I got to see Mitch Keller pitch in person for the first time on Sunday and I probably set my hopes too high because the start was a little disappointing. It wasn’t the results really, because you should always be happy with two runs on five hits and no walks, with six strikeouts over seven innings. It was more that his start to the season reminded me of Tyler Glasnow back in 2013 and then the outing didn’t have the 2013 Glasnow feel to it.
I saw Glasnow pitch two times in person that season and each time he impressed with the fastball and curve combo, getting a ton of swing and misses with batters swinging really late or really early. He also buckled some knees with the curve those games. I expected to send out some tweets about Keller’s outing, but there wasn’t any point where he was dominating, so I just saved everything for the recap.
The main problem Sunday was that Keller wasn’t throwing his curve at all for strikes, and it got worse as the game went along. His fastball was hitting 96 MPH occasionally, four times by my count. He also hit 91 multiple times too, which I’ll overlook slightly because it was a cool, windy day. Also, most of those 91’s were at the start and finish of the game, so it’s not really a big deal. I only saw a few change-ups, so it was basically just him throwing fastballs and there was some hard contact. Don’t get me wrong, the fastball looked really good, but hitters eventually started sitting on the pitch and that led to the damage in the game.
I’ve watched three of his starts online and all three looked better. Sunday’s game was sort of like seeing a movie where the best parts of the preview were cut out. It’s also a good reminder that he is at West Virginia for a reason this year and there is no need to rush him through his development. Those starts I saw from Glasnow were three years ago now and while they were impressive, he’s still working on commanding his pitches and improving his change-up. Keller clearly has huge potential, but we might want to scale back the excitement just a little for now because of how far away he is from the majors.
** I added the Playoff Push section back for the time being. It only covers Bradenton and West Virginia now and will disappear once the first half of the season is over. For those who don’t know, those two teams play in leagues where they have a first half winner and a second half winner play each other in the playoffs. If the same team wins both halves, then the team with the second best overall record gets the second playoff spot.
The people who just follow prospects usually don’t care much about the team records in the minors. That’s because minor league success in the standings rarely equals Major League success in the standings. Teams that win in the minors usually are the older teams filled with non-prospects. There are plenty of people who read the site, who are also fans of the minor league teams, so they get their time too. Plus, a minor league playoff spot could also give you a hint at who will see a late season promotion.
When Altoona made the playoffs last year, that meant a late promotion for Austin Meadows. When the Curve were eliminated, Chad Kuhl joined Indianapolis for a spot start. Morgantown got Ke’Bryan Hayes and Luis Escobar from the GCL Pirates. So a mid-season playoff spot for either of these two teams, could be a hint at who could see a late season promotion. For West Virginia, we could be talking about possible high draft picks from next June getting a taste of full-season ball.
Once the first half is over, the Playoff Push section will go away until later in the season when all eight affiliates and the Pirates will be in there until they are eliminated from contention. Indianapolis and Altoona play full season schedules, so just like the Pirates, it’s way too early to be thinking about possible playoffs for them.
** As mentioned in the schedule section below, Jon Niese faces the Atlanta Braves tonight. He has allowed ten homers this season, the second most in the NL. The Braves have hit just nine homers this season. The lowest total in the NL. In fact, they trail eight individual NL players in home runs. Something has to give tonight…
PLAYOFF PUSH
Bradenton is 6-4 in their last ten games. They are in fifth place in their division, trailing first place by 2.5 games. The first half of the FSL season ends on June 22nd.
West Virginia is 2-8 in their last ten games. They are in fourth place in their division, trailing first place by six games. The first half of the SAL season ends on June 19th.
PIRATES GAME GRAPH
Source: FanGraphs
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
Today’s Starter and Notes: The Pirates won 2-1 over the Cubs on Sunday. They now travel home, where they will take on the Atlanta Braves in a four-game series. Jon Niese will be on the mound tonight, making his eighth start of the season. In his last outing, he gave up three earned runs over 6.2 innings against the Reds. Niese has already allowed ten homers this season, second to Max Scherzer in the NL. The Braves will counter with Williams Perez, who has a 3.54 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in four starts. He allowed one run over eight innings against the Phillies in his last start.
In the minors, Chad Kuhl gets the start for Indianapolis. Ryan Palencer wrote about Kuhl working his way back from a Spring Training injury, getting his pitch count up. Kuhl leads the International League with a 1.10 ERA and his 0.89 WHIP is fourth best in the league. For West Virginia, Logan Sendelbach makes his eighth start of the season. He has had only one bad start, giving up seven runs over 2.1 innings on May 5th. In his other six starts, he has allowed five earned runs over 33.1 innings. Altoona has off today.
MLB: Pittsburgh (19-17) vs Braves (9-27) 7:05 PM
Probable starter: Jon Niese (5.63 ERA, 15:29 BB/SO, 40.0 IP)
AAA: Indianapolis (17-18) vs Columbus (23-13) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Chad Kuhl (1.10 ERA, 8:24 BB/SO, 32.2 IP)
AA: Altoona (20-17) @ Binghamton (16-19) 6:35 PM 5/17 (season preview)
Probable starter: Clay Holmes (5.88 ERA, 18:19 BB/SO, 33.2 IP)
High-A: Bradenton (18-18) @ Brevard County (13-24) 6:35 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Colten Brewer (4.36 ERA, 14:31 BB/SO, 33.0 IP)
Low-A: West Virginia (18-17) @ Delmarva (20-15) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Logan Sendelbach (3.03 ERA, 7:21 BB/SO, 35.2 IP)
HIGHLIGHTS
Here is a double from Jin-De Jhang, which capped off a six-run ninth inning on Saturday, giving Altoona a 7-6 victory.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
5/15: Pirates activate Cory Luebke from disabled list. A.J. Schugel optioned to Indianapolis.
5/13: Pirates release Daniel Bard.
5/13: Kyle Lobstein optioned to Indianapolis. Pittsburgh Pirates recall Cole Figueroa.
5/12: Cesilio Pimentel activated from West Virginia disabled list. Julio Vivas assigned to Extended Spring Training.
5/9: Mel Rojas Jr. traded to the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations.
5/8: Cole Tucker added to West Virginia Power roster. Logan Ratledge assigned to Extended Spring Training.
5/7: Billy Roth added to West Virginia Power roster.
5/6: Jung-ho Kang activated from disabled list.
5/6: Mel Rojas Jr. assigned to Extended Spring Training.
5/5: Jason Rogers optioned to Indianapolis.
5/2: Jason Creasy placed on disabled list. Brandon Waddell promoted to Altoona
5/2: Tate Scioneaux promoted to Bradenton.
THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY
Four former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, including two teammates born on the same day. Mitch Webster was an outfielder for the 1991 Pirates and his teammate that year was pitcher Bob Patterson. Both players were born on May 16,1959. Webster played just one season for the Pirates, while Patterson played six years in Pittsburgh, including all three playoff seasons from 1990 until 1992. He pitched 207 games for the Pirates, 21 as a starter, posting a 3.97 ERA in 331 innings.
Other players born on this date include two very good pitchers from the 1980’s. Rick Reuschel and Rick Rhoden both celebrate their birthday today. Rhoden played eight seasons in Pittsburgh and had a very small part during the 1979 World Series winning season. He went 79-73, 3.51 in 213 starts and two relief appearances during his time in Pittsburgh. Known as a very good hitting pitcher, he batted .251 for the Pirates and was occasionally used as a pinch-hitter.
Reuschel played three years for the Pirates and had a great season in 1985, despite the Pirates losing 104 games that year. He finished the year with a 14-8 record, thanks in part to a 2.27 ERA in 194 innings. Reuschel won 214 games over his 19 seasons in the Majors, while Rhoden had 151 victories.
The first time the Braves franchise and the Pirates franchise played each other was on this date in 1887. The Boston Beaneaters took that first game by a 6-2 score. Old Hoss Radbourn out-dueled Jim McCormick for the win. Between them, they won 574 Major League games. In the all-time series, the Pirates hold a 1,097-1,020 edge, with the two teams playing to a tie 16 times.
