This is a reverse export myth...KBO players are ranked higher than Scherzer-Kershaw, finishing a year with fireworks
Merrill Kelly (35, Arizona), who played for the SK Wyverns from 2015 to 2018, is enjoying a career that is well known to KBO League fans as well. He came to the KBO League without any major league experience, but after developing in the KBO League, he returned to the Major League and continued his career. It is a very rare case.
After failing to break through the deep pockets of Tampa Bay Farm, Kelly signed with SK in 2015 and spent four years as a starting pitcher, building both his career and experience. Then, in 2019, he signed a 2+2 year contract with Arizona, making his Major League debut belatedly. The guaranteed amount for the first two years was 5.5 million U.S. dollars, which was not that big. Local media also viewed him as a fifth-tier player. However, Kelly began to enjoy his prime.
Kelly pitched 183 ⅓ in 2019, making a soft landing with 13 wins, 14 losses and a 4.42 ERA. In 2020, which was a shortened season due to COVID-19, he struggled with injuries and played only five games, but the club performed enough to implement the option. Although 2021 slowed down a bit with 7 wins, 11 losses and a 4.44 ERA in 27 games, he recorded the highest record of 13 wins, 8 losses and a 3.37 ERA in 33 games in 2022 with 200 ⅓. 경마
Kelly achieved success by signing two-year, 18 million-dollar contracts covering 2023 and 2024. This year was his peak season. He pitched in 177 ⅔s in 30 games and showed 12 wins, 8 losses and an ERA of 3.29. It was the moment when he solidified his starting position as the second starting pitcher after Jack Gallen. He proved that his performance in 2022 was not just about luck, but he was a player who just started his prime. He also showed good performance in the postseason and led the rotation of starting pitchers of his team. Now, it is difficult to discuss rotation of starting pitchers for Arizona other than Kelly.
His value is also recognized. Although he failed to garner a single point in the Cy Young Award voting, he is now making a solid starting pitcher representing the West Division of the National League. His settlement of accounts is generous this year. The Blitzer Report, a U.S. sports media outlet, confidently listed him as one of the 25 best starting pitchers of the year. The media put Kelly at 18th overall. Kelly has never received such evaluation since her Major League debut.
Bleacher Report called Kelly "one of the most underrated pitchers in the baseball world." Although his name value or salary is not fancy, he always performs well. The media reported that Kelly had 13 wins and 8 losses with a 3.37 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 177 strikeouts in 200 ⅓ innings in the 2022 breakout season. The 35-year-old Kelly demonstrated her true value by improving her record this year, and finished 2023 with a gemstone-like performance in the second game of the World Series.
Kelly has many outstanding starting pitchers behind him. Clayton Kershaw, a former Cy Young Award winner, was ranked 25th, and some of the players who failed to make it to the list were representative starting pitchers such as Max Scherzer, Shane McClanahan, and Sandy Alcantara. Justin Verlander (Houston) was ranked 17th. Spencer Strider (Atlanta), a candidate for this year's National League Cy Young Award, was also ranked 16th, not far from Kelly.
This may be simply a assessment by a media outlet, but it is not exactly the case considering Kelly's performance this season. According to the statistics website FanGraph, Kelly's contribution to victory (WAR) was 3.2 this year. His performance ranks 24th among pitchers in the Major League, and he is well qualified to join the Top 25 list. Considering Verlander's 3.3 and Corbin Burns of the Milwaukee Brewers' 3.4, Kelly's performance this year is truly remarkable. In addition, the fact that he made heroic pitches during the postseason should be taken into account. Kelly's heyday is in full swing.
