The Pittsburgh Pirates may have finally found their ace of the future, and that is former first round draft pick Mitch Keller. This surprising turnaround that Keller has managed to do isn’t new, but he is taking it to a whole new level. Keller was able to go from the worst qualified pitcher in all categories to one of the best in the matter of a year and a half. Let’s take a dive into what has made Keller so successful.

Keller was one of MLB’s top pitching prospects at the time of his call up in 2019. Keller struggled a lot during his rookie year, posting a 7.13 ERA in 11 starts, with 48 innings pitched. In the shortened 2020 season, Keller pitched well, posting a 2.91 ERA in 21 innings pitched. Even though 2020 was a very small sample size, many people were expecting a bounce back year from the top prospect. Keller’s 2021 season was atrocious once again. He posted a 6.17 ERA in 23 games started, and 100.2 innings pitched.

Keller knew that something needed to change to get back on the right track. During that off season, Keller worked with Tread Athletics to improve upon his game. During this time, Keller got his velocity up to 100 MPH, gaining a lot of hype heading into the 2022 season. Spring training added to the excitement when Keller dominated. Though when the 2022 season started, Keller was once again disappointing. After Keller’s 6th start of the season, the Pirates moved him to the bullpen. Keller reemerged after his time in the bullpen with a new pitch and a whole new approach.

Keller developed a sinker, and it did wonders for him. In his last 23 starts of the season, Keller posted a 3.00 ERA, which lowered his season ERA down to 3.95. Keller continued his improvement into the 2023 season, where he also introduced a cutter and a sweeper. So far, Keller has a 2.38 ERA over his first 9 starts. He is top five in the National League in strikeouts, WHIP, and innings pitched. His turnaround surprised many, but not the ones who have been paying attention to the young Bucco over the past few years.

Pay attention for the rest of the season, as Keller develops into one of the league’s best starting pitchers.