Joe Kelly always said he wanted to be a starter. He had lived the life, liked it well enough and knew the upside compared to being buried in the middle of a bullpen was significantly greater. Not anymore.
Just months before the pitcher will be eligible for free agency for the very first time, Kelly feels he has finally found his lot in life.
"I feel more comfortable now than I did when I first got here as a starting pitcher," he said. "Stuff-wise it's the same, but that's just from command and mechanics and those types of things. Overall as a pitcher, I feel a lot better than I ever did as a starting pitcher.
"I feel comfortable where I'm at right now. If somebody wants me to (return to starting pitching) I'm not going to tell them no. I like the job I'm in right now. I kind of like the thrill, the adrenaline rush. At first, it wasn't my cup of tea and I wanted to start, but it's what I've known. When I first became a pitcher, transitioning from the outfield, I knew position player was better than being a pitcher. You get to play every day. It's more fun. Then I got transitioned to a pitcher in college and I became a closer pretty quickly. That was one of those feelings to being as close as I could get as being a position player. Pitching in high-leverage situations is very similar and something I feel like I thrive on, not only because of my personality but it's something I want. I want the battle."
It's one thing to want it, and it's something else to be wanted. And the way Kelly is going, free agency could become very interesting.
The pitcher Red Sox manager recently identified as one of the best relievers in baseball has been just that, one of the best relievers in baseball. Since that Opening Day outing in which he surrendered four runs, Kelly has totaled a 0.35 ERA (run, 25 2/3 innings), holding opponents to a .119 batting average. It's a stretch he has struck out 27 and walked just six, with lefty hitters going just 2-for-40 against him.
And here's a stat: With runners in scoring position and two outs, Kelly hasn't allowed a hit in nine at-bats, striking out six of the hitters.
The Red Sox have a closer in Craig Kimbrel, but for the first time since he served as his college team's closer, he's got that end-of-game feel back on a consistent basis. And if there is continued success, some team could actually give Kelly a crack at closing once again.
"It's not closing, but it's as close as you can get to replicating it," Kelly said regarding his current role as set-up man. "I wouldn't say I have a super addictive personality, but it's a thrill. I like that feeling. I like that euphoric feeling I get when the pressure is big. I'm not saying I can't pitch with an eight-run lead or when we're eight runs down, but I'm not going to lie to you, it's not the same. When I'm warming up I want to feel a little bit of a rush. I don't know if it's my personality or the way I tick or whatever works in my brain that makes it that way, but I like knowing it's going to be a battle.
"I just now have been able to get these situations consistently. I've pitched in the playoffs in big situations. I've pitched at end of the game sometimes. Now it's just putting them all together, not just sporadically."
It's not as if there won't be closers in the upcoming free agent market, with Kimbrel, Chad Allen, Kelvin Herrera, Jeurys Familia, Bud Norris, Brad Brach, Zach Britton and Andrew Miller slated to be in the mix. But, if he keeps going down this road, Kelly might represent a unique alternative.
"I never ever talked about it until somebody asks me about it," Kelly said about his impending free agency. "I haven't talked to my friends. I haven't talked to my family. I couldn't care less. That hasn't really come up.
"Not to toot my own horn, but even if I played terribly I'm probably going to get a job. That's the way I look at it. I could have the worse year of my career, and that's just how the system works. I'm still going to be 30. I'm still going to be able to throw really hard. It sounds worse than it is, but I'm not going to be working at McDonald's. Somebody is going to give me an opportunity to prove myself. It's something I put in the back of my head, go out and have fun, be you and whatever happens, happens. If I (expletive) the bed, have the worse year of my career, I know at least one organization will give me one more chance, so it's not life and death."
