Jared Kelley resurfaced with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers for his first start of the 2022 season on Thursday, and the early returns suggest he’s ready to put his disastrous 2021 behind him.
Kelley pitched three innings in the Ballers’ 5-1 victory over Down East, and he allowed just a solo homer and a walk while striking out two. He needed only 35 pitches (24 strikes) to get his work in, with four batters making outs on the first pitch over a five-hitter stretch.
Down East doesn’t stream its games, so there isn’t any video on how Kelley looked or how hard he was throwing, but given that Kelley walked 22 batters over 21 innings in A-ball, the strike percentage is progress enough for one data point. The Ballers return home for a six-game series against Fredericksburg next week, so we should have a chance to see his second outing if he adheres to anything resembling a regular schedule.
Charlotte 3, Memphis 2
- Romy Gonzalez went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.
- Micker Adolfo was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
- Johan Dominguez’s return to Triple-A: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 1 HR
- Tyler Johnson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Notes:
*Here’s the full recap of Dominguez’s much-needed start via Jeff Cohen.
Chattanooga 5, Birmingham 2
- Yolbert Sánchez went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Yoelqui Céspedes was 1-for-4 with a double.
- Lenyn Sosa, 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
Winston-Salem 6, Greensboro 5
- Oscar Colás went 1-for-3 with two walks and a strikeout.
- Bryan Ramos went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Luis Mieses was 2-for-5 with a double.
- Harvin Mendoza, 2-for-4 with a double and an HBP.
- Sean Burke: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Kannapolis 5, Down East 1
- Colson Montgomery went 3-for-5.
- Wilfred Veras, 1-for-5 with three strikeouts.
- Wes Kath went 2-for-5 with a double and two strikeouts.
- James Beard doubled, walked, struck out thrice and stole a base.
- Jared Kelley: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR
Notes:
*Beard has swiped six bases in fiv egames, after totaling just nine over 73 games the year before.
Am I dreaming to think Sox might have 29th best farm system?
I’m not quite ready to jump on the Jared Kelley bandwagon, but here’s hoping!
He just had so much to address. Control, pitch shape, velocity, health, conditioning. Hard to see him addressing all of those. But who knows.
I really don’t think this is a fair assessment; you’re treating Kelley like he’s a college draftee, not a high school draftee. The guy is starting his age-20 season. For comparison, Cease at his age/this time had 24 innings in complex league ball with a huge walk rate and injury issues as well. The velo, health, and conditioning are basically all the same issue. Control issues is true of practically every high school pitcher for at least a few years, especially those who throw as hard as Kelley. Fastball shape might be a real issue but it’s still so early still for this guy.
Not sure I see those three as the same issue. There are pitchers who seem to be in fantastic shape who have shoulder injuries.
Good conditioning doesn’t 100% prevent injuries, but bad conditioning almost guarantees injury when you throw this hard? This isn’t a stretch.
Encouraging stuff from the low minors. Ramos and Mieses are definitely arrow-up, Colas is displaying good plate discipline so far, Burke will be a quick mover if he limits his walks. Mendoza is also pretty old for the level and is a 1B/DH, but he’s always had really strong plate discipline numbers, he’s a power surge away from being a Guy.
Montgomery and esp Kath are striking out a concerning amount but it’s a little early for panic on them. Montgomery walking a lot so far is a positive sign, he may be able to reduce his K rate simply by being more aggressive (a la Moncada).