As we approach the end of the 2024 season, some teams are not done trying to add talent to their squads as the battle for the postseason heats up. The Cincinnati Reds announced they’re signing veteran pitcher Casey Kelly to a minor league contract. He will be assigned to Triple-A Louisville.
This signing is even better because Kelly will be playing under his father, Pat Kelly, who manages the Louisville Bats. This will be the first time Pat gets to manage one of his children in a regular-season game. They become the first father-son duo in Louisville Bats history to accomplish this.
Casey is now in his age 34 season. He’s spent the last six seasons pitching for the LG Twins in the KBO. He led the KBO in wins, was named an All-Star in 2022, and even helped the Twins to a Korean Series Championship in 2023. The Twins parted ways with Kelly on July 20 in an emotional home game at their ballpark in Seoul.
The Boston Red Sox originally drafted him in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2012 with the San Diego Padres, and he has also pitched in parts of seasons with the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants. However, once Kelly joined the LG Twins in 2019, he has not looked back.
Throwing very strongly in the 2024 season, Kelly threw to a 5-8 record, posting a 4.51 ERA in 19 starts, striking out 69 batters in 113.2 innings of work. Overall, with the Twins, he held a 73-46 record and a 3.31 ERA in 163 starts, with 753 strikeouts.
Now, Kelly joins forces with his dad, who was honored before their game in Louisville. He became the seventh manager in minor-league history to earn 2,000 managerial wins. Fortunately, Casey was part of the ceremony, where he shared a video tribute to his dad that played on the scoreboard of Louisville Slugger Field.
Cincinnati is currently tied for last place in the N.L. Central standings along with the Cubs, but the N.L. Central could be anyone’s division, with the Brewers topping the throne. It will be intriguing to see if the Reds could use the services of Casey Kelly to help propel them closer within the N.L. Central Division.
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WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo Credit: San Francisco Giants pitcher Casey Kelly (68) throws a pitch during a MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 15, 2018 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
