The strength of the Pittsburgh Pirates team currently is their pitching staff. Rookies Jared Jones and Paul Skenes have been garnering a lot of attention, and rightfully so. They have been dominant to start their careers, but don’t forget about their original top prospect, Mitch Keller.
A second-round pick in the 2024 MLB Amateur Draft, Mitch Keller was as high as No. 12 on the prospect list in his career. He had some rough patches early in his career, but he has been settling in the last two seasons.
Last year, a strong first half led to Keller being named to his first All-Star team. He cooled off in the second half of the season but set career highs across the board. In 2024, he is on pace to reset some of those records.
Through the first two months of the season, Mitch Keller is 7-3 with a 3.42 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. He has struck out 66 hitters compared to 20 walks and has been on fire over the last month. He has not allowed more than two runs in five straight starts, including a complete game against the Los Angeles Angels on May 6th.
That strong stretch has put the Pittsburgh Pirates emerging star in some elite company. According to OptaSTATS, he became only the fifth pitcher since 2013 to have 7+ by June 1st in back-to-back seasons.
The first four pitchers to accomplish the feat are a star-studded bunch; Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Felix Hernandez and Adam Wainwright. They did it in 2018-19, 2016-17, 2014-15 and 2013-14, respectively.
Signed through 2028 after agreeing to a contract extension ahead of 2024 Spring Training, Mitch Keller is going to anchor this staff for years to come. The Pittsburgh Pirates are in excellent hands with him, Jones and Skenes as their big three with excellent depth behind them.
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