Major Leaguer resume Vol.54WBC Player’s resume Vol.40:Merrill Kelly (Arizona Diamondbacks): Major Candidate for Team USA: “Stable pitching form with a strong lower body!”

Today's player's resume concerns the Arizona Diamondbacks' righty, Merrill Kelly. Kelly is a starting pitcher and some international experience. He is from Houston, Texas, and has affirmed his commitment to Team USA at Next spring's World Baseball Classic.

The KAISPO's baseball analyst commented,
"Kelly's strong lower body provides the foundation for his unshakably stable pitching form. He is a good starting pitcher who throws five main types of pitches and has good control. Kelly played in Korean baseball for 4 seasons, winning double-digit games in 3 seasons to adapt well to the foreign environment. He is a valuable righty for Arizona."

Merill Kelly was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 251st overall pick in the eighth round of the 2010 MLB draft. He joined the SK Wyverns(current SSG Landers) of the Korean Baseball Organization(KBO) in December 2014 after toiling in the minor league. He played for four seasons, earning 48 wins in 119 games as a starting pitcher.

The 34-year-old pitcher signed with the Diamondbacks to a major league contract in December 2018 and won his first major league game against the San Diego Padres on April 1st of the following year. Kelly started the game and had six strong innings. He finished his first big league year with 13-14, a 4,42 ERA, starting 32 games. He started just five games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, marking 3-2 with a 2.59 ERA. Kelly pitched poorly in 2021, going 4-11 with a 4.44 ERA across 21 starts. However, in 2022 he posted 13-8 with a 3.37 ERA across 33 starts covering 200 1/3 frames to bounce back from the previous season. He is now one of the leading pitchers of the Diamondbacks.

The righty has recorded 36-35 with a 3.96 ERA through 97 starts for four major league career seasons at the end of 2022.
(MLB No. 314  KAISPO No.1495)