Pirates Manager Highlights Mitch Keller's 2025 Season

He finished with 17 quality starts, which is when a pitcher throws at least six innings and gives up less than three runs, ranking tied for 16th best in the MLB. His innings pitched also rank 23rd most for any MLB pitcher.

Keller's 15 losses are the most in his career, but as Kelly mentioned, he didn't get much run support, beginning with a 1-9 record through June 21, with the Pirates not scoring more than four runs in any of his first 16 starts.

Kelly praised Keller for his hard work throughout the season, but also his ability to go further in games, which helped out the bullpen greatly.

"Yeah he's a work horse and when, early on in the season, really, he was getting deeper into games and finding ways. I think as he continues to get better, he's always working, always looking for ways to do that and he's been that type of work horse, that's given us consistent innings, consistent production and really means a lot to the team."

He just completed his seventh season with the Pirates, tied for the longest-tenured player on the team along with outfielder Bryan Reynolds, who also made his debut in 2019.

The Pirates took Keller with the 64th pick in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and he has spent his entire professional career with the franchise.

Keller has a 42-65 record over 163 starts in 165 appearnces, a 4.51 ERA over 878.0 innings pitched, 837 strikeouts to 299 walks, a .267 opposing batting average and a 1.38 WHIP.

He ranks 14th all-time in Pirates history in strikeouts and holds the record for most strikeouts at PNC Park, since it opened in 2001. He also ranks 27th in games started and 48th all-time in innings pitched.

Keller signed a five-year, $77 million contract on Feb. 22, 2024 and mades $15,411,500 in 2025, the most a Pirates player earned this season on their payroll. He is only one of two players that made morethan $10 million this season, along with Reynolds at $12,250,000.

Kelly said that Keller means a lot to the Pirates and that his journey to where he is now is a testament to his hard work and dedication to the game of baseball.

"He means a lot," Kelly said. "When you talk about coming up through the system, signing the extension, being a Pirate, he embodies all of that and he shows it every single time he takes the mound and regardless of what goes on, he gives you everything he's got every single time."