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There are few players who are as loved as much within the Los Angeles Dodgers fanbase in recent years than pitcher Joe Kelly.
A native of Southern California, he grew up going to Dodger game as a young kid. From his iconic trolling of the Houston Astros with a mere facial expression, to wearing a mariachi jacket to the White House, Kelly’s place will be deeply embedded into Dodgers’ lore until the end of time.
More news: Former Dodgers Champion Joe Kelly Punched in Face at Youth Baseball Game, Will Press Charges
Kelly has not pitched this season. A shoulder injury last year prevented his participation during the postseason run. Now a free agent at age 37, is there a world where he could come back and pitch for the Dodgers?
“If I come back healthy,” Kelly said on Foul Territory this week, “I’m only playing for one team, and that’s the Dodgers.”
Kelly’s spent as many years with the Dodgers (five) as any other club during his career. Being a West Coast guy, it’s not overly surprising to hear that he will only come back to pitch for the Dodgers should he get back to full health.
In terms of getting himself big league-ready, Kelly said that “the arm speed is there, which tells me the velocity will come back in the near future.” He has been throwing off the mound and there hasn’t been any pain. Two bullpen sessions will take place this week. It also is a positive that Kelly did not have any surgery in the offseason.
Kelly is one of those unique cases where despite having a thin frame, he throws absolute gas. He’s been among the league’s hardest-throwing pitchers since breaking in over a decade ago.
Even last year in a season where he uncharacteristically had a 4.78 ERA, Kelly averaged 98.1 miles per hour on his fastball. This placed him in the 98th percentile league-wide according to Baseball Savant. Kelly also limited hard-hit contact at a very good clip.
It remains unknown as to whether Kelly does indeed get healthy enough to even be an option. It also isn’t guaranteed that the Dodgers would have interest in him.
However, given what he’s meant to the organization, as well as the deep ties/relationships he holds with players and front office personnel, it wouldn’t be shocking for the two parties to be in contact as Kelly aims to get back to where he was pre-injury.
At the very least, Kelly could give the Dodgers a battle-tested flamethrower with high-level competitiveness and postseason experience. Those types of arms do not grow on trees — particularly in the volatile trade market.
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Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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