Derek Shelton Pinpoints Pitcher As ‘Bona Fide Leader’ Of Pirates

Paul Skenes is the unquestioned star of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

But Pirates manager Derek Shelton pointed to another member of Pittsburgh’s pitching staff as the team’s “bona fide leader.”

Veteran starter Mitch Keller certainly doesn’t have the same talent as Skenes, but Keller beats him out in experience as the current longest-tenured member of the Pirates. Keller’s career had its fair share of bumps along the way, but it’s allowed him to become a valuable resource for a young Pittsburgh team.

“I think you get more comfortable in your skin with maturation, but we’ve seen a guy that’s a bona fide leader on our team now, a guy that knows what it takes,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton told reporters, per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “This is a guy that grinded to be a really good big-league starter, in terms of being sent down, going into the bullpen, all of those things. He’s come out of it better, and I think we’re seeing a really mature, good, young major-league pitcher.”

Despite the ups and downs, Keller became an All-Star in 2023. He followed that up when he went 10-5 with a 3.46 ERA in the first half of last season, but he struggled over his final 12 starts as Skenes shined.

Keller doesn’t draw the same fanfare as Skenes or even Jared Jones. And Keller is likely to be surpassed in that regard by top pitching prospect Bubba Chandler. But it’s clear Keller’s status in the rotation as a respected veteran is well-cemented.

“He’s an absolute pro,” Skenes said of Keller, per the Tribune-Review. “It’s simple: He shows up and does his work every day. He’s a really good leader and goes out there and posts. He eats innings and does it at a high level, which is what we need. You always need someone who’s going to go out there and give you six or seven each outing. You can never have too many of those.”