Zachery Reed Kelly (born March 3, 1995) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.

Career

Amateur career

Kelly graduated from

Lord Botetourt High School Lord Botetourt High School (LBHS) is a high school in Daleville, Virginia. It was built in 1958 and opened in the fall of 1959. LBHS is one of two high schools in Botetourt County, the other being James River High School in Buchanan. The school ...

Daleville, Virginia Daleville is a census-designated place (CDP) in southern Botetourt County, Virginia, United States. The population was 3,070 at the 2020 census. The CDP is located along U.S. Route 220. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area. H ...

. He enrolled at

Concord University Concord University (Concord) is a public university in Athens, West Virginia. It was founded on February 28, 1872, when the West Virginia Legislature passed "an Act to locate a Branch State Normal School, in the town of Concord Church, in ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

for the

Concord Mountain Lions The Concord Mountain Lions are the athletic teams that represent Concord University, located in Athens, West Virginia, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Mountain Lions compete as members of the Mountain East Conference in all fiftee ...

as a starting pitcher in 2014. After his sophomore year, Kelly transferred to

Newberry College Newberry College is a private Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina. It has 1,250 students. Accreditation Newberry College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award ...

, to play for the

Newberry Wolves The Newberry Wolves are the athletic teams that represent Newberry College, located in Newberry, South Carolina, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Wolves compete as members of the South Atlantic Conference for twenty of twenty-t ...

, their Division II baseball team. As a senior in 2017, Kelly had a 3.72

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and recorded 94 strikeouts in innings pitched.

Oakland Athletics

Unselected in the

2017 MLB draft The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on J ...

, Kelly signed with the Oakland Athletics as an undrafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

for a $500 signing bonus. He pitched in the rookie-level

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it ...

during 2017. The Athletics released Kelly in April 2018. Kelly later said, "My first year I probably paid to play to be honest with you. I definitely lost money."

Los Angeles Angels

Kelly signed with the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

organization and played for three teams in the Angels' system, reaching the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

level with the

Inland Empire 66ers The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchis ...

of the California League; in 18 total relief appearances during the season, he posted a 2.93 ERA and struck out 41 batters in 43 innings pitched. Kelly began the 2019 season with the

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

of the Double-A Southern League, and also played one game with Inland Empire, accruing an overall 3–7 record in 21 games (13 starts) with a 4.88 ERA. The Angels released Kelly during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. Shortly thereafter, Kelly underwent surgery on his elbow to have a ligament reattached.

Boston Red Sox

On January 4, 2021, Kelly signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He spent the year playing for the Double-A

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox syst ...

and the Triple-A

Worcester Red Sox The Worcester Red Sox (nicknamed the WooSox) are a professional minor league baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Beginning play in 2021, the team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, succeeding the Pawtucket Red Sox. The ...

. He had a 1.69 ERA in 21 relief appearances for Portland before he was promoted to Worcester, where he had a 2.89 ERA in 15 relief appearances. In 2022, the Red Sox invited Kelly to spring training as a non-roster player and he returned to Worcester for the beginning of the season. He accrued a 2.72 ERA for Worcester through August 29, when he was added to Boston's major-league roster. Kelly made his MLB debut that evening, against the Minnesota Twins. He was on the paternity list for three days in early September. In 13 relief appearances with Boston, Kelly pitched to a 1–0 record with 3.95 ERA while striking out 11 batters in innings. Kelly was the 2022 recipient of the Lou Gorman Award issued by the Red Sox organization. Kelly began the 2023 season in Boston's bullpen. He was placed on the injured list on April 13 due to right elbow inflammation. Three days later, he was transferred to the 60-day injured list. On May 3, it was announced that Kelly would miss roughly four months after undergoing a successful ulnar nerve transposition revision in his right elbow. He was activated from the injured list on September 24, and successfully pitched for the Red Sox after going 166 days between major-league appearances.

Personal life

Kelly is married and resides in South Carolina in the offseason. He and his wife, Brittany, had their first child in September 2022.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Zack 1995 births Living people Arizona League Athletics players Baseball players from Virginia Boston Red Sox players Burlington Bees players Concord Mountain Lions baseball players Greenville Drive players Inland Empire 66ers players Major League Baseball pitchers Mobile BayBears players Newberry Wolves baseball players Orem Owlz players Portland Sea Dogs players Salem Red Sox players Sportspeople from Roanoke, Virginia Worcester Red Sox players