Merrill Kelly Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Having the best season of his career, this Diamondbacks pitcher deserves more credit for team's turnaround in 2023

By Michael Carpenter | Last updated 8/25/23

An eighth-round pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly has had an unconventional road to the big league and is in the middle of his best season as a pro in 2023.

In his fifth season with the Diamondbacks, the 34-year-old is currently 10-5 with a 2.97 ERA and 146 strikeouts in 136.1 innings pitched. His ERA is currently the third-best in all of baseball, only trialing San Diego Padres pitcher Blake Snell and Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele.

In his start Thursday evening, Kelly carved up the Cincinnati Reds lineup for a career-high tying 12 strikeouts in seven innings of one-hit ball. Given the playoff implications on the line, Kelly looked like another big-time performer for the Diamondbacks with every victory being important.

"yeah, we'll take a dozen"

Take a look at all 12 of Merrill Kelly's Ks tonight pic.twitter.com/C7zDF6nM51
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 25, 2023

His fourth start this season with ten-plus strikeouts, Kelly doesn't possess the blazing speed that most pitchers have in the game today, but he has a wicked change-up that is used to keep hitters off balance at the plate and the ability to command his pitches with ease.

Beautiful slo-mo of a Merrill Kelly change-up pic.twitter.com/udZyunQNOi
— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) August 25, 2023

With his teammate and ace of the pitching staff Zac Gallen garnering a bunch of the media's attention for the 2023 National League Cy Young this year, Kelly has put up close to identical numbers that could possibly be better than Gallen's this season.

Under contract for the 2024 season, the Diamondbacks hold a team-friendly option of only $7M for 2025. If Kelly continues to pitch close to his career averages, the option will be a no-brainer to pick up.

With three other teams within striking distance for the last Wild Card position, the Diamondbacks will have their work cut out for themselves to keep a hold on the final playoff spot.

More must-reads: