Joe Kelly Must Prove Himself For Boston Red Sox In 2016 Spring Training

In 2015, the Boston Red Sox‘s starting rotation posted a 4.39 ERA, which ranked 13th in the American League. Adding David Price should clearly help this year, but Boston will still need a few of its other starters to step up. One such player will be 27-year-old Joe Kelly.

Kelly, who the Red Sox first acquired in the summer of 2014, split his time between the bullpen and the rotation early on in his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, but he has been used exclusively as a starter in each of the past two years. Last season, Kelly went 10-6 with a 4.82 ERA (89 ERA+) and a 1.44 WHIP through 25 starts. He was quite a bit better in the second half, however, posting a 3.77 ERA through 11 starts.

Right now, Kelly appears to be the favorite to slot behind Price, Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello and Eduardo Rodriguez for the fifth spot in the rotation, but he will likely face some competition. One pitcher who could challenge him is Roenis Elias, who went 15-20 with a 3.97 ERA (93 ERA+) and a 1.31 WHIP over 51 games (49 starts) with the Seattle Mariners over the past two seasons.

Other names that could be considered include youngsters Henry Owens and Brian Johnson. The Red Sox have knuckleballer Steven Wright as well.

According to Fangraphs’ PITCHf/x data, Kelly’s average four-seam fastball registered at an impressive 95.5 mph last season. He clearly has the raw talent to dominate and should be given every chance to win the No. 5 spot in Boston’s rotation. That said, in order to truly earn the job, it will be very important for him to prove himself this spring and start off on the right foot.