There aren’t many Major League Baseball (MLB) players like Joe Kelly who can dance on the outfield to the delight of spectators during game practice sessions. He is one of a kind player who brings comical acts into the game of baseball in America. Probably for this and for his impressive pitching abilities, the power sinker has endeared to himself a lot of fans both from his club and all lovers of American baseball around the world.
Let’s find out more about this baseballer with lots of swaggers particularly looking at his background, MLB career, body statistics, and his family life.
Joe Kelly Biography
The pitcher was born on the 9th of June 1998 in Anaheim, California, and was given the full name Joseph William Kelly Jr. As a kid, he was enrolled at Corona High School located in Corona, California where he played baseball with his peers for his school’s baseball team as an outfielder until he graduated. After high school, Joe proceeded to the University of California, Riverside where as expected, he identified with the college baseball team called the Highlanders playing as a pitcher.
Kelly developed himself to be one of the most formidable pitchers in his conference for which reason he was named in 2007, the Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year in his freshman year. He also set a new Highlanders career record of 24 saves, 4.65 ERA, and an 8–11 record in 42 career games prior to his graduation.
MLB Career
Joe Kelly held his head high as he entered the 2009 MLB draft where he got drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third-round draft. Following his drafting, the Anaheim, California-born pitcher signed his first professional contract with the Missouri-based team on June 15, 2009. The contract had with it a signing bonus of $341,000 for the voracious pitcher.
He began his baseball career in earnest in 2009 in the Minor Leagues with Batavia Muckdogs which plays in the Class A Short-Season New York–Penn League where he saw playing time in 16 games with 2 starts. In 2010, Kelly played 26 games with 18 starts for Quad Cities River Bandits in Class A where he developed into a reliable starting pitcher.
The baseballer played both in the Class A-Advanced for Palm Beach Cardinals in the Florida State League and the Double-A Springfield Cardinals in the Texas League both in 2011 recording 23 games played with 22 starts. Following this, the Memphis Redbirds which plays in the Triple-A provided a ground for him to develop further before he finally got called up by the Cardinals to play in the Major League.
With the St. Louis Cardinals, Joe Kelly made his MLB debut on June 10, 2014, against the Cleveland Indians, he impressed his team officials a lot in the match such that he was retained in the team’s rotation while former starting pitcher Lance Lynn was assigned a bullpen role.
In the games that followed, he recorded his first MLB hit and run batted in against the Miami Marlins on June 25, 2012. Several other memorable performances followed this including his staredown with Dodgers outfielder Scott Van Slyke in game 6 of the 2013 Postseason. Both players engaged in a lengthy stare which lasted for about 15 minutes with both claiming victories from the staredown after home plate umpire Greg Gibson scattered them.
In the 3 seasons Joe Kelly played in the major league with the St. Louis Cardinals as a pitcher who can bat and throw with his right hand, he had a record of 17-14 from 68 games he played out of which he started 38. His ERA was 3.25, 79 strikeouts over 266 innings pitched.
He got traded to the Boston Red Sox with Allen Craig in exchange for John Lackey and Corey Littrell (from the minor league). He began both the 2015 and 2016 seasons on the injured list recording his worst career start in a season in the former and coming down in the latter as a relief pitcher. Joe started the 2017 season as a Red Sox bullpen and also lost the 2017 World Series to the Houston Astros.
The 2018 season began for him on a dismal note as he got suspended on August 12 for 6 games following a bench-clearing brawl after he hit Tyler Austin of the New York Yankees with a pitch. He appealed the suspension which also came with a fine both lost out and served the terms of the suspension.
No doubt, the pitcher who is known for throwing a fastball that can travel up to 164.5 km/h or 102.2 miles per hour will get back to winning ways once he gets his acts right. This is also inclusive of the comical acts he is known for on the sandlot.
In all, Joe Kelly’s career stats put him with a win-loss record of 43-25, a 3.87 earned run average and 495 strikeouts.
His career earnings have been totaled to be above $10 million while his income as at 2018 was given as $3.825 million.
Family: Wife, Son
On the family side, Joe is married to former Minnesota Twins catcher Derek Park’s daughter, Ashley Parks. The two first met when they were students at the University of California, Riverside, and began dating till it led up to their nuptials in November 2013.
Parks played soccer in high school when she attended Los Osos High School and equally was a member of the school’s cheerleading squad which she later captained. She has since 2011 been working in the sales department of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball club side.
The husband and wife together share a son named Knox who they are raising up in Rancho Cucamonga, California alongside pursuing their respective careers.
Joe Kelly Height, Weight
The baseballer stands at a height of 6 feet 1 inch with a weight of 79 kg. The pitcher is one of the fastest in the league as he can reach up to 93 miles per hour or about 150 km/h. It’s obvious he commits himself to a lot of exercise routines to keep fit and deliver when it matters most.
