Could Unheralded Chicago Cubs Offseason Acquisition Become an All-Star This Year?

When the Chicago Cubs signed veteran catcher Carson Kelly to a two-year, $11.5 million deal this past offseason, not many people batted an eye.

Including his numbers so far in 2025, Kelly is the owner of a career .227/.314/.385 slash line with 60 home runs, 72 doubles, three triples and 225 RBI. There have been some flashes of offensive brilliance, but nothing sustained for long periods of time.

Injuries have played a part in those numbers being pedestrian, but Kelly also took time to overhaul his mechanics and approach at the plate.

The results have been spectacular this year with Kelly performing at the highest level of his career, putting him in the discussion as an All-Star through the first month of the 2025 campaign.

In 58 plate appearances, he has a .341/.517/.854 slash line with six home runs, one double, one triple and 16 RBI. He has helped lengthen the Cubs' lineup, aiding in their scorching hot start as the most prolific offense in the sport.

His setup at the plate has changed drastically since 2023, which is aiding in him hitting the ball with more authority than ever.

An average exit velocity of 93.9 mph is 6.1 mph above his career average of 87.8 mph. His hard-hit rate is an obscene 62.2%; for his career, that number sits at 38.1%, right below the MLB average of 38.9%.

As Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated shared, Kelly has changed where he holds his hands while awaiting the pitch while also having a little less knee bend.

The hard work is paying off.

Another impressive takeaway from the change, in addition to how hard he is hitting the ball, is that he has figured out how to combat breaking pitches.

He is hitting a career best .273 when facing stuff with a high spin rate, an impressive improvement considering his highest batting average in a season since 2021 against the same pitches was .208.

A lot of that has to do with pitch recognition, another area he has shown remarkable improvement in.

“What stands out is an incredible ratio of 15 walks to just five strikeouts as he has suddenly stopped swinging at pitches out of the zone (fourth-lowest chase rate). He can't keep hitting like this, of course, but he and Miguel Amaya have combined for 31 runs and 29 RBIs,” wrote David Schoenfield of ESPN in a piece highlighting Kelly as a player to watch as an All-Star at the catcher position.

The unexpected elite production from the catcher position has helped the Cubs jump out to an early lead in the National League Central.

They should be well represented at the All-Star Game this year with Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd all having stellar starts, as well.