There was a lineage developing in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting rotation, and it wasn’t good — not for the Pirates, at least. Charlie Morton, Gerrit Cole, Joe Musgrove, Tyler Glasnow: Between Pittsburgh’s most recent postseason run in 2015 and 2021, a veritable All-Star rotation’s worth of pitchers spent early-career time with the Pirates but reached their full potential only after departing for new teams.
For a while, it looked like Mitch Keller might require the same greener pastures to flourish. A consensus top-20 prospect in baseball ahead of his 2019 debut, the sturdy, 6-foot-2 right-hander got blasted in his first forays in the majors.