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Keller steady as Pirates navigate early rotation inconsistency originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
In a rotation that features the reigning National League Cy Young award winner and the former No. 2 overall prospect, the Pittsburgh Pirates have turned to a veteran to anchor their star-studded group.
Through three starts, Mitch Keller has allowed two runs over 18 innings, pitching at least six innings in each outing.
While not offering the team the elite velocity or high strikeout rates of his younger teammates, Keller's nearly decade-long experience provides a steady presence as they navigate their own slow starts to the season.
Keller delivers early results
Over eight seasons with Pittsburgh, Keller has never been acknowledged as one of the elite starters in the game and has been closer to average, with a 4.44 career ERA and a 43-65 record.
However, despite just one winning season, in 2023, the Pirates extended Keller to a five-year, $77 million extension before the 2024 season.
Over his career, Keller has proven to be a workhorse, with durability being his most valuable trait. He has pitched at least 150 innings in each of the last four seasons.
That reliability stands in contrast to his younger teammates, Paul Skenes and Bubba Chandler, who routinely throw over 100 miles per hour and have raised concerns from scouts about their long-term availability.
Chandler, in particular, has attracted concerns about his lack of command after walking 10 batters over his first 2 starts.
“Very pissed off,” Chandler said following his loss against the San Diego Padres on April 6. “Hate that we lost, but again, I’m just setting our team up for failure right now, with the guys having to come in out of the pen a lot sooner than they should. That stuff’s got to get cleaned up.”
Chandler's regression to start the season has been noticeable after he finished his rookie season, only walking four batters over 31.1 innings.
Keller also struggled with command early in his career, and it wasn't until a brief stint in the bullpen and the introduction of his sinker in 2022 that he emerged as a more reliable starter.
While Keller lacks Chandler's elite velocity, his experience refining his command could be valuable for the young prospect as he looks to get his sophomore season back on track.
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