Joe Kelly had quite the up and down 2019 season in the first year of his contract with the Dodgers. His first half was stained by brutal blowups and poor pitch mixing. His second half seemed to be his coming out party as he was the Dodgers’ best relief pitcher at times. The postseason represented a pretty upsetting ending to his season, but management could be to blame.
Now that we look forward, the primary question should be: ‘How will he pitch in 2020?’
Joe Kelly called a bounce-back candidate for the Dodgers in 2020… really hoping this guy can ride the Juan Uribe narrative. https://t.co/VorvcAAJMF pic.twitter.com/dBGk4kFSEB
— Clint Pasillas (FRG) (@realFRG) November 19, 2019
According to MLB.com’s Will Leitch, the Dodgers will find their biggest 2020 bounce-back candidate in Joe Kelly.
Here is the entire excerpt on Kelly:
He has obviously been incredibly inconsistent. But he still has light-you-up stuff. Someday, it’ll work for a full season.
Kelly has always had amazing raw stuff, but has never put it all together for a full season. That is the story of the 31-year-old’s career with the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, and now the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, the Dodgers are hoping he can be something different — and he can.
After the All-Star break, Kelly was unhittable. That’s even understating his dominance. He posted a 3.00 ERA which is pretty solid, but the 2.75 xFIP and 31.3 percent strikeout rate paint an even better picture. Compare that to his dreadful 5.28 ERA first half and you have reason for even more hope in 2020 after the tremendous second-half showing.
…let’s just all try to forget about his postseason, shall we?
How do you think Joe Kelly will fare in 2020?
