If you were to pick one word to describe the Pirates season to this point, undoubtedly that word would be injuries. Injuries, especially to starting pitchers, have derailed a team that has otherwise surprised the league and even its own fan base. Those injuries have forced names like Steven Brault and Nick Kingham into the starters spotlight where they have struggled mightily. Fans clamored for the Pirates to bring up their top prospect Mitch Keller. After more injuries and poor performance by the aforementioned stand-ins, Keller was finally given the call. Keller’s call-up felt like the last resort throughout most of this season, yet he’s already back in the minors.
Mitch Keller was called up and made his major league debut on Memorial Day in the second game of a double-header against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark. The 23 year old was the Pirates second round pick in the 2014 draft. Keller struggled in the first inning giving up 6 runs on 6 hits, with 2 walks and a grand slam. After he got out of the first he was able to settle down and settle in. Once he got past the first Keller went 3 innings giving up no runs on one hit, while striking out 5. As far as major league debuts go, this wasn’t one for the highlight reel, but with all things considered he performed well.
Keller was thrown to the wolves, as he made his debut in one of the most hitter friendly ballparks in the league. Not to mention that he was starting the second game of a double-header in which the Reds lineup had already seen and faced live pitching earlier in the day and were adjusted to basically mid game form. Pair those factors with the nerves of making a major league debut and it makes Keller’s start a little more respectable.
It was a decent jumping off point to work from, but yesterday the Pirates sent Keller back to AAA Indianapolis basically confirming that he was brought up solely because of the double header situation. If that was the case then he shouldn’t have been called up in the first place. The thought that Keller was the last resort was well supported by the Pirates moves throughout the beginning of this injury plague. They turned to Brault and Kingham, who have both struggled in almost every game they’ve started. While Brault found success against the Reds during today’s game, outings like that have been few and far between for him. They also tried implementing the “Opener” strategy that was effective the first time but horrendous the following two.
The failure of those options shouldn’t be the only things stopping Keller’s eventual call-up. However, the Pirates refuse to bring Francisco Liriano out of the bullpen, upon Liriano’s request, and their first option for a call-up (JT Brubaker) is on the AAA injury list. The only other option would have been Dario Agrazal who started the season in AA Altoona, before being promoted to AAA. There is just not enough AAA exposure to make the case for Agrazal, no matter how well he has pitched there.
Keller was the final option, which says a lot about the Pirates management of their starting pitching depth on an organizational level, but what happens now. A few hours after being sent back down another Pirates pitcher, Jordan Lyles, left his start early with left hamstring discomfort. While Lyles was throwing earlier this morning there is no news as to whether or not he will miss time. Does this mean that Keller will be brought back up and inserted into the rotation this time? While he has had success in AAA this season (5-0 / 3.45 ERA / 10.7 Kp9 / 1.26 WHIP) he was also trying to work a slider into his arsenal and fine tune his pitches. While an early start to his full time big league career shouldn’t have been for another season, it might be necessary. With possibly three starters on the IL, and the failing of Brault and Kingham, Keller may need to step into the rotation for an extended period of time.
While the Pirates don’t need Keller to be the savior of the rotation, they will need him to post quality starts or at least give the team a chance to win every time he steps on the mound. The ability to go 5 to 6 innings allowing four or less runs, is what is needed on most occasions for the Pirates to stay in the game. With Chris Archer and Joe Musgrove being the only healthy starters that are in the pirates top 5, Keller needs to slot into the 3 spot until Trevor Williams, who just recently began throwing again, returns from injury. Either way with Jameson Taillon on the 60 Day IL, Keller should have a consistent spot in the Pirates starting rotation.
Given the Pirates recent track record with top prospect starting pitchers, they need to handle Keller with care. Gerrit Cole and Tyler Glasnow found success after leaving Pittsburgh, and Taillon continues his injury struggles. The Pittsburgh Pirates have a black mark when it comes to developing young starting pitching talent, and figuring out what to do with Mitch Keller is the first step in changing that narrative.
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