Sticking Points 2045.8: Chris Kelly On Fire After Trade

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Sticking Points 2045.8: Chris Kelly On Fire After Trade

Post by aaronweiner » Sat Jan 09, 2021 11:49 am

When the Rockville Pikemen traded for Chris Kelly, there were few high hopes. Most pundits thought that Kelly, who had allowed 21 homers in 70 innings with Las Vegas, would maybe be good enough to stabilize a rotation spot after the release of Dave Martin. Instead, Kelly has absolutely blown up since coming to Rockville, and is a big reason why Rockville now has a two-game lead in the JL Atlantic.

"When I came here I promised to give it 100%," said Kelly. "Sometimes in Vegas I felt like I was going through the motions, like nobody really wanted me; they made it clear I was trade bait. But coming to a team already in first place, that wanted me to come right in and make a difference - that's just amazing for a guy like me."

Kelly has started four games for Rockville, all wins. Kelly is 3-0 in those starts with a stunning 2.16 ERA, and 28 strikeouts in 25 innings against 3 walks. All four of his starts are quality starts, and he's beaten playoff-caliber teams like New Orleans, Boise, and San Antonio, including a 7-inning, 7 hit, 10K gem in his last outing.

"Chris is the sort of veteran who knows when there's an opportunity," said Rockville pitching coach Billy Chapel, Jr. "He's the sort of smart professional where we got along right away and I'm so thrilled he's part of the staff."

Kelly carries a $9.5 million team option for next year, and if he keeps pitching like this it won't be a tough decision. The righty said that staying in Rockville was part of his motivation when he signed, and he appears to want to be in a Pikemen uniform for at least the 2046 season.

"Chris has been so good that we've been starting to organize some contracts around keeping him," said Rockville GM Aaron Weiner. "We're really excited about the possibility of having him on the team next year."

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