Since his arrival in MLB, Joe Kelly has been recognized as a reliever who is able to throw the ball at a fairly impressive speed, but also for his extravagant personality.
We will remember in particular the time when he had taunted Carlos Correa on the ground. It was in connection with the stolen signals scandal.
One year ago today:
Tea @Dodgers won 5-2 in their first visit to Houston since the 2017 World Series, and sanctions were handed to the Astros in January for electronic sign stealing.
Benches emptied after Joe Kelly’s strikeout of Carlos Correa. pic.twitter.com/4VRuO3qpRX
— Dodgers Archive (@DodgersArchive) July 29, 2021
But on the mound, Kelly is a very interesting pitcher. The speed of his shots as well as the effect on his balls means that he can completely dominate opposing hitters.
The problem, in his case, is control and consistency, which he too often lacks.
Nevertheless, it represents a great asset for an enclosure. And after changing teams a few times during his career, Kelly (who is currently a free agent) would like to continue his career under the colors of the Dodgers.
And if we trust his words, the interest for a meeting of the two parties would be mutual.
“The interest is mutual” in a meeting between Joe Kelly and the #Dodgerssays the free agent relieverhttps://t.co/nsyENmzKqc pic.twitter.com/Tn8X6w7X0U
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) February 24, 2022
Despite a few injuries, 2021 has been one of the best seasons of Kelly’s career. He allowed just 14 earned runs in 44 innings of work and kept a WHIP (walks and hits allowed divided by innings pitched) less than 1.
For the Dodgers, keeping a reliever like Kelly makes sense when you consider the other relievers on the team who are currently free as air: Kenley Jansen and Jimmy Nelson, in addition to Corey Knebel who has already signed in Philadelphia.
I still think Jansen will return to Los Angeles, and Tommy Kahnle’s return to health should make up for the loss of Nelson, but Kelly may need to take on a bigger role given the changes in the team’s bullpen.
We’ll have to see if the recent injuries will impact the reliever’s performance in 2022, but he says he’s feeling good and has started throwing again (without having found the mound, however).
Kelly says he’ll be all set for the start of the season (if he can ever get there, of course). It only remains to know which uniform he will put on in 2022.
