Keller steady as Pirates navigate early rotation inconsistency
Veteran right-hander Mitch Keller is providing stability for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ high-upside rotation, using durability and experience to offset early command struggles from younger arms like Paul Skenes and Bubba Chandler.
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.
Mitch Keller's first three starts of 2026: 18 IP, 2 ER (1. 00 ERA) 🔥 pic. twitter.
com/RAV8TsHnTh — MLB Stats (@MLBStats) April 8, 2026 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.