Earlier this past week, 27-year-old Joe Kelly was demoted by the Boston Red Sox to Triple-A Pawtucket after posting an ugly 5.67 ERA across 14 starts. 2015 hasn't been easy for Kelly, who set expectations high across Red Sox Nation when he said he'd win the Cy Young in his first full season in Boston.
Watching Joe work on the mound has been tough, it seems one moment he's flashing his potential ace stuff and the next he has no idea what he's doing. The inability to consistently locate pitches and finish off batters has led to Kelly struggling to go five innings in many starts. In a year where Boston's bullpen has seen its struggles, you can't afford to send a guy out there every fifth day that not only gives up runs but can't go deep in games.
Joe Kelly in his first start with the Pawtucket Red Sox faced off against the Gwinnett Braves and the results were positive. Kelly went seven innings needing just 95 pitches, giving up two runs while striking out four and walking one. One of the runs Kelly gave up was unearned in the stat column, but ultimately his fault after giving up the hits that led to a Quinton Berry error. A huge postive from this performance was the fact that Joe was able to work late into the game. Only in 6 of 14 starts has Kelly been able to pitch six innings or more for the 2015 BoSox. If Joe can repeat a performance like this over his next couple of starts in Triple-A, it should be no time before he earns another shot with the major league club.
One thing to work on for Joe though was his overall command. Often in baseball the first pitch sets the tone for an entire at-bat, so it's important to get that first pitch strike. Doing so helps limit pitch count so you can go deeper in games, while getting an upper hand against the batter. Kelly was only able to throw a first pitch strike to 16 of the 24 batters he faced, an issue he has struggled with throughout his career.
In a season where the Boston Red Sox seem to already be looking towards 2016 and the future, it's important to figure out who Joe Kelly really is. Watching Kelly on the mound has been tough at times, from batter to batter he shows flashes of complete dominance but isn't able to put together strong results. With a power fastball and good secondary pitches, the potential for Kelly is through the roof. But if the starting experiment continues to fail over the reminder of the season, Kelly might get a shot at a bullpen role come 2016. Certain pitchers just aren't able to go through a lineup multiple times, and Joe has shown that flaw as of late. It is something that can be corrected, but only if the guy on the mound has learned to pitch and not just sling the ball at the plate.
With the John Lackey trade, that involved Kelly, beginning to look worse and worse every day. It's important the Red Sox begin to show that they got something postive from it. With the timer for Joe Kelly's starting career beginning to run out, it's important he makes some serious strides soon. Since coming to Boston, Kelly has not only been great to his teammates but also the fans. Hopefully he can find his way into the Red Sox's future, because if he doesn't it would be a shame to see so much talent thrown away. It isn't everyday a guy with Joe Kelly's arsenal comes along. In a league where pitching dominates, promising arms are one of the highest commodities in the entire sport.