A Look At Key Rotation Pieces Down the Stretch
One thing that makes a good Major League Baseball team is a solid starting pitching staff. When you have a guy that keeps you in the game night in and night out, it gives your offense that much more confidence and can in turn help put more wins on the board. For the Pittsburgh Pirates, one of the biggest weaknesses of their team has been inconsistent starting pitching. From Chad Kuhl to Trevor Cahill the Pirates starting pitching would continuously turn in a start that makes it look like they will turn things around followed by a start that takes five steps back. It is this constant cycle of inconsistency that leaves the Pirates in their current position and is only one of several holes on this team.
Over the final month of the season, we are going to see several different guys get opportunities in the starting rotation. We have already seen Miguel Yajure, Max Kranick, Cody Ponce, and Dillon Peters get shots in the starting rotation. On a team that is in a rebuild like the Pirates are, opportunities are abundant, and it is up to the players to take advantage of those opportunities. Looking at the rotation for next season, there are several spots that may be open. While Steven Brault, Chad Kuhl, and JT Brubaker are the most likely locks, even they don't have a guaranteed spot in the rotation. That means the final month of 2021 will be a tryout to see who competes for those open spots next season. Today, we look at the guys who will ultimately get the opportunities this season and how they take advantage of those opportunities.
LHP Dillon Peters
Dillon Peters was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels in one of the first deals that General Manager Ben Cherington pulled off this season. He spent about a month in Triple-A with the Pirates and in five games, posted a 1.50 ERA over 12 innings of work. In total, he threw 53.1 Minor League innings this season and posted a 3.71 ERA over 13 games, 10 starts. He earned the call to the Big Leagues, on August 15th and made his first start that day. While it didn't end up in a win, Peters pitched well lasting 4.2 innings allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits while walking three and striking out three. He got the quick hook after throwing just 75 pitches but was in command throughout the start.
As Peters takes the mound today, look for him to have a longer leash against the Cardinals tonight. He was around the strike zone all night long with a 65% strike rate, but one thing he lacked was a definitive out pitch. Opponents hit .263 against him in the start, and he was only able to strike out three in the game. Peters is 28-years-old and is trying to establish himself as a Big League pitcher. He has had limited chances with the Los Angeles Angels and Miami Marlins and posted a 5.70 ERA over 31 games, 24 starts. He should get a couple more chances with the Pirates this season, as Chad Kuhl is working out of the bullpen, and it is up to him to take advantage of those opportunities.
RHP Max Kranick
Another young pitcher who started his Major League career with a band is right-handed pitcher Max Kranick. Kranick started his Pirates career with a bang throwing five no-hit innings against the St. Louis Cardinals. Since then, the magic has worn off a little as his inexperience started to show through. In total, he has made five starts for the Pirates and went 1-2 with a 7.20 ERA over 20 innings of work. He has given up three earned runs or more in all but one start this season, and he hasn't been able to miss a lot of bats with opponents hitting .306 against him this season. In nine Triple-A starts, he hasn't been great pitching to a 4.97 ERA over nine starts this season.
Kranick is just 24 years old and got his first taste of anything higher than Double-A Ball this season. He still has some development to do before he is ready to be a full-time Big League starter, but he still will more than likely get one or two more Big League starts this season. Kranick has a nice four-pitch mix but he hasn't really grasped how to control those pitches yet. Going into next season, look for Kranick to be one of the names in the mix for a starting rotation spot, but he will be more of an outside looking in opportunity. I expect we see him on the mound at least two more times this season before heading to Spring Training next season and competing for a spot.
RHP Mitch Keller
The final man on this list is one we have been waiting for all season long to find himself on the mound. Last night, he turned in not only the best start of this season but one of the better starts of his young career. He lasted five shutout innings allowing six hits while walking one and striking out six. The positive, Keller's walk numbers are way down as he has walked just two batters over his past two starts. However, the bad thing is that he hasn't been very efficient in either of those two starts. Yesterday, it took him 89 pitches to get through five innings, which isn't going to lead to much success. He allowed six hits, but because those hits were spread out, it forced Keller to throw way more than he wanted to.
If I were Mitch Keller, I would treat these final six or seven starts as if my career depended on it. He has been given chance after chance, and the Pirates can't wait for him to finally figure it out. If he shows that he can handle Big League pitching over these final starts, then he should have a leg up on a 2022 rotation spot. However, if he flops the Pirates are going to have to really consider things and re-evaluate whether or not Keller is part of the future. It is not an easy road ahead for Keller, but it is still one that he could come out on top of. He has shown flashes of greatness at times, now he has to work to put good starts together to earn the Pirate's trust.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (43-79) take on the St. Louis Cardinals (61-59) in game two tonight at 7:10 pm. Dillon Peters (0-1, 1.93) makes his second start of the season for the Pirates tonight against J.A. Happy (7-6, 6.03) for the Cardinals. You can watch the game on AT&T Sportsnet or listen live on 93.7 The Fan.
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