Ryan McKeller
| IP | 529 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.577 |
| WHIP | 1.467 |
| BB/9 | 3.862 |
| SO/9 | 7.894 |
- Full name Ryan Howard McKeller
- Born 07/08/1983 in Austin, TX
- Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School New Mexico Junior College
- Drafted in the 45th round (1,355th overall) by the Houston Astros in 2002.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
-
McKeller has some of the best pure stuff in the system, and the Astros are trying to help him figure out how to make the most of it. As with Raymar Diaz, Houston had to draft McKeller twice and then wait another year to land him as a draft-and-follow. The Astros took him in the 38th round out of high school in 2001, but he chose to attend McLennan (Texas) Community College. He was too wild to earn many innings there as a freshman, so he transferred to New Mexico JC in 2002. McKeller had limited success with the Thunderbirds, going 6-3, 9.77 last spring, but the Astros made sure to lock him up before he could re-enter the draft again. Minor league pitching coordinator Dewey Robinson and Martinsville pitching coach Jack Billingham have made good initial adjustments to McKeller's mechanics, getting him to slow down his delivery and throw more strikes. He has a 91-95 mph fastball with good late life. His curveball had its moments in instructional league but still needs a lot of work, and his changeup is further away. While he's currently a one-pitch guy who can locate that pitch only adequately, McKeller is lean and lanky and should get stronger or better. He can be intimidating with his velocity, size, wildness and a funky twist in his delivery that makes his pitches hard to pick up. He might be best served with an assignment to extended spring training and then Tri-City this year.
