the 37th round of the 2007 amateur draft by the Cleveland Indians, but opted not to sign. He was then taken by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 36th round of the 2010 amateur draft and inked a deal. The signing scout was Derrick Ross.
After a rough first campaign, he posted a 1.26 ERA in 34 appearances for the Quad Cities River Bandits in 2011. In 2012, he had a 2.24 ERA and 14 saves in 46 games for the Palm Beach Cardinals to earn a spot on the MiLB.com Organization All-Star team. After posting a 3.43 mark in 2013, Kiekhefer had a 2.54 ERA in 40 relief appearances for the Memphis Redbirds in his first taste of Triple-A. His ERA was 2.92 as a whole that year as he also spent some time with the Springfield Cardinals. He began 2015 with Memphis. In 2016 Kiekhefer made it to "The Show" and pitched in 26 games for the Cardinals with an ERA of 5.32. After the season, the Seattle Mariners picked Kiekhefer off waivers and he pitched in their minor league system in 2017. In 2018 he signed a free agent contract with the Oakland Athletics and made four appearances out of their bullpen, the last ones of his career at the major league level. Kiekhefer stayed in the Oakland system in 2019, finisheing his playing career.
Kiekhefer returned to the Cardinals organization in 2020 as a pitching coach for the State College Spikes before the minor league season was cancelled due to COVID-19. He was pitching coach of the Palm Beach Cardinals in 2021. After the season ended he served as the Glendale Desert Dogs pitching coach in the Arizona Fall League. Kiekhefer was the minor league assistant pitching coordinator in 2022-2023 for the Cardinals. In 2024 he was promoted to the major league staff as assistant pitching coach.
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