Kris Keller

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Detroit Tigers #28 prospect in 2002
  There are times when Keller lights up the radar gun at 97 mph. There are other times when he doesn't throw 90 mph. How hard he throws depends directly on his command. On the nights when Keller comes out throwing strikes, his fastball seems to get quicker with each pitch. When he can't find the plate, he starts guiding the ball and isn't nearly as effective. Keller's fastball is straight, so he needs the added velocity. He throws both a curveball and a slider, and the slider is the better of the two breaking balls. He threw a circle change regularly for the first time last season and got some outs with it. He has also flirted with the idea of developing a splitter. Until he can maintain his fastball from outing to outing, he won't be ready for Detroit. Keller will return to Triple-A in 2002.
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  Ranked Detroit Tigers #12 prospect in 2001
  Until last season, Keller was an enigma. He can reach as high as 98 mph on the radar gun and is consistently in the mid-90s, but his coaches and club officials often complained about his lack of maturity. After three years in short-season leagues, he started to emerge at West Michigan in 1999 and broke through last season at Jacksonville. Keller's breaking ball has improved but needs to get better before he reaches the major leagues. He also needs to develop more consistent command. Keller is the type of pitcher who will strike out the side two innings in a row and get shelled in the third. He's at his best when he keeps the ball down in the zone. He'll be at Toledo to begin the 2001 season.