Mitch Keller was named the Opening Day starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the excitement continues to grow watching his game develop further.
After revolutionizing his game by adding a sinker, Keller is looking to take yet another step forward after establishing himself as a legitimate Major League starter.
Part of the work this season has been incorporating a cutter more, and he put that on full display in his latest outing against the Minnesota Twins.
According to Baseball Savant, he threw the pitch 32 times, picking up six whiffs on 14 swings (43% whiff rate), while also picked up five called strikes.
Better yet, he is getting the exact kind of results you have come to expect out of the cutter, weak contact because the hitter couldn’t square up to the pitch.
Keller isn't just getting some whiffs with his cutter, but he's shattering some bats, too. pic.twitter.com/pEkEgkqB3t
— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) March 18, 2023
The Twins were able to put five of Keller’s cutters into play, and although one of them had an exit velocity of 104.6, they only averaged 80.7 mph off the bat.
There was a lot of weak contact, which is exactly what you want to see.
Although he did have a couple of misses, allowing a home run and hitting two batters, if the Pirates get this kind of Keller more times than not, they are going to be in a good position every fifth day.
— Canaan Smith-Njigba didn’t necessarily add to his insane exit velocity numbers on Saturday, but continues to make as strong a case to break camp with the Major League team as he can, picking up a double.
It still seems like a trip to Indianapolis is likely, but what Smith-Njigba has done in spring by creating some heavy competition is exactly what the Pirates were hoping would happen.
Pirates Prospects Daily
By John Dreker
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**Pirates Prospects Daily: Canaan Smith-Njigba Continues To Hit The Ball Hard
**Pirates DVR: Home Runs For Ji-Man Choi, Canaan Smith-Njigba, Mason Martin
Song of the Day
Today’s Lineup
No TV, afternoon game on the road against the Baltimore Orioles. Lots of regulars playing.
Sunday ball.
