Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller 'really excited' to be selected to All-Star Game for 1st time

Mitch Keller had put the possibility of being selected to the All-Star Game in the far reaches of his mind, focusing instead on allowing his hard work and execution to take care of the process.

After learning Sunday that he was chosen for his first All-Star Game, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander couldn’t even contemplate that he would be playing with and against the best players in baseball.

“I’m just excited to be there,” Keller said. “Keep my mouth closed, probably. And open my ears. Try to get as much knowledge as I can out of all those guys. Really excited for it. It’s going to be cool.”

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Keller is 9-3 with a 3.34 ERA and 1.10 WHIP and 10.1 strikeouts and 2.4 walks per nine innings in 17 starts this season, ranking among the major-league leaders in wins, strikeouts (118), innings pitched (105), total batters faced (432) and quality starts (11). He tossed a shutout against Colorado on May 2.

“To be recognized is really cool,” Keller said. “I guess validation, I don’t know. As soon as you say you made it, the game will humble you right back. Just trying to stay the same guy. Really cool recognition. Just super proud of myself and everybody else who has helped me along the way.”

Keller was the only Pirates player chosen for the Midsummer Classic, which will be played July 11 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. Last year, closer David Bednar represented the Pirates.

When all the hard work pays off ???? pic.twitter.com/1AU4YlB6ZU

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 2, 2023

Pirates manager Derek Shelton presented Keller the news with an All-Star invitation, a celebratory bottle of champagne and a long, heartfelt hug, adding that Keller deserved the honor.

“Honestly, the guy’s going to his first All-Star Game and it was emotional for me, too,” Shelton said, “because in four years, he and I have been through a lot together and we’ve had a lot of deep conversations and very heartfelt conversations about not only him as a player but him as a person. He’s one of those guys I almost look at as like one of my kids because we’ve been here, so it was very emotional for both he and I.”

The 27-year-old Keller has come a long way. He was rocked for six runs, including a grand slam, by the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning of his major league debut. He was demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis after compiling a 7.04 ERA through his first 12 starts in 2021. He was moved to the bullpen at midseason last year, responding by going 4-7 with a 3.22 ERA and .257 batting average against the rest of the season.

Shelton credited Keller for battling through adversity and for taking advice from the Pirates’ pitching coaches and analytics team by adding a sinker and a sweeper to his pitch repertoire.

“This kid has been through a lot, including a demotion, including going to the bullpen to work on things,” Shelton said. “Even more so, we talked about the willingness to learn and adjust. This kid midseason last year made an adjustment — and that’s not easy to do mid-year — and trusted our group and what they saw and how he was going to go about it. Even more so, he took it into the offseason and worked on it in the offseason and spent the time and dedication.”

Those travails helped Keller keep his mind on his performance instead of the possibility of making the All-Star Game.

“It’s definitely hard not to, but the moment you start thinking about something like that, for me at least, if I start thinking about other things that are out of my control, it’s not a good outcome that comes with it,” Keller said. “Just trying to put it as far back in your mind as you can and go out there and play.”

Keller has faced his share of All-Stars in his five seasons in the majors, but he’s looking forward to this being the first time he faces a lineup full of them.

“I haven’t put it in that way before, but it will be a challenge,” Keller said. “Yeah, it’s gonna be fun. Hopefully I get to pitch. If I do, great. If not, I’ll just be excited to be there and watch the game and be a part of it.”