There aren’t many Major League Baseball (MLB) players like Joe Kelly who can dance on the outfield during practice to the delight of the crowd. He is a unique player who brings comical numbers to the baseball game in America. Probably because of this and his impressive pitching skills, the Power Sinker has become popular with many fans of his club and all lovers of American baseball around the world.
Let’s find out more about this baseball player, paying special attention to his background, MLB career, body statistics, and family life.
Joe Kelly Bio
The pitcher was born on June 9, 1998, in Anaheim, California, and was given the full name Joseph William Kelly Jr. As a child, he was enrolled at Corona High School in Corona, California, where he played outfield baseball with peers for his school’s baseball team until he graduated. After high school, Joe went to the University of California at Riverside where, as expected, he identified with the college baseball team called “The Highlanders” who played as pitchers.
Kelly developed into one of the most impressive pitchers of his conference, which is why he was named “Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year” in his first year of study in 2007. He also set a new Highlanders career record: 24 parries, 4.65 ERA, and an 8-11 record in 42 career games before graduating.
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MLB Career
Joe Kelly held his head high as he entered the 2009 MLB draft where he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the draft. Following his call-up, Anaheim, California-born pitcher signed his first professional contract with the Missouri-based team on June 15, 2009. The contract included a signing bonus of $341,000 for the voracious pitcher.
He began his baseball career in 2009 in the Minor League with Batavia Muckdogs, who play in the Class A Short-Season New York-Penn League, where he watched in 16 games with 2 starts. In 2010 Kelly played 26 games with 18 starts for Quad Cities River Bandits in Class A where he became a reliable starting pitcher.
The baseball player played both Class A-Advanced for the Palm Beach Cardinals in the Florida State League and the Double-A Springfield Cardinals in the Texas League, where he played 23 games with 22 starts in 2011. After that, the Memphis Redbirds, who play in the Triple-A, provided him with a foundation for his further development before he was finally called to the Major League by the Cardinals.
At the St. Louis Cardinals, Joe Kelly made his MLB debut against the Cleveland Indians on June 10, 2014. He made a strong impression on his team officials during the game and was retained in the team rotation, while former starting player Lance Lynn was given a bullpen role.
In the following games he recorded his first MLB hit-and-run against the Miami Marlins on June 25, 2012. Several other memorable performances followed, including his start-down with Dodgers outfielder Scott Van Slyke in Game 6 of the 2013 postseason. Both players stared long, for about 15 minutes, and both claimed victory from the start-down after being scattered by home referee Greg Gibson.
For the three seasons, Joe Kelly played in the Major League at the St. Louis Cardinals as a pitcher who can hit and throw with his right hand. He had a record of 17:14 from 68 games, from which he started 38. His ERA was 3.25, with 79 strikeouts thrown in 266 innings.
He was transferred to the Boston Red Sox with Allen Craig in exchange for John Lackey and Corey Littrell (from the lower league). He started on the injury list in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons, with his worst career start in a season in the first season and retiring as a relief pitcher in the second. Joe started the 2017 season as a Red Sox bullpen and also lost the 2017 World Series to the Houston Astros.
The 2018 season began with sad news for him when he was suspended for 6 games on August 12th after he pitched to Tyler Austin of the New York Yankees after a brawl on the bench. He appealed against the suspension, which was also subject to a fine, which he both lost and fulfilled the conditions of the suspension.
No doubt the pitcher, who is known for throwing a fastball at a speed of up to 164.5 km/h or 102.2 miles per hour, will return to the winning lane as soon as he has behaved correctly. This also applies to the strange numbers he is known for on the practice field.
All in all, Joe Kelly’s career statistics show a win-loss record of 43-25, an average of 3.87 earned runs, and 495 strikeouts.
His career earnings total more than $10 million, while his 2018 earnings were reported at $3.825 million.
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Family: Wife, Son
As for the family, Joe is married to Ashley Parks, the daughter of former Minnesota twin Derek Parks. The two first met when they were studying at the University of California, Riverside, and began dating until their wedding in November 2013.
Parks played soccer in high school when she attended Los Osos High School and was also a member of the school’s cheerleading squad, which she later led as captain. Since 2011 she has been working in the sales department of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball club.
Husband and wife share a son named Knox, whom they raise in Rancho Cucamonga, California while pursuing their respective careers.
Joe Kelly Height, Weight
The baseball player stands at a height of 6 feet 1 inch with a weight of 79 kg. The pitcher is one of the fastest in the league as it can reach up to 93 miles per hour or about 150 km/h. It is obvious that he imposes a lot of training routine on himself to keep fit and deliver when it matters most.
