Pirates Reveal First Three Starting Pitchers for Spring Training
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates start their Spring Training play this weekend, serving as the beginning of a month or so of games preparing them for the 2026 season.
The Pirates announced the three probable starting pitchers for their first three games of Grapefruit League play this weekend, Feb. 21-22.
Right-handed pitcher Wilber Dotel will start the opener for the Pirates, as they face the Baltimore Orioles on the road at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota on Feb. 21, with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m.
The Pirates then play in a double-header on Feb. 22, where they host the Tampa Bay Rays at LECOM Park in Bradenton and also travel to face the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater.
Right-handed pitchers in Mitch Keller will start for the Pirates in Bradenton, taking on right-handed pitcher Jake Woodford and then Braxton Ashcraft starts for the Pirates against the Phillies. Both games have first pitch set for 1:05 p.m.
Pirates Have Rising Prospect in Wilber Dotel
Dotel is one of the better pitching prospects in the Pirates farm system, with Baseball America ranking him 10th overall, The Athletic ranking him 11th overall and MLB Pipeline still having him at 28th.
He joined the Pirates back in October of 2020, signing for $65,000 out of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and has worked his way up the past few seasons.
Dotel pitched his entire 2025 season at Double-A Altoona, where he improved greatly from his 2024 campaign at High-A Greensboro.
Stat | Altoona (2025) | Greensboro (2024) |
|---|---|---|
W-L (Starts) | 7-9 (27) | 9-5 (25) |
ERA (Innings Pitched) | 4.15 (125.2) | 5.33 (106.1) |
Strikeout/Walk (K/BB) | 131/43 (3.05) | 106/54 (1.95) |
BAA | .234 | .242 |
WHIP | 1.23 | 1.43 |
He ranked third in the Eastern League in strikeouts and BAA, fourth in WHIP and fifth in innings pitched. He also ranked third in K/9 (9.38), fifth in K/BB and sixth in BB/9 (3.08).
Dotel had a strong end to the regular season, posting a 2.81 ERA over 41.2 innings in eight starts from Aug. 1 to Sept. 11, with 36 strikeouts to 14 walks and a .199 BAA.
He also earned Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors, after his two starts vs. the Harrisburg Senators in the series opener on Aug. 26 and the series finale on Aug. 31.
Dotel threw five scoreless innings on Aug. 26, allowing just one hit and two walks, while posting four strikeouts over 76 pitches in the 8-0 win. He then threw 5.2 scoreless innings on Aug. 31, again allowing just one hit and two walks, while posting five strikeouts over 91 pitches in another 8-0 victory.
His play helped the Curve win the second half Eastern League Southwest Division Title and make the postseason.
Dotel generally throws three pitches, a fastball, his best pitch, along with a slider and a changeup.
The 23-year old also earned himself a spot on the Pirates 40-man roster, as the front office protected him from the Rule 5 Draft.
Dotel likely will spend most of 2026 with Triple-A Indianapolis, but a strong season will give him a good shot of making the major leagues in 2027.
Mitch Keller Heads Into Important 2026 Season
Keller is the longest tenured member of the Pirates going into 2026, making his debut in 2019 and serving as a member of the starting rotation for the past six seasons or the entire decade.
Stat | Total |
|---|---|
Record (Starts) | 42-65 (163) |
ERA (Innings Pitched) | 4.19 (878.0) |
Strikeouts/Walks | 837/299 |
BAA/WHIP | .267/1.38 |
Keller finished his 2025 season with a 6-15 record in 32 starts, a 4.19 ERA over 176.1 innings pitched, 150 strikeouts to 51 walks, a .249 BAA and a 1.26 WHIP.
He finished with 17 quality starts, which is when a pitcher throws at least six innings and gives up less than three runs, ranking tied for 16th best in the MLB. His innings pitched also ranked 26th most for any MLB pitcher.
Keller's 15 losses are the most in his career, but he didn't get much run support, beginning with a 1-9 record through June 21, with the Pirates not scoring more than four runs in any of his first 16 starts.
He had a 3.53 ERA over his first 22 starts, but struggled in his final 11 starts with a 5.79 ERA.
The Pirates have considered trading Keller in the past, but they'll need him to have a good 2026 campaign, especially if they're going to make the postseason.
Braxton Ashcraft Aims For Big Role This Season
Ashcraft finally made his MLB debut in 2025, coming almost seven years after the Pirates took him in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of high school.
He started 69 of 71 minor league games before his first call-up, but spent most of last season coming out of the bullpen.
Ashcraft stayed in the bullpen until early August, when he made five straight starts and seven starts in his final nine appearances, as the Pirates coaching staff gave him more opportunities to go longer than he did previously.
This all helped Ashcraft ease into facing major league hitting and have a strong final four months with the Pirates.
Stat | Total |
|---|---|
Record (Starts/Appearances) | 4-4 (8/26) |
ERA (Innings Pitched) | 2.71 (69.2) |
Strikeouts/Walks | 71/24 |
BAA/WHIP | .239/1.25 |
He also had a 2.16 ERA over 33.1 innings pitched as a starting pitcher and a 3.22 ERA over 36.1 innings pitched as a reliever.
The Pirates will keep a watch over his innings pitched, as Ashcraft has a lengthy injury history, which delayed his MLB debut.
Ashcraft will get a great shot at the starting rotation and it's likely Pirates manager Don Kelly has him in that role come the end of Spring Training.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.