Merrill Kelly Looked Sharp and Powerful in Spring Debut for D-backs

Arizona Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly had an impressive first outing in the Cactus League against the Kansas City Royals on Friday, throwing two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out two.

His velocity was up, averaging 94 MPH on the fastball and topping out at 94.8. He used six different pitches to get outs and even had a successful pickoff at second base in an all around solid outing.

When told that his third from last pitch of the outing was near 95 MPH, he raised his eyebrows in slight surprise.

"It feels good coming out of my hand." Kelly said. "It has all spring. I've heard some comments from some coaches that saying it looks like I'm putting more effort into it than I usually do. And I'm not trying to, so I'm gonna take that as a good sign."

Kelly expounded on that a little further on follow-up.

"The velo in the pens are a little higher than what I'm used to seeing at this point of the year. I'm usually not a guy that throws very hard in the pen. If I hit 90 in the pen, it's like wow! For me it's not necessarily the velo, it's more the intent that I'm putting out, plus the velo. So if I'm not trying to throw hard and I see those harder numbers then I know we're on to something."

Kelly knows that his game is never going to be about overpowering hitters with his fastball. Whether it was throwing a first pitch curveball for an out in one at-bat, or a 3-2 slider for a popout in another, Kelly is the very definition of a pitcher, not a thrower.

"I feel like it's very kind of on par with a lot of my games. A lot of my games have certain outs that I get that other than just the hitter in the box, and I think I'm the type of guy that can use those outs any chance I can get, and as far as the pitches wise in those counts, I think you guys have watched me enough, I don't really shy away from throwing different pitches in different counts."

Kelly is always looking to perfect his craft and has been putting in the work with new pitching coach Brian Kaplan to improve. While his left-right splits = were not bad last year, he still felt there was an issue to work on. Kelly explained:

"I'm really just trying to hammer down on glove side pitches. So in to the lefties, away to righties, primarily in to the lefties. Me and [Briann] Kaplan have had some conversations before spring and as spring started, we looked at some numbers and certain things and identified where I could be better.

"I think last year I struggled really getting inside against the lefties, and establishing that with the sinker, especially in the cutter. So that's definitely been an emphasis of spring so far"

Kelly sang the praises of his new pitching coach. "He's really easy to talk to. He's a good sounding board, wants to know where we're at, wants to know what we're thinking. And so far we've had some really good conversations and it seems like he really knows what he's talking about. And so far, so good. I'm excited to continue to pick his brain on the season coming up."

Kelly had two very strong seasons in 2022 and 2023, going 25-16 with a 3.33 ERA and nearly eight baseball reference WAR. He was a standout in the 2023 Postseason too, going 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in four starts. Those years and performances earned him the nickname "Merrill the Mainstay."

2024 was a shorter season for the veteran right-hander, however. He came down with a shoulder injury in late April that kept him out four months before an August return. On top of that he's also battled cramping issues on a repeated basis the last two years. Kelly also dealt with a blood clot in his leg in 2023 and had Thoracic Outlet Surgery back in 2020.

Now heading into his age-36 season he is in the last year of his contract, which is a bargain at just $7 million, especially if he can get back to making 30 or more starts like he had previously. He worked with trainers and doctors over the offseason to fine tune his approach to avoiding the cramping issues.

The D-backs recently signed Corbin Burnes to a six year, $212 million contract. Long-time teammate Zac Gallen is also a free agent after 2025, and is expected to get a multi-year contract perhaps worth over $150 million or more.

Entering his "walk year," Kelly was asked what's going through his head seeing some of the big contracts for other pitchers in the game and on the team.

"Nothing, really, I'm happy for them. I want everybody to get as much money as they possibly can. And different situations are just different, that's all it is. Different timing, different circumstances, but I don't ever hold it against those guys."

There is little doubt that a healthy, motivated Merrill Kelly is a force to be reckoned with on the mound for major league hitters. If he can recapture his 2022-23 peak performance, the Arizona Diamondbacks will have three aces out in front of their rotation. If that happens, all bets are off, even the NL West division title could be in play.