This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Keller goes to the sweeper: 32.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 13.9% the rest of the time.
217 two-strike pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Keller's sweeper moves 17.2 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
148 thrown, averaging 82.4 mph.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Keller's changeup leaves the bat at 93.2 mph, against 74.1 off his cutter.
80 and 46 of them thrown.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Keller throws a fastball 68% of the time, against 42.8% when he is ahead.
225 pitches behind in the count, 222 ahead.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Keller throws 50% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 42.7% with the bases empty.
150 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 630 with the bases empty.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Keller's 4-seam fastball carries 15.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
269 thrown, averaging 93.4 mph.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
15.3 mph separates Keller's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 93.4 against 78.1.
269 and 53 of them respectively.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Keller releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 33 degrees above horizontal and 1.9 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
780 tracked release points, averaging 5.6 feet off the ground.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .353 expected average against them, against .301 on his breaking balls.
444 of his fastballs thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Keller throws the sweeper 30.8% of the time against right-handers and 11.9% against left-handers.
292 pitches to right-handers, 488 to left-handers.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Keller is weak: 86.2 mph off the bat on average, 79th percentile.
780 pitches in 2026. 79th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 111th in MLB.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Keller puts 41.8% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 45.5% of his pitches to left-handers.
292 pitches to right-handed hitters, 488 to left-handed hitters.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Keller puts 59.6% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 41% when he is ahead.
225 located pitches behind, 222 ahead.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Keller's sweeper spins at 2,679 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
148 thrown in 2026.
He lives on one side of the plate
Keller works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.9 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
780 located pitches in 2026.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Keller works with 7 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sweeper, Sinker and Changeup, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 34.5% of everything he throws.
780 classified pitches in 2026.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Keller's fastball averages 92.9 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 92.5 past his 75th.
144 early fastballs, 60 late ones.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Keller lives in the strike zone: 44.1% of his pitches are in it, 63rd percentile.
780 pitches in 2026. 63rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 197th in MLB.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Keller lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.37 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
780 located pitches in 2026.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Keller's stuff spins at 2,357 rpm, 67th percentile in the league.
780 pitches in 2026. 67th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 177th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Keller projects a .346 average, 31st percentile.
780 pitches in 2026. 31st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 369th in MLB.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Keller averages 89.0 mph across his arsenal, 39th percentile in the league.
780 pitches in 2026. 39th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 329th in MLB.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Keller releases the ball 6.6 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
647 tracked pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
21.5% of Keller's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
168 of 780 located pitches.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Keller lands 45.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 38.8% of his offspeed pitches.
444 of his fastballs, 80 of his offspeed pitches.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Keller throws a strike on the first pitch 61.7% of the time.
209 plate appearances started in 2026.
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The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Keller goes to the sweeper: 32.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 13.9% the rest of the time.
217 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Keller throws a fastball 68% of the time, against 42.8% when he is ahead.
225 pitches behind in the count, 222 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Keller puts 59.6% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 41% when he is ahead.
225 located pitches behind, 222 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Keller throws a strike on the first pitch 61.7% of the time.
209 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Keller's sweeper moves 17.2 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
148 thrown, averaging 82.4 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Keller's 4-seam fastball carries 15.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
269 thrown, averaging 93.4 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Keller's changeup leaves the bat at 93.2 mph, against 74.1 off his cutter.
80 and 46 of them thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
15.3 mph separates Keller's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 93.4 against 78.1.
269 and 53 of them respectively.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Keller throws the sweeper 30.8% of the time against right-handers and 11.9% against left-handers.
292 pitches to right-handers, 488 to left-handers.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Keller's sweeper spins at 2,679 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
148 thrown in 2026.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Keller works with 7 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sweeper, Sinker and Changeup, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 34.5% of everything he throws.
780 classified pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Keller throws 50% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 42.7% with the bases empty.
150 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 630 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Keller releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 33 degrees above horizontal and 1.9 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
780 tracked release points, averaging 5.6 feet off the ground.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Keller's fastball averages 92.9 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 92.5 past his 75th.
144 early fastballs, 60 late ones.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Keller releases the ball 6.6 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
647 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .353 expected average against them, against .301 on his breaking balls.
444 of his fastballs thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Keller lands 45.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 38.8% of his offspeed pitches.
444 of his fastballs, 80 of his offspeed pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Keller is weak: 86.2 mph off the bat on average, 79th percentile.
780 pitches in 2026. 79th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 111th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Keller projects a .346 average, 31st percentile.
780 pitches in 2026. 31st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 369th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Keller puts 41.8% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 45.5% of his pitches to left-handers.
292 pitches to right-handed hitters, 488 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He lives on one side of the plate
Keller works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.9 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
780 located pitches in 2026.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Keller lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.37 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
780 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
21.5% of Keller's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
168 of 780 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Keller lives in the strike zone: 44.1% of his pitches are in it, 63rd percentile.
780 pitches in 2026. 63rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 197th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Keller's stuff spins at 2,357 rpm, 67th percentile in the league.
780 pitches in 2026. 67th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 177th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Keller averages 89.0 mph across his arsenal, 39th percentile in the league.
780 pitches in 2026. 39th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 329th in MLB.
Pirates
Career team 2019–2026