Mitch Keller’s major league career is at a turning point. The Pirates optioned the struggling right-hander to the minor leagues Saturday, marking a precipitous decline for one of the formerly top-ranked prospects on Baseball Prospectus.
Now we will see how Keller responds. On The Fan Morning Show Monday, former Pirates infielder Neil Walker said he’ll be looking to see how Keller handles his demotion mentally. “Hopefully he takes this a thought of, ‘I need to go down here and get better, and I need to do what do I have to do to get back to the big leagues and help this team and make a career for myself,’” Walker said. “Like you said, he’s on thin ice, per se, and I really hope he’s able to figure it out quickly.”
Following another bad outing Thursday against the Dodgers, Keller’s ERA ballooned to 7.02. Despite those numbers, Pirates manager Derek Shelton initially said the team intends to keep Keller in Pittsburgh.
He was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis two days later.
Walker said the 25-year-old has to work on refining his game. “How do you respond the second time through the order, third time through the order?,” Walker said. “Guys are making adjustments pitch by pitch in the big leagues, and if you go to the well too many times, or you’re not throwing the ball over the plate, it’s going to be a tough day for you, especially the second or third time through the order.”
There have been many tough days for Keller since May 4. In that time, he’s allowed 20 runs over 23 innings, good for an 8.69 ERA.
Overall, Pirates starters have the worst ERA in the big leagues. With that in mind, Walker says there’s a path back for Keller, provided he puts in the work mentally.
“For Mitch Keller, it’s about a reset, and it’s not about going down there and blowing people away, per se, which I think he will do,” Walker said. “It’s about ‘what’s going on in my head between pitches, what’s going on in my head after strike one, what’s going in on my head when I’m 3-1? Am I trying to be perfect with getting back in counts?’ I think these guys can really help you take your focus away from the right, right now, and really focus on the process.”