for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.
Meet Zack Kelly: Boston Red Sox pitcher with mid-90s fastball went undrafted, was released twice, initially signed for $500 with the Athletics in June 2017 as an undrafted free agent out of Division II Newberry College. The A’s released him in April 2018.
He then spent a couple of years in the Angels organization before being released again during the COVID shutdown.
“Being released twice and just pretty much getting told, ‘We don’t want you anymore, you’re not good enough,’ it fuels everything,” Kelly said. “It makes you work harder.
You have to go the extra mile because you’re not going to get the same opportunities
that a team will give to someone, they have a lot more money invested in.”
The right-handed reliever, who will turn 28 on March 3rd, always believed in himself
and his persistence is paying off. He received a non-roster invitation to Red Sox 2022 major league spring training camp after an impressive season with Double-A Portland
and Triple-A Worcester in 2021. He posted a 2.18 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and .194 batting average in 36 relief outings (45 ⅓ innings).
He has a legitimate chance to make his MLB debut this summer
and help the 2022 Boston Red Sox bullpen.
“It’s hard to tell someone no that just doesn’t quit,” Kelly said.
“As cliché as those sounds, it really is my mindset.”
Kelly struck out 36.7% of the batters he faced last year.
He averaged 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings compared to 3.6 walks.
Kelly also posted an impressive 58.5% groundball rate at Portland.
“I’m always confident in my ability,”
Kelly said when asked about potentially making his big-league debut in 2022.
“If that opportunity were to come, I think mindset-wise nothing would really change.
It’s the same game.”
Like many other minor leaguers not on a 40-man roster,
Kelly has had to work during the offseason — and even
during the season — to pay the bills.
“My first year I probably paid to play to be honest with you,” Kelly said.
“I definitely lost money. ” I still work mainly doing lessons. … Even up until 2019,
I was doing virtual video analysis for kids during the season. So, I would get home
from a game and have to do some of those. That’s just the way it is.
“It’s not easy. My first year my parents would literally have to put money into my account so I would have money straight out of college,” he added. “Whether it’s that or it’s coming to games, most times I’ll have either my parents there or my wife there every other week. So that’s really nice to have their support of being there in person.”
He said his parents and wife are always there to give him honest advice.
“They’ve always been there every step of the way, good times and bad times,” Kelly said.
“A lot of times they tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear. That also helps.”
WooSox pitcher Zack Kelly gives his game jersey to a young fan after the game
on September 26, 2021, at Polar Park. Photo @(Katie Morrison / MassLive)
Hundreds of minor leaguers across professional baseball were released in late May 2020.
Kelly, who then needed elbow surgery, was one of 39 Angels minor leaguers released.
He underwent surgery and the Red Sox signed him Dec. 19, 2020.
“I took a lot of time during my rehab just to understand the kind of pitcher I am,” Kelly said. “And just kind of looked at a lot of different sequence stuff and then how to try to mix up pitches in different counts. Just try to go up and down and east to west. Try not to fall into any habits. Fortunately, it kind of worked.” Kelly took a deeper look at his mechanics.
He learned how to move more efficiently to take stress off his shoulder and elbow.
He began using his lower half more and it led to more mobility and strength.
“I don’t necessarily think it (the injury) was a strength issue but I guess by doing that
my velo did go up,” Kelly said. “Is that the surgery? Maybe. Is it moving more efficiently
in my lower half? Who knows?”
Kelly’s four-seam fastball often was in the 94-96 mph range during 2021.
He reached 97-98 mph in a couple of games.
“My changeup has always been my best pitch,” he said. “I’ve always been able
to get weak contact with that and a lot of swings and misses.”
Kelly made adjustments to his pitch mix halfway through the 2021 season
in Portland before his promotion to Worcester. “I scraped my slider,” he said.
Kelly traded in the slider for a combination cutter/slider.
“I call it a hybrid in between a cutter and a slider,” he said.
He always had a high ground ball rate. He gave up just two homers last season.
He has allowed 11 homers in 196 ⅓ innings during his minor league career.
“My personal philosophy for my entire career is that if you can miss bats and keep the
ball out of the air, good things are going to happen,” Kelly said. “So I always try to make my strikeout rate and my groundball rate higher than my fly ball rate. I think if you can generate weak contact and miss a lot of bats, they’re going to have to string together some hits to really get some runs across. If they string a couple hits, then more power to them.”
WooSox reliever Zack Kelly delivers a pitch during a game on
September 24, 2021 at Polar Park. (Katie Morrison / MassLive)
Amateur career
Kelly graduated from Lord Botetourt High School in Daleville, Virginia.[1]
He enrolled at Concord University, where he played college baseball in NCAA Division II for the Concord Mountain Lions as a starting pitcher in 2014. After his sophomore year, Kelly transferred to Newberry College, to play for the Newberry Wolves, their Division II baseball team. As a senior in 2017, Kelly had a 3.72 earned run average (ERA) and recorded 94 strikeouts in 82+1⁄3 innings pitched.[2][3]
Oakland Athletics
Unselected in the 2017 MLB draft, Kelly signed with the Oakland Athletics as an undrafted free agent for a $500 signing bonus.[3] He pitched in the rookie-level Arizona League during 2017.[4] The Athletics released Kelly in April 2018.[2] Kelly later said,
“My first year I probably paid to play to be honest with you. I definitely lost money.”[3]
Los Angeles Angels
Kelly signed with the Los Angeles Angels organization and played for three teams in
the Angels’ system, reaching the Class A-Advanced level with the Inland Empire 66ers of the California League; in 18 total relief appearances during the season, he posted a 2.93 ERA and struck out 41 batters in 43 innings pitched.[4] Kelly began the 2019 season with the Mobile BayBears of the Double-A Southern League,[5] and also played one game with Inland Empire, accruing an overall 3–7 record in 21 games (13 starts) with a 4.88 ERA.[4] The Angels released Kelly during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020.[3] Shortly thereafter, Kelly underwent surgery on his elbow to have a ligament reattached.[6]
Boston Red Sox
In 2021, Kelly joined the Red Sox organization, playing for the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs and the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox.[3] He had a 1.69 ERA in 21 relief appearances for Portland before he was promoted to Worcester, where he had a 2.89 ERA in 15 relief appearances. In 2022, the Red Sox invited Kelly to spring training as a non-roster player and he returned to Worcester for the beginning of the season.[7] He accrued a 2.72 ERA
for Worcester through August 29,[8] when he was added to Boston’s major-league roster.[9] Kelly made his MLB debut that evening, against the Minnesota Twins.[10] He was on the paternity list for three days in early September.[11] In 13 relief appearances with Boston, Kelly pitched to a 1–0 record with 3.95 ERA while striking out 11 batters in 13+2⁄3 innings.[12] Kelly was the 2022 recipient of the Lou Gorman Award issued by the Red Sox organization.[13]
Personal life
Kelly is married and resides in South Carolina in the offseason.[6]
He and his wife, Brittany, had their first child in September 2022.[14]
Physical Description: Filled-out right-hander with a mature frame.
Sturdy lower half. No remaining projection.
Mechanics: Throws from a three-quarters arm slot. Start on the first base side of the rubber. Medium leg kick. Stiff delivery. Arm hook behind. Rocks back at his peak and then drops and drives as he comes forward. Inconsistent timing with delivery leads him to pull off with his front side. Average athlete, good arm speed.
Fastball: 93-96 mph. Tops out at 98 mph. Heavy, generates a lot of weak contact on
the ground. Throws strikes, but command is below-average. Command and velocity have improved as the 2022 season has gone on. Plus pitch.
Changeup: 80-82 mph. Great separation from fastball. Pitch shows late, parachuting movement down. Throws with very deceptive arm speed. Has shown bat-missing ability
at the minor league level. Plus pitch.
Cutter: 87-89 mph. Hard, horizontal break. Primarily used to generate soft contact against right-handed hitters. Potential fringe-average offering.
Slider: 83-84 mph. Has not incorporated much in outings scouted since 2021.
Career Notes: Signed as an undrafted free agent by Oakland for a $500 bonus out
of Division II Newberry College in 2017. Was released the following April before signing just over a week later with the Angels. Made it to Double-A with that organization by early 2019 and pitched well. Tore the UCL in his pitching arm in early 2020 but avoided Tommy John surgery. Was released during the 2020 season when it became clear he would need some form of elbow surgery. Underwent surgery but was back throwing off a mound by November 2020 and signed with the Red Sox as a minor league free agent. Re-signed with the organization before reaching free agency after the 2021 season, receiving an invitation to Major League spring training. Participated in 2022 Winter Warm-Up.
Made his MLB debut in August 2022 days before the birth of his first child.
Participated in the 2023 Rookie Development Program.
Summation: Projects as a middle reliever. Ceiling of a consistent seventh-inning arm. Likely lacks late-inning upside due to inconsistent command, but could stick around for
a while as a sixth-inning arm.
Fastball and changeup both projects as plus pitches, with changeup showing true bat-missing ability. Cutter is more of a pitch-to-contact offering at present, but if it improves, would give him a third pitch that can miss bats. Late bloomer who could continue to improve and see his stuff take a step forward again.
Links
Scouting Scratch (7.21.2021)
Scouting Scratch: Red Sox 2021 Rule 5 Preview (11.18.2021)
Kelly makes Red Sox’ Opening Day roster | Newberry Observer
Zack Kelly EXITS Game with Apparent Injury! | Boston Red Sox | 4/12/2023
Boston Red Sox fans poured out their hearts for reliever Zack Kelly on Wednesday after
he exited the Tampa Bay Rays game in tears with an apparent arm injury. Kelly, who had come on to relieve starter Chris Sale in the fifth inning, threw a pitch that hit Yandy Diaz. The 28-year-old Kelly immediately knelt in front of the mound, with something clearly wrong. After being checked out by trainers, he left the game with tears in his eyes.
The team has not released any updates on the injury, but pitchers know their arms, and Kelly sensed right away it’s not good. Wednesday night’s appearance aside, in which Kelly yielded two earned runs in less than an inning, he’s pitched well this season. In five games before Wednesday, he had a 1.35 ERA.
Beyond his pitching, Kelly has been an inspirational story. The former Newberry (S.C.) College star signed with the Red Sox for a $500 bonus as an undrafted free agent in 2017. After several years toiling in the minors, and fighting an injury a couple of years ago, he finally made his MLB debut last season, with a 3.95 ERA and 1.319 WHIP in 13 games.
He appeared set to assume a larger role this year.
Source: MLB pitcher exits game in tears after injury.
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