When Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly had to end his 2020 season early after a start against the Oakland Athletics due to a blood clot in his shoulder, the team and its stakeholders were rightfully concerned. Many went from concerned to worried when it turned out that he needed thoracic outlet surgery. That procedure has been the death knell for many a career.
Kelly, who was one of the better pitchers in the National League in 2020, doesn’t see that happening. As pitchers and catchers report to camp, he feels like “a normal player again.”
“I’m just approaching spring training as usual and just trying to prepare for the season,” Kelly said Thursday afternoon. He’s not thinking about “what happened or how I feel. I’m just looking forward to getting going.”
He is not “holding anything back right now.” Pitchers don’t throw full-bore when they first report to camp, and Kelly is no exception. “You take these first couple of bullpens before we start facing hitters to feel the slope (of the mound) and get the timing down,” said Kelly. “I’m not worried about results as much as I’m worried about feel right now.” But he’s not doing any less than what he would be doing if he weren’t coming off major surgery. “I feel strong. The ball is coming out well, and the body feels good.”
If he were holding back, that actually might be counterproductive. “When I (ease into things), sometimes it ends up hurting me, because I don’t go the same speed as I would during a game. Then I end up trying to catch up rather than feeling the same tempo.”
Merrill Kelly Has High Expectations for Himself
Having said all that, he still has a season ahead of him, and even the most promising spring doesn’t guarantee success in the regular season. Although he doesn’t feel anything in his body to indicate it, the fact remains that he’s now missing a rib. He might not be able to do what he’s done in the past.
This is not lost on him, but he is also confident that he can continue progressing the way he was before the surgery. “I set a very high bar for myself, and I was definitely happy with how I was pitching last year. I’m not putting any extra pressure that I need to replicate that or prove to people that it was real. I just try to take it day by day and be the best pitcher I can be.”
Confidence from the Organization
During his rehab, the Diamondbacks quickly took the $4.25 million club option on his contract. This certainly gave him a proverbial shot it the arm as he worked back to game shape. It also meant a lot to him personally. “It’s a breath of fresh air. I can take my time, rehab, and make sure I’m ready to go for spring.” Knowing that he already had a roster spot allowed him to focus solely on being physically ready for the season. It’s more complicated when “rehabbing to try to throw for teams and get a job. It’s a whole different ballgame when you’re in that realm.”
Outlook for 2021
Merrill Kelly showed tremendous progress in 2020. One highlight was that his 2.59 ERA would have been fifth on the NL leaderboard had he pitched enough innings. However, he is not going to dwell on his past successes. Instead, he will focus on resuming his positive career progress. “(I’m trying not to go) into this year with expectations of what last year looked like. If you try to reach for something that happened in the past, you’re setting yourself up for failure. There’s not any replicating (the past). What happened is what happened. What’s going to happen is up to me.”
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Players mentioned: Merrill Kelly
