Casey Kelly: Pitcher or SS?

[MallCopKJ]

Im sure Sox fans know the success this guy is having and I bet hes gained the attention of most. At the beginning of this season it was said Kelly would pitch about 100 innings and then also get time/ab's at short for the rest of the year. Heres his numbers so far with Class A Greenville: 48 IP, 6-1 record, 1.12 ERA, 39 SO, 9BB, 0HR, 6ER
Hes certainly been awesome so far, and hes only 19. With most teams you would automatically say keep him pitching but with the Red Sox abundance of pitching right now and shortstop being a pretty big hole in the longrun it would be nice to have a guy in the minors who supposedly compares to JJ Hardy waiting to play short. So, does he stay with pitching or do they try to fill their bigger need and play him at short as planned?

 

[mredsox89]

He has been unhittable so far this season. I don't care how much pitching you have, you don't get rid of any of it unless you are certain that it will fill another hole. Let Kelly get some time in SS after his 100 IP.

 

[Wes]

pitch and it's not close at this point. stick with the script of letting him hit after he hits his innings limit. i say let him do both until he can't do it - not because of some organizational surplus.

 

[markakis8]

way off topic, but i watched Paul Blart the other day. What scene were you in?

 

[MallCopKJ]

way off topic, but i watched Paul Blart the other day. What scene were you in?

LOL I think I talked to you about that way back when while it was filming right? Of course, my speaking part got cut and they used a different angle. I can only be seen walking away, behind Kevin James when he is going into the arcade while the guy goes on break. The first time they filmed the scene from the outside with the camera starting on me talking then turning and following him in the store. Then they changed it to add that other guy in and some kids and the camera ended up being inside the store looking out which was the one they used when it came out. I can still be seen but its brief.

 

[markakis8]

are you trying to be an actor? i only ask b/c you say you had a speaking part. did you audition? or were you just paid to be an extra?

way off topic, but i watched Paul Blart the other day. What scene were you in?

LOL I think I talked to you about that way back when while it was filming right? Of course, my speaking part got cut and they used a different angle. I can only be seen walking away, behind Kevin James when he is going into the arcade while the guy goes on break. The first time they filmed the scene from the outside with the camera starting on me talking then turning and following him in the store. Then they changed it to add that other guy in and some kids and the camera ended up being inside the store looking out which was the one they used when it came out. I can still be seen but its brief.

 

[ahill1]

I live in Sarasoa and watched him play HS...He needs to stay as a P he is absolutely filthy

 

[Bruin7]

Its too early to judge right now. And I'd like to see how well he pitches against better hitters next season. Obviously A ball didn't challenge him enough.

Allen

 

[mredsox89]

Unless he hits .400 with a lot of power after he gets time at SS I would expect him to continue with the majority of hi time at pitcher

 

[MallCopKJ]

are you trying to be an actor? i only ask b/c you say you had a speaking part. did you audition? or were you just paid to be an extra?

way off topic, but i watched Paul Blart the other day. What scene were you in?

LOL I think I talked to you about that way back when while it was filming right? Of course, my speaking part got cut and they used a different angle. I can only be seen walking away, behind Kevin James when he is going into the arcade while the guy goes on break. The first time they filmed the scene from the outside with the camera starting on me talking then turning and following him in the store. Then they changed it to add that other guy in and some kids and the camera ended up being inside the store looking out which was the one they used when it came out. I can still be seen but its brief.

Id like to be, Im trying to work my way towards it right now. I have intentions of taking college courses and seeing whats out there as far as opportunities in that industry. I was only paid to be an extra but over the course of the filming people were pulled out to be working in stores, clerks and whatnot. I was sent by the person in charge of sending out the extras while scenes film (they stand off to the side and basically say "go"). When I walked across the walkway the director and other people involved in the filming said there were too many people criss crossing and they wanted someone to walk to the map of the mall, stop ask someone for directions and walk away. I was standing next to the group of them when they were discussing it and one of the guys just said "ok you go over there and listen to what he tells you". Next thing I knew the camera was there and they were filming. After about 20 takes they moved everything inside the arcade. They filmed the majority of this while the mall was open so a lot of times they had to move everything to keep actual shoppers out of the shot.

 

[MallCopKJ]

Looks like you guys mostly agree he should stay pitching. I hope that the Sox use this adundance of young, promising pitching and trade it for some power.

 

[scotty21690]

Casey Kelly would make a very good fit as an NL pitcher

 

[baseballguy350]

Let him get some time at shortstop first. I think this poll should have a third option, re-evaluating after this year.

 

[notjomommasclint]

the 2 positions that scare me moving forward with the red sox are shortstop and catcher. i think that wagner or george k should be a suitable replacement for the captain. i dont see a solution to the shortstop problem though. i dont think lowerie will be able to hit enough to be an everyday player and changing shortstops every year or 2 wont help much. imo lugo is a wasted roster spot and nick green might develop a cult following but makes many plays to either side look spectacular because his range isnt top shelf. kelly maybe the best solution from a homegrown point of view and i say if they dont trade for a salty dog ss let him get a shot.

 

[jbone17]

If he is dominating, why switch?

 

[Wes]

the 2 positions that scare me moving forward with the red sox are shortstop and catcher. i think that wagner or george k should be a suitable replacement for the captain. i dont see a solution to the shortstop problem though. i dont think lowerie will be able to hit enough to be an everyday player and changing shortstops every year or 2 wont help much. imo lugo is a wasted roster spot and nick green might develop a cult following but makes many plays to either side look spectacular because his range isnt top shelf. kelly maybe the best solution from a homegrown point of view and i say if they dont trade for a salty dog ss let him get a shot.

What makes you think Lowrie won't hit enough? He supplied RBI's at nearly a 100 RBI pace with a broken wrist in his rookie year.

 

[MallCopKJ]

If he is dominating, why switch?

I guess that was my point of posting. They told him when he signed he would time @ short with them. I got the feeling his first choice was wanting to be a shortstop. Now that hes going so well pitching (so far) would they just tell him "sorry your not going to play short". I figured it might really upset him if they now dont let him but hopefully even he will realize he needs to pitch if he keeps going like this.

 

[MallCopKJ]

the 2 positions that scare me moving forward with the red sox are shortstop and catcher. i think that wagner or george k should be a suitable replacement for the captain. i dont see a solution to the shortstop problem though. i dont think lowerie will be able to hit enough to be an everyday player and changing shortstops every year or 2 wont help much. imo lugo is a wasted roster spot and nick green might develop a cult following but makes many plays to either side look spectacular because his range isnt top shelf. kelly maybe the best solution from a homegrown point of view and i say if they dont trade for a salty dog ss let him get a shot.

Maybe Wagner but man, Kottaras SUCKS.

 

[MallCopKJ]

I guess we got the answer to that question now.

http://www.talksox.com/forum/red-sox-mi ... lem-2.html

Red Sox prospect Casey Kelly, who is amidst a unique season in which he will pitch into July before moving to shortstop for the second half of the year, had his transition delayed slightly by his excellence on the mound. The Sox' 2009 first-round pick was named to the All-Star Futures Game -- to be played in St. Louis on July 12 -- as a pitcher. In order to ensure that he remains on a regular throwing schedule through that exhibition game, Kelly -- who was scheduled to finish his season as a pitcher around the first week of July -- will continue pitching through the Futures Game.

"Basically, [the Futures Game] is going to delay his shortstop play by about a week," said Sox farm director Mike Hazen. "We didn’t feel like it was safe enough to do it the other way."

Following the Futures Game, Kelly (who has been taking batting practice during the month of June) will report to Fort Myers in the Rookie Level Gulf Coast League, where he will play for about a week while the Sox figure out where to assign him as a position player.

Kelly has gone 1-2 with a 2.02 ERA since earning a promotion to Salem of the High-A Carolina League on the strength of his excellence (6-1, 1.12) for Single-A Greenville of the South Atlantic League. The 19-year-old has allowed one or no hits in three of his six starts since going to Salem. In his most recent outing on Sunday, Kelly retired the first 19 batters he faced before an error and then a single broke up the perfect game.