Pittsburgh Pirates Promote Mitch Keller To Triple-A

The top pitching prospect of the Pittsburgh Pirates is now just one step away from the Major Leagues

After dominating at the Double-A level, Mitch Keller has been promoted to Triple-A by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In addition to being the Pirates top prospect, Keller is the 12th best prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America and 16th according to both MLB Pipeline and Baseball Prospectus.

Keller logged 86 innings for the Curve in 14 starts this season. He struck out 22.2% of batters faced, walked 9.4%, he surrendered just 64 hits, and seven home runs. This led to Keller owing a 2.72 ERA and a 3.71 FIP for the Curve.

In recent starts Keller had started to dominate the Double-A level and show that it is time for him to be promoted to Triple-A. Keller had logged at least 6 innings in each of his last eight starts. In these eight starts he allowed 13 earned runs in 52 innings pitched (2.25 ERA). He allowed just three home runs, he struck out 46, and was coming off back-to-back shutouts.

At Triple-A, Keller will join Brandon Waddell, Nick Kingham, Alex McRae, J.T. Brubaker, and Tyler Eppler in the Indians’ rotation. It would not be a surprise to see Taylor Hearn soon join Keller at Triple-A. Hearn owns a 3.28 ERA, 3.11 FIP, and a 27.5% strikeout rate in 14 starts this season.

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Now that Keller is at Triple-A he is on the doorstep of the Major Leagues. While him reaching the Major League level this season is unlikely, if he picks up at Triple-A where he left off at Double-A you can never say never.

However, odds are, we will not see Keller in Pittsburgh until around this time next season.