Pittsburgh Pirates Draft: Five College Pitchers To Keep An Eye On

Seth Keener

Seth Kenner had a fantastic season at Wake Forest. Although he worked as a swing-man starter/reliever, Kenner definitely has the potential to primarily be a starting pitcher. He’s not a two-pitch pitcher either, so the worry about developing a third pitch shouldn’t be much of an issue for Kenner, given he throws three pitches with regularity.

Kenner finished out his season with a 2.23 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and 5.38 K:BB ratio. Kenner has always posted strong strikeout rates throughout his college career, but his 33.7% strikeout rate was his best single-season mark. Both walks, and home runs were basically a non-issue for Kenner. He dished out a free pass to just 6.3% of the batters he faced while also allowing three home runs for a 0.42 HR/9 rate.

The right-hander has good velocity on his four-seam fastball. He sits right around 93-95 MPH while topping out at 97. His primary offering this year has been his mid-80s slider, which has sweeping action. Then there’s his changeup, an upper-80s offering. According to Baseball America, both his change-up and slider had whiff rates above 40% at the end of April.

Keener’s makeup could help him in the long term. Kenner is an athletic 6’2”, 195 pound pitcher. He also has great extension off the mound, adding some deception to his velocity. Keener spins his pitches well, clocking in with elite-level spin rates on his stuff. It’s also worth mentioning that Keener pitched well in the Cape Cod League, albeit in only 24 innings. Keener is a potential day-two pick. He’d definitely be a potential 4th or 5th round type selection.