'We're going to win a lot of games with him': Paul Skenes excited for Mitch Keller's extension

BRADENTON, Fla. — Pittsburgh Pirates players were pumped about the contract extension that locked up All-Star right-hander Mitch Keller for the next five years at $77 million, especially after a breakout season.

One of the newest Pirates was just as excited, and not just for selfish reasons.

For 21-year-old right-hander Paul Skenes, the No. 1 overall draft pick last July, Keller’s continued presence gives him a mentor from which to model his game. Skenes plans to watch and learn from Keller how to become a professional pitcher and hopes to start in the same rotation.

“He’s a great pitching mind, too, a guy that I’ve started to and am going to continue to pick his brain,” Skenes said. “I just like watching the way he works. I haven’t seen him throw live in-game a ton, but watching the way he works and how he competes, he’s going to be a really good guy to push each other with.

“I’m fired up because I think it’s good for me for him to be around. I know I’m going to get better around him. Obviously, he’s an ace and going to be pitching here for a long time. We’re going to win a lot of games with him.”

Keller told TribLive earlier this week that he “can’t wait” to pitch alongside Skenes. Having Keller atop the rotation also takes some of the pressure off Skenes from feeling like a staff savior once he does join the major-league team. That’s a luxury Keller didn’t have, as Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon were traded in January 2021.

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“Obviously, I haven’t been here a long time, but you see a lot of turnover within pitching staffs all across the league,” Skenes said. “Knowing who the guys are, obviously Mitch but all of the guys in here, we can put a lot of really good starts together, going back-to-back-to-back moving forward. We’re going to win for a long time going forward.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton cited Keller’s “continuous learning mindset” as “something that’s stood out as he’s matured the last year or two,” as he’s added and refined pitches in his repertoire and rebounded from rough innings to become a stopper.

Keller has shown a resolve that allowed him to recover from a disastrous major-league debut in May 2019, a demotion to Triple-A in ’21 and being bounced to the bullpen for a short spell in ’22 before earning his first All-Star selection last season.

The 27-year-old right-hander led the Pirates in wins, games started, innings pitched and strikeouts — setting a franchise record for most by a right-hander — in a career year that removed many doubts about him.

“I think the motivation to be better is something Mitch continues to strive for,” Shelton said. “We have a lot of young players, a lot of young pitchers, in competition. It was not been an easy path for Mitch. We’ve seen the highs. We’ve seen the lows. So for guys to know there’s going to be struggles at times in how you’re able to bounce out of that and stay consistent, we have a very good model there with Mitch.”

That’s why so many of Keller’s teammates were thrilled not only for him but the message it sends to the team: Hard work pays off, and character counts.

“That’s another part of it that makes it just so awesome: what he brings to the clubhouse, not only on the field but also off the field, helping guys, especially starters, that camaraderie they have,” two-time All-Star closer David Bednar said. “The whole pitching staff, the whole team. It couldn’t happen to a better guy.”

This marks the third consecutive year the Pirates have locked up a franchise cornerstone with a long-term extension, after Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes signed an eight-year, $70 million contract in 2022 and left fielder Bryan Reynolds an eight-year, $106.75 million deal last April.

“To me, it’s showing that we’re solidifying a team to build around,” said pitcher JT Brubaker, drafted a year after Keller. “When we got Ke’ and Reynolds, we locked down positions and bats in the lineup. Now, with Mitch, we’re locking down the pitching side. I think it’s just keeping a core collective group together that knows how to play with each other on the field. To build around that is awesome to watch, too.”

Knowing Keller would continue serving as the staff ace provided a sense of comfort for the Pirates’ core pieces.

“You’re always confident when you get him on the mound,” Reynolds said. “He’s the guy who’s going to battle for us. I love when he’s out there on the mound. Now I get to see it for a long time.”