| Mitch Keller | |
|---|---|
 Keller with the Altoona Curve in 2018 | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates – No. 23 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:April 4, 1996 Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 27, 2019, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics (through April 3,2024) | |
| Win–loss record | 25–39 |
| Earned run average | 4.75 |
| Strikeouts | 529 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Mitch Thomas Keller (born April 4,1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Keller was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft out of Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids,Iowa. [1] He signed with the Pirates on June 14,2014,for a signing bonus worth $1,000,000. [2] He had been committed to play college baseball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. [3]
Keller made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Pirates, [3] where he spent all of 2014,pitching to a 1.98 ERA in 27+1⁄3 innings. Keller spent 2015 with the short-season A Bristol Pirates, posting a 0–3 record with a 5.49 ERA in six starts. He spent 2016 with the Low-A West Virginia Power where he finished 8–5 with a 2.46 ERA in 23 starts. [4] [5] He also pitched in one game for the High-A Bradenton Marauders at the end of the season.
In 2017, Keller began the season with Bradenton. [6] [7] After going 6–3 with a 3.14 ERA in 15 starts, he was promoted to the Altoona Curve in August and finished the season there with a 2–2 record and 3.12 ERA in six starts. [8] Entering the 2018 season, MLB.com ranked Keller as Pittsburgh's top prospect. [9] He began the season with Altoona, posting a 9–2 record with a 2.72 ERA in 14 starts before a June 28th promotion to the AAA Indianapolis Indians. With Indianapolis, he regressed to a 3–2 record with a 4.82 ERA in 10 starts. [10] Keller was the starting pitcher for the United States in the All-Star Futures Game on July 15th, pitching a scoreless first inning with one strikeout. [11] The Pirates added him to their 40-man roster after the season. [12]
Keller returned to Indianapolis to start the 2019 season. In nine games prior to his MLB debut, Keller went 5–0 with a 3.45 ERA. [13] Keller was named the 2019 International League Pitcher of the Year after posting a 3.56 ERA over the entire AAA season. [14]
Major Leagues (2019–Present)
Keller was promoted to the major leagues on May 27, 2019, [15] and he made his major league debut in the second game of a doubleheader at Great American Ball Park versus the Cincinnati Reds. In his debut, Keller gave up six earned runs over four innings, walking two and striking out seven. He was optioned to Indianapolis following the game. [10] Keller returned to the big league club for two starts in June, and permanently joined the Pirates rotation in August. [16] He would finish the season with a 7.13 ERA over 12 starts and 48 innings pitched. [17]
Keller made his first Opening Day roster to begin the shortened 2020 season. Over the course of the season, he registered a 2.91 ERA with 16 strikeouts. [18] However, a stint on the injured list with left side discomfort limited Keller to 21+1⁄3 innings of work over five starts. [19] Keller had a historically lucky season, as his opponents finished with a .104 batting average on balls in play (BABIP), the lowest single season number for any pitcher with at least 20 innings. [20]
In 2021, Keller got off to a rough start, posting a 7.04 ERA over his first 12 starts. His poor performance led to a demotion to AAA Indianapolis on June 12th. [21] In Indianapolis, Keller rebounded to the tune of a tune of a 3.21 ERA in eight appearances. He returned to Pittsburgh on July 30, rejoining the Pirates rotation. Keller finished the season 5–11 with a 6.17 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 100+2⁄3 innings. It would stand as the third worst ERA among pitchers with a minimum of 100 innings pitched that season.
In his first seven appearances of the 2022 season, Keller had 6.61 ERA in 32+2⁄3 innings of work. However, after adding a sinker to his mix, Keller would go on to throw for 3.21 ERA and 3.67 FIP across his remaining 126+1⁄3 innings. Keller gave up the 703rd and final home run to Albert Pujols on October 4, 2022. In total, Keller pitched to an ERA of 3.91, striking out 138 batters, to go along with a Wins Above Replacement value of 2.1 over 159 innings during the 2022 season. [22]
On January 13, 2023, Keller agreed to a one-year, $2.4375 million contract with the Pirates, avoiding salary arbitration. [23] On March 15, 2023, he was named Pittsburgh's Opening Day starter for the upcoming season. [24] On May 9, versus the Colorado Rockies, Keller earned the win by tossing his first MLB complete-game shutout, holding Colorado to four hits while striking out eight and allowing one walk. It ended a seven-game losing streak and became the first complete-game shutout thrown by a Pirate since 2018. [25] In his next start, Keller notched seven shutout innings and 13 strikeouts versus the Baltimore Orioles. He was named the National League Player of the Week for his performances. [26]
On July 2, 2023, Keller was named to his first MLB All-Star Game. Keller pitched the second inning of the game, giving up one earned run on a solo home run by Tampa Bay Rays infielder Yandy Diaz. [27] Keller finished the season with a 13–9 record and 4.21 ERA to go along with a career-high 210 strikeouts. [28]
On February 22, 2024, Keller signed a five-year, $77 million contract extension with the Pirates. [29] The same day, the Pirates announced that Keller would once again be the team's Opening Day starter. [30]
Keller and his wife Clancy married in 2020. [31] His brother, Jon Keller, played in the Baltimore Orioles organization. [32]
Below are the rosters of the minor league affiliates of the Pittsburgh Pirates:
Gerrit Alan Cole is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. Cole played for the baseball team at Orange Lutheran High School, and was selected by the Yankees in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft. Cole opted not to sign, and instead attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played college baseball for the UCLA Bruins.
Jameson Lee Taillon is a Canadian-American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees.
Tyler Allen Glasnow is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays. Glasnow made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 2016 and was traded to the Rays during the 2018 season.
Jeffrey Alan "Buddy" Boshers is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Nicholas Gordon Kingham is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Toronto Blue Jays, in the KBO League for the SK Wyverns and Hanwha Eagles, and in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) for the CTBC Brothers.
Andrew Jeffrey Schugel is an American professional baseball pitcher for the El Águila de Veracruz of Mexican League. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015 and has also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Chad Michael Kuhl is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago White Sox organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, and Washington Nationals.
Clayton Walter Holmes is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Holmes was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the ninth round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft. He made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 2018, and was traded to New York during the 2021 season.
Luis Alberto Escobar Hernandez is a Colombian professional baseball pitcher for the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Edgar Santana Familia is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Pericos de Puebla of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves.
Tanner Ackley Anderson is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics and in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) for the Fubon Guardians.
Jonathan Trey Brubaker is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made his MLB debut in 2020.
Blake Gerald Weiman is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization.
Charles Quinn Priester is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.
James Michael Marvel is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Roansy Contreras is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021.
Hunter Stratton is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut for the Pirates in 2023.
Luis Leandro Ortiz is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.
Osvaldo Bido is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made his MLB debut in 2023.