BRADENTON, Fla. -- A couple weeks ago down here, I'd asked Mitch Keller, proud owner of a prodigious new 100-mph fastball, if maybe the Pirates had previously been holding him back. Seemed a reasonable question in light of this same team -- albeit under different management -- was known to have done that with Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow, preferring instead that they pitch efficiently.
Keller flatly denied it, and I thought nothing more of it once I flew home.
But then, upon returning for a second tour of this spring training, I was told in the most unsolicited way by a clubhouse source that there was more to the story.
As is commonly known, Keller turned to the outside for help, seeking guidance from his dad, from friends and, ultimately, from North Carolina-based Tread Athletics, where alterations to his mechanics brought back the triple-digit velocity he hadn't enjoyed since pitching for Class AA Altoona.
But, as I'd never heard anyone say until it was colorfully shared with me by a team source this week, "They finally got out of his f---ing way. That's what happened."
There was no elaboration.
2. I had a Friday Insider kind of day down here Thursday, gathering tons of exclusive material on the Bryan Reynolds matter, from his future here to the ongoing arbitration mess. That's all in the day's column. -- Kovacevic
3. Ke'Bryan Hayes won't be offered another long-term extension until he shows he's not only more durable than he's been, I've been told, but also more cemented in his approach to playing every day. -- Kovacevic
4. To file away: There's action on Bryse Wilson's slider that the coaching staff hadn't anticipated entering this spring. And that, coupled with his heat at a healthy 95 mph, could make him ... well, we'll see. -- Kovacevic
5. One newcomer making a powerful impression on his teammates so far is Roberto Perez, and not just because he's the catcher and, thus, charged with working with the pitching staff. He's been visible and engaging, and his daily regimen is second to none. -- Kovacevic
6. That said, there's no apparent leader in this clubhouse. Now, lots of compelling reasons can be found for why that's the case -- principally that the most confident, most vocal players aren't yet entrenched in the majors -- but it'll still be fascinating to see how that unfolds. -- Kovacevic
7. I continue to hear down here that pitching will be added as the close of the spring nears and roster moves occur in a rush around the majors. -- Kovacevic
8. Don't talk to established players about all the prospects who'll eventually arrive in Pittsburgh as the cavalry. They hate it. And while that's generally the standard in professional sports -- only fans get eager to see current guys replaced -- it's as pointed here as I've heard it anywhere. -- Kovacevic
STEELERS
9. Mike Tomlin's pro day travels are well documented. He draws eyes any time he shows up at whatever pro day he happens to attend. But after expressing some disgust early in the week that he wouldn't make it to North Carolina's pro day, which took place Monday, but that he was hopeful to make it to Alabama's pro day Wednesday, Tomlin didn't go. Why? After David Ojabo suffered a torn Achilles' tendon at Michigan's pro day two weeks ago, many of the top prospects are now declining to work out at pro days. That makes it a lot less attractive to go to those pro days. But after Ojabo's injury potentially cost him millions, nobody is blaming the players for declining to work out, especially Tomlin. -- Dale Lolley in West Palm Beach, Fla.
10. That doesn't mean Tomlin won't still go to some pro days in the future if players continue to decline to work out. He loves getting a chance to meet with prospects. And he really likes to take them out to dinner to get them away from their comfort zones. He wants to see how they interact with people. "I love it. It’s part of getting a snapshot of who they are as people and as players," Tomlin said. "It’s invaluable for us. I love to get out. I love to get to know them, what makes them tick as competitors, how the journey has shaped them and what their mindset is in facing the challenges of life and what lies ahead." -- Lolley
11. Tomlin also is into reading body language. He has spent time studying how to read body language and uses that in his job. Often times when the Steelers are meeting with prospects, Tomlin will allow Kevin Colbert to pepper the perspective player with questions and he'll just sit back and read the young man's body language. That's a big reason why he insists on going to so many pro days when other head coaches do not. "I like to work," Tomlin said. "The acquisition of talent is a major component, so I’d rather be out beating the bushes rather than at home, guarding my desk." -- Lolley
12. You can expect that a return to training camp at Saint Vincent College will happen. With the league opening locker rooms and facilities, there's now nothing holding the Steelers back from going back to Saint Vincent College. And Art Rooney II and Tomlin both want to go back after having training camp at Heinz Field the past two years because of COVID-19. Expect that announcement to be forthcoming. -- Lolley
13. Zach Banner's knee just never got back to normal following his surgery for a torn ACL suffered in the opening game in 2020. Banner told me his knee just never felt right again after his surgery and rehab. It's a shame because he worked hard to rehab his injury and try to get back on the field. But the knee didn't respond and he was released. It's a tough game. -- Lolley
14. Two positions Tomlin would still like to add players at in free agency are strong safety and wide receiver. But, as we saw with the news the team will be signing linebacker Genard Avery, the Steelers aren't going to pass on the opportunity to add talent at any position. Avery will be the seventh outside free agent added by the team. That's essentially equal to the seven rounds of a draft. And they're certainly not done. -- Lolley
15. One thing I heard at the NFL meetings was that Tyreek Hill was traded because the Chiefs' analytics people who track the speed of players in practices and games saw that the receiver was losing a step. And so they traded him now rather than dealing with a decline in speed from a player whose game is built on speed. That's why it is a bit surprising Kansas City signed JuJu Smith-Schuster. His game has never been built around speed. Then again, they don't have to worry about him losing a step he never had. -- Lolley
PENGUINS
16. The Penguins were intent on acquiring Rickard Rakell from Anaheim at the trade deadline and, while a segment of the fan base was pleased to see Zach Aston-Reese and Dominik Simon go to the Ducks, management really wasn't. "The No. 1 priority was to acquire Rickard Rakell and keep our first-(round draft choice), so we were forced to put players in," president of hockey operations Brian Burke said. "We didn't want to trade Zach or Dom, but we had to to make the (salary) cap work and keep our first." While keeping Aston-Reese and Simon wasn't an option for the Penguins because they had to clear salary-cap space to take on Rakell's deal, it's not clear whether either has a future in Anaheim. -- Dave Molinari in St. Paul, Minn.
17. However, another of the assets the Penguins surrendered in that trade, goalie prospect Calle Clang, likely does. There even are indications the Ducks were adamant he be included in the deal; certainly, the Penguins weren't eager to part with him. "Clang was an important part of this," Burke said. "We liked Clang, but I think (Ron Hextall) did a great job of getting the player and keeping our first." -- Molinari
18. Enforcing some form of salary-cap ceiling during the playoffs was discussed at the GM meetings in Florida this week, but selling team officials on that concept might be the easy part. Such a change would require the approval of the NHL Players' Association, and there's more to it than simply convincing NHLPA members that such a move would level the postseason playing field. And while the Penguins have not made it known how they feel about the concept, let alone on how they would like it to be structured if they endorse the idea, the issue will be moot if the NHLPA doesn't go along with any changes to the current system, under which all cap conditions end when the regular season concludes. The key point is, the issues at play could affect things such as escrow and Hockey Related Revenue that have a direct impact on how much of their earnings players get to keep. -- Molinari
19. Rakell was the only player the Penguins acquired at the deadline, but apparently not the only one in whom they had an interest. Hextall, though, was predictably hamstrung by the Penguins' lack of cap space and meaningful assets with which he was willing to part. "We're not in a position to do a lot of those deals because either the asset cost was too high, or cap-wise, we couldn't afford it," a team official said. "There were other deals we talked about, but guys who talk about deals they had that almost worked, that's a long book." -- Molinari
20. The college hockey season is winding down -- the Division I championship game will be played in Boston next Saturday -- and the Penguins' pursuit of undrafted free agents who are leaving school apparently is doing likewise. "I think we're finished," one member of the front office said. The past few weeks have been productive for them, though, as they signed three -- Princeton forward Corey Andonovski, Western Michigan forward Ty Glover and Michigan Tech defenseman Colin Swoyer -- who are ready to turn pro. All got entry-level contracts that kick in next season. And while there's no guarantee any of them will contribute in the NHL eventually -- remember the great expectations for the likes of Ethan Prow, Eric Hartzell and Paul Thompson, among others? -- this is a low-risk way to build up their shrunken prospects pool. -- Molinari
21. After Rakell took home his dog back in 2018, he stuck with the name given to the dog by the breeder: Heinz, named for Heinz Field. I looked into it, and Rakell has actually been to Heinz Field before. The Ducks had an off day in Pittsburgh as part of a road trip in the 2013-14 season, and Rakell spent the day at the Steelers' game. He was cheering for his Lions, though, having become a fan during his three years playing junior hockey 30 minutes outside of Detroit in Plymouth. -- Taylor Haase at PPG Paints Arena
