The Scoop: Kelly set a career high in strikeouts when he notched 11 of them against Kane County in his start on July 28. But it's not for a lack of stuff. Despite his slim, 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame, Kelly has one of the biggest fastballs in the minor leagues, sitting in the mid-90s and topping out at 99 mph. Until this year, Kelly just hasn't had the opportunity to rack up high strikeout totals.
Coming into this season, Kelly had just three starts under his belt since high school. He made one in college at UC Riverside (where he threw just 73 innings combined over three years) and then two last year with short-season Batavia. In addition to the strikeouts, Kelly has been one of the best pitchers in the minor leagues at getting hitters to keep the ball on the ground. Of pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched this year, Kelly ranks third in the minor leagues in his 2.98 groundout-to-flyout ratio. It remains to be seen whether Kelly will hold up to the workload required from a starting pitcher but, either way, the Cardinals have a promising power arm.
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