We got our first bit of news when it comes to actual games that will be played, as the Pirates get their Spring Training schedule underway on Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Mitch Keller will get the nod to start things off, coming off a breakout season in which he threw a career high 159 innings, posting a 3.91 ERA in the process. After years and years of hoping he’d put it all together, the inclusion of a sinker was what ultimately made the difference.
Now he will look to build on to that and become an established major league pitcher like the organization has always hoped.
While this doesn’t guarantee him to also be the Opening Day starter, looking at how the schedule unfolds, it does map out for him to be on regular rest when the Pirates play the Cincinnati Reds on March 30th.
Three Mitches … er, pitches from Mitch Keller to Kevin Plawecki. Later, Keller threw a nasty backdoor two-seamer that had Austin Hedges — the hitter — shaking his head in disbelief. pic.twitter.com/iaJPHNLnGi
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) February 18, 2023
Keller was the team’s second pick back in 2014, and up till last season when a few adjustments to the pitches he was throwing in the middle of the year helped him take off.
The next step will to be find consistency, and his 3.99 xFIP, along with finding a way to bring the strikeout rate back over 20% will help with that.
With the additions of Rich Hill and Vince Velasquez, as well as prospects Quinn Priester, Luis Ortiz and Mike Burrows waiting in the wings, the rotation is looking to be more and more of a strength potentially.
The hope is that Keller would always end up being a strong contributor on a competitive team, and everything looks in place for him to get that opportunity.
Pirates Prospects Daily
By Tim Williams
**In the latest Roundtable, we all predict which pitchers will throw the most innings for the Pirates in 2023.
**The latest Pirates DVR has a few videos from yours truly in my first day of coverage this year. Highlighted in today’s article are Braeden Ogle, Blake Cederlind, and Mitchell Miller.
**Baseball America released their top 30 prospects.
**John Dreker averaged out the top prospect rankings from around the industry.
**Missed yesterday? Anthony looked at the latest injury update and the pitching depth that’s on the way.
