(Waldorf, MD, June 14, 2022) The Philadelphia Phillies selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Michael Kelly on Monday afternoon. The 2019 Blue Crabs starting pitcher will replace James Norwood in the Phillies’ MLB bullpen.
The 29-year-old heads to the MLB for the first time, becoming the third Crabs pitcher since 2018 to get the call after their time in Southern Maryland, joining Chris Mazza and Dusten Knight. Kelly becomes the 94th player in Blue Crabs franchise history with MLB experience.
The Florida native, Kelly, posted a 3-8 record to accompany a 5.34 earned run average for Southern Maryland in 2019, his only season outside of affiliated baseball. The former first-round draft pick spent the 2021 season in the Houston Astros organization, and has been with the Phillies’ Triple-affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, to this point in the 2022 campaign.