Previewing the Pirates: Starting pitchers Mitch Keller, JT Brubaker ready to take another step

From the outset of spring training, Mitch Keller made no secret of his goals for this season. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander wanted to be the Opening Day starter and become the anchor for the starting rotation.

Keller can check the first item off his bucket list when the Pirates play the season opener at the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, as he was named the Opening Day starter by manager Derek Shelton.

Next, Keller wants to show he’s ready to be the ace of a staff that also returns JT Brubaker and Roansy Contreras and has added a pair of free-agent acquisitions in lefty Rich Hill and righty Vince Velasquez.

Keller led Pirates pitchers in starts (29) and innings (159) and was tied with Contreras for most victories (five), while Brubaker recorded the most strikeouts (147) and Contreras had the lowest ERA (3.79) and WHIP (1.27) of the returning starters. Hill was 8-7 with a 4.27 ERA in 26 starts for the Boston Red Sox, while Velasquez was moved to the Chicago White Sox bullpen after nine starts and a groin injury last year.

“I think any one of us can step up and do that,” said Keller, who turns 27 on April 4. “It’s fun to have the competition. I think that’s pushing all of us to be better, especially with Rich and Vince being here, a good competition with everyone getting better. All of us want to be the dude that has the most starts, the most wins, the most strikeouts, the lowest ERA, whatever. I think that’s really cool. That competition is making us all a lot better.”

What Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin wants is to establish an identity that begins with filling up the strike zone after their starters ranked 24th in ERA (4.61), 25th in batting average against (.262) and strikeouts (655) and tied for 26th in WHIP (1.41) but allowed the fifth-fewest home runs (94) and the 10th-most walks (290).

The Pirates believe they improved their defense with the free-agent additions of catcher Austin Hedges and first basemen Carlos Santana and Ji-Man Choi, so they want the pitching staff to attack hitters and trust in the fielders behind them.

“When someone comes in to play the Pittsburgh Pirates, they’re going to smother you in the zone,” Marin said. “That’s something we’ve been talking about a ton. Some of the acquisitions that we’ve made have those mentalities, and some of the changes that have happened with guys that we already have, that’s what they’re trending toward.

“That’s part of the philosophy being built in and really focusing on those pillars we do have, which is swing and miss and limiting damage. Throwing strikes leads to missing bats. Getting in good counts is going to lead to that. If you get in bad counts, you’re kind of forced to really compete in the zone with different pitches that you might not want to.”

For all of their struggles the past three seasons, Keller and Brubaker appear to be coming into their own this spring. In five Grapefruit League starts, Brubaker led the Pirates with 26 strikeouts and a .239 batting average against in 17¹⁄₃ innings, and Keller had the lowest ERA (3.45) and WHIP (0.90) and 20 strikeouts against one walk allowed.

Both Keller and Brubaker want to make 30 starts and pitch 200 innings, signs of durability among starters, as well as reverse their losing records.

“There’s definitely another step,” Brubaker said. “I’m ready to take it. I’m sure Mitch is 100% ready to take it.”

That’s where the 43-year-old Hill, entering his 19th season in the majors, brings immense value. Hill has made 350 career appearances, which is a dozen more than the other four combined (although they have more combined career starts, 284-221).

Hill started a trend viewed as a positive by manager Derek Shelton of watching his fellow starters throw their bullpen sessions at Pirate City and sitting in the stands to see their starts at LECOM Park.

“I know there’s a lot of good young arms and a lot of guys that obviously the talent and the ability in this locker room is just as good as any other ballclub that you can think of throughout baseball,” Hill said in January.

“Now the aptitude and the applying of getting into that understanding of it’s 162 games and by the end of it, to get to the point to win a division, to put yourself in position to get into the postseason, is going to be physically exhausting. Now, going through that and saying it and doing it are two different things.”

For Velasquez, the challenge is to prove he belongs in the starting rotation after failing to do so with the Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and White Sox. Joining a staff with returning starters in Brubaker, Contreras and Keller and an established veteran in Hill, Velasquez believes he fits right into the rotation. He held opposing batters to a .235 average in four starts this spring.

“There’s a lot of talent in here with the rotation, recognizing the rotation and recognizing Hill being as successful of a pitcher as he is, watching Keller do his work and what he’s going to be up and coming and doing,” Velasquez said. “Picking brains from a vet who has been in the league for numerous years and has dealt with tons of adversity and success. That reflects on some of my seasons and what I’ve encountered. I think I’m there, right in-between. I like to set high expectations for myself, set the bar high. I’m at the point of skyrocketing and shooting out and opening some doors and surprising a lot of people.”

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With 19 career starts, Contreras is at the forefront of a handful of young starting pitchers in the system. The Pirates have given him delicate treatment the past two seasons to prevent injury, so he hopes to pitch a full season this year after going 4-5 with a 3.91 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 76 strikeouts and 12 home runs allowed in 18 starts last year.

“A big part last year was to learn how to control myself in tough situations,” Contreras said. “That will help me prepare better for this year when those situations come up again.”

Depth is the difference for the Pirates. Johan Oviedo, acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in the Jose Quintana trade, had a couple of strong showings this spring and could either work in long relief or serve as a spot starter.

The staff at Triple-A Indianapolis is talented. Luis Ortiz was dynamic in his debut, averaging 99 mph on 53 fastballs and touching triple digits six times, but is working to add a changeup to his four-seamer and slider. He’s one of three top-10 prospects pitching for Indy, along with 2019 first-round pick Quinn Priester and Mike Burrows. All but Priester are on the 40-man roster.

“I don’t know how it’s all going to shake out after spring but, regardless, the big-league staff and Triple-A staff is going to be pretty loaded,” Burrows said. “Any one of those guys can go up there and replace one of those guys if anything happened in a heartbeat. I don’t think much would change.”