Player Profile: Jon Keller

  
      Jon Keller is a 6’6” 225 lb. starter who pitched for 2 years at the University of Nebraska and is transferring to the University of Tampa. He was drafted in the 11th round by the Seattle Mariners in the 2010 MLB Draft. For Bourne in 2012, he has had an up and down year. He has posted a 5.08 ERA, but is third on the team in strikeouts (35). He has a 1.68 WHIP and a 0.322 opponent batting average on balls in play. He has only thrown first-pitch strikes to 56.3% of his hitters, but still has the talent to strike them out; he averages 9.356 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. He has had two amazing outings this year, versus Hyannis he went 5.0 innings, surrendered 1 hit, didn’t give up a run, didn’t walk anyone, and struck out 9! His last outing, he went 7 innings with 3 hits, 0 earned runs, 1 walk, and 6 strikeouts.
    As for mechanics, he has an effortless delivery. He throws much harder than it looks. His fastball has ranged from 89-96 but sits from 92-94. He has a slurve that ranges from 79-84, and his change up has been between 80-89 (sits 84-86). At 6’5” he has great height and a very strong body. He does an excellent job of standing tall and pitching North and South. His fastball has a nice downward plane, or he creates excellent angle with it. At times, the fastball has shown arm-side tail. Keller’s secondary pitches are raw but show great potential. His slurve has good movement (front-view slow motion) but lacks sharpness. He has a good change with downward movement but could make it great with more arm-side tail.  His arm action is long and smooth, which causes the ball to jump out of his hand. He implements the bow and arrow technique, I have been talking about all year. Jon’s mechanics have shown minor mechanical flaws. One start, he opened up too early and lost speed on his fastball (when it was 89-91), and at times will collapse his back-side. When his backside collapses, his fastball loses that angle and becomes flat and straight. This happened to him at Veteran’s Field in Chatham. He releases the ball out of an ideal power position (side-view slow motion). He shows an excellent finish as well. He allows his arm to slow naturally and his drive leg lands softly.
    As for a breakdown, Jon Keller is a raw, big-bodied, power-throwing right-hander. This speaks extremely well for his draft status. With improved control and more consistent mechanics , it is hard for me to put a ceiling on Jon. His raw stuff will translate very well on the next level, and I can’t help but assume that it will continue to get better through hard work. He has shown flashes of brilliance that scouts can easily project. After his last start, I feel that everything is coming together well for Keller. I expect him to be vital to the Braves playoff success!