Pittsburgh Pirates: Arizona Fall League Final Recap

All in all, the Pittsburgh Pirates prospects had a big impact on the Glendale Desert Dogs.  The Dogs had seven prospects from the Buccos and all seven played a big role on the team.  Obviously for good or bad, however.  The pitchers were far more productive than the hitters were.  Each pitcher performed at a high level, posting numbers that everyone wants to see.  However, the hitters put up a lot of strikeouts and were not helping the offense produce. Still, it was good to see so many Bucco prospects getting to continue to develop and gain experience in a high-quality league.

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The biggest star was Mitch Keller and he should have been.  That is what was so impressive about his fall.  He came out after pitching deep into the Double-A playoffs and pitched even better than he did during the season against tougher lineups.  Also, the fact that there was a certain pressure on him.  He was the top-rated pitching prospect to attend the Fall League.  All eyes were on him to perform.  A lot of players crumble under those sort of expectations, but Keller handled it and dominated.  This says just as much about him as his actual numbers do.  Pitching is as much mental as it is physical, which we saw with Tyler Glasnow last season. Mitch Keller gained valuable experience in the fall league, experience that not only impressed Pittsburgh Pirates fans, but fans all across baseball.