Mitch Keller came to training camp armed with a more consistent changeup, hoping to convince the Pittsburgh Pirates to show as much confidence in him as he did in the new and improved pitch.

The 24-year-old right-hander, the team’s top prospect, earned the No. 3 spot in the starting rotation. Pirates manager Derek Shelton informed Keller he will start Sunday at St. Louis, where right-hander Dakota Lewis is expected to start for the Cardinals.

“It’s very exciting to know that they put all that trust in me,” Keller said. “It boosts my confidence knowing that they trust me. They’re giving me the ball for the third game.”

As honored as Keller is to earn a starting job, the Pirates had little choice after losing Jameson Taillon and Chris Archer to season-ending surgeries. Keller struggled last season, going 1-5 with a 7.13 ERA and 1.83 WHIP. His major league debut at Cincinnati was a disaster, as he allowed six runs on six hits, including a grand slam.

“As a starter, I’ve got to keep the team in the game. If I can keep the blow-up innings to a minimum, I think we’ll be in a really good spot,” Keller said. “The main focus for me is when I do get traffic, limiting the damage, throwing as many zeros as I can.”

That was a problem for Keller last season, when he allowed five or more runs in five of his 11 starts.

How does he change that?

“I just think it’s experience,” Keller said. “I’ve gone through it, so I kind of know some ways that that worked for me, what I need to do, pitch-wise and/or whether it’s a step off the mound and reset or whatever that may be. I think it just comes from a lot of experience and still gaining that every time we go out there.”

Keller also has nasty stuff, with a four-seam fastball that tops out at 98.3 mph, and led the Pirates in strikeouts per nine innings (12.2). Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin has talked about how Keller has top-of-the-rotation stuff, and last week complimented his delivery and mechanics, adding that understanding his pitch repertoire and having a plan of attack are the biggest keys for Keller.

“Making sure he knows exactly where to go with his pitches I think was the No. 1 thing that we wanted to make sure he understood, and he’s doing a really good job with getting there,” Marin said. “And to understand information and knowing where he needs to go and why he needs to go to certain places has really helped out.”

We're back home tonight and getting a little work in. pic.twitter.com/5Ajywk22i9

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 21, 2020

Shelton noted Keller’s slider was “really effective,” and his ability to locate the fastball was “sharper” in Tuesday’s intrasquad scrimmage. Keller already has shown growth by adding the changeup to complement a fastball, a slider and curve. Keller threw the changeup on only 3% of his pitches last season and said it has “come a long ways” after he spent the sport’s shutdown using a Rapsodo machine to improve his spin rate while working on his grip to develop the pitch into a weapon he feels comfortable using.

We cannot wait to see all of the players who have been using their #Rapsodo over the shutdown back in action!! @Pirates pitcher @mkeller11 used Rapsodo to improve his fastball’s spin efficiency and help him find a changeup grip. #RapsodoProStaffhttps://t.co/lNnNdCa9c2

— Rapsodo Baseball (@rapsodo) July 20, 2020

“I think grip plays into the execution part of it,” Keller said. “Once I found the grip that I really liked, it just kind of took care of itself. Just working with it every day (in) throwing programs and bullpens, I feel really good with it right now.”

And that helped Keller earn a spot in the starting rotation, where he and the Pirates hope he stays for years to come.

“This is a young kid who’s going to continue to grow into his stuff,” Shelton said. “I’m very happy with the pitching group that we have around him to try and help him develop.”

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