Under the cover of the California sun, Joe Kelly threw a simulated inning yesterday at Dodger Stadium, reportedly hitting two batters, dropping one f-bomb, and sending a chill rippling through the summer air, baseball fans everywhere feeling deep inside themselves the hope which comes from the impending return of a king.
Here’s a thought I have about Joe Kelly and this simulated game:
There are a lot of pieces to Joe Kelly’s game. Strikeouts. Walks. Throwing fast. Looking cool. One of these, though, is defending his teammates. He needs to be able to hit batters to fully be Joe Kelly. This is hard to do in a minor league setting. He did it during a rehab outing for Charlotte two years ago, and Nick Fortes had to leave the game.
In short: Maybe him hitting these batters in a simulated game was intentional. Maybe the Dodgers are trying to spare the Visalia Rawhide and avoid sparking a Single-A feud. Maybe the Dodgers even have a few designated HBP guys—guys who are really good at getting hit by pitches.
Just a thought. Either way, we’ll keep monitoring the Dodgers rehab circuit. Clayton Kershaw was at the sim game too. Important to grease up that connection again. Kershaw to Kelly. The era isn’t over yet.
