Mitch Keller


Mitch Thomas Keller is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball.

Professional career

Keller was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft out of Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He signed with the Pirates on June 14, 2014 for a signing bonus worth $1,000,000. He had been committed to play college baseball for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Keller made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Pirates, where he spent all of 2014, pitching to a 1.98 ERA in 27.1 innings. Keller spent 2015 with the Bristol Pirates, posting a 0–3 record with a 5.49 ERA in six starts. He spent 2016 with the West Virginia Power where he was 8–5 with a 2.46 ERA in 23 starts. He also pitched in one game for the Bradenton Marauders at the end of the season.
In 2017, Keller began the season with Bradenton. After going 6–3 with a 3.14 ERA in 15 starts, he was promoted to the Altoona Curve in August and finished the season there with a 2–2 record and 3.12 ERA in six starts. MLB.com ranked Keller as Pittsburgh's top prospect going into the 2018 season. He began the season with Altoona and was promoted to the Indianapolis Indians during the season. He also pitched in one game for Bradenton during the season. In 25 starts between the three clubs, he went 12–4 with a 3.48 ERA. The Pirates added him to their 40-man roster after the season.
Keller began 2019 with Indianapolis. He was promoted to the major leagues on May 26, and he made his major league debut at Great American Ball Park versus the Cincinnati Reds, giving up six earned runs over four innings, walking two and striking out seven.

Personal

His brother, Jon Keller, played in the Baltimore Orioles organization.