KELLY IS CRITICAL CHARACTER
Delivering on, off mound
Every bullpen needs a joker. The Red Sox’ joker is a psychology nerd who throws 100 mph, begs his opponents to charge the mound and has become the Wild Thing of the bunch. Two years ago, Joe Kelly was on the edge of the big leagues. He was the pitcher everybody knew was talented, but without the results to prove it. Now, Kelly has two years of dominance on his resume as he prepares for free agency, a new comfort level in Boston and a personality that the Red Sox bullpen has needed. “It’s outstanding to have a person that’s able to maintain the levity of the hours you spend before you get into the game,” bullpen coach Craig Bjornson said of Kelly. “You don’t want to be overly intense for that long period of time. Some of the younger pitchers try to focus on the game in an inappropriate way that tenses them up. He brings some levity to those situations and allows the bullpen to relax, and young guys to be comfortable. That it’s OK to have some fun and joke a bit, that we’re not here to be so tight and tense. “It’s actually a value, really a value to have that person in the bullpen that does that.” Kelly says a big part of his personality is the desire to be genuine. “To be able to have fun while you’re playing, good or bad,” he said. “It’s been a lot better to go home being able to show your true colors on the baseball field or outside of it. I try to put an emphasis on letting the baseball part speak for itself, and then the way I normally act, act, instead of hiding it. It’s been fun and it’s a lot more relaxing for me to come to the field all the time and play baseball in a relaxed way. “There were times here in Boston where I wasn’t able to do that. Or didn’t have as much fun as I wanted to. It’s something mentally, I was like, ‘Just have fun. If you pitch bad or pitch good. Just don’t hide your personality. Don’t shy away from it.’ And I’m happy going home from the field. It’s been good.” Kelly’s quirkiness has a new outlet since he was moved to the ‘pen two years ago. Rather than wait his turn to pitch for five days, he needs to be ready to go every day. It’s a new sense of pressure, and he has new ways to deal with it. “It’s different,” he said. “It’s obviously not the same as the dugout. You’re far away. And sometimes there are points throughout the season where it gets a little bit, not boring, but a little stagnant or dead. “The bullpen guys are high-energy or a little crazy, just because it makes good for talks down there. It’s never a dull moment. We’re always doing something. But 99 percent of it is dogging each other, talking crap. The other 1 percent is pitching.” One percent was enough for the Sox to be the second-best bullpen in the majors last year. And as of Saturday morning, they ranked sixth this year with a 3.31 ERA, despite a season-ending injury to Carson Smith and only three appearances from Tyler Thornburg. Kelly’s breakout last year solved a big problem for the Sox, who haven’t signed a single free agent reliever to the major league roster in Dave Dombrowski’s tenure. They’ve relied heavily on the development of Matt Barnes (2.43 ERA) and Kelly (3.92) from failed starters to dominant relievers. “I figure stuff out mechanically a little quicker than when I was a starter,” Kelly said. “Obviously the velocity is up, too. I think command has been for the most part a lot better overall than when I was a starting pitcher. Then going out there and
throwing like a starting pitcher but just for three outs.
“It’s a combination of a bunch of things. And confidence.” Off the field, Kelly says he spends most of his free time reading psychology books by the likes of Malcolm Gladwell and Jordan Peterson.
“I was a played like psych to get three major my years in degree, maybe go to more college,” said Kelly, who at Cal-Riverside. “I’d schooling. I just find it fascinating to see why people react and how they react. There are no clearcut answers. Just to see how the brain woorks, why things hap pen, is by.” something I’ve always been fascinated
Said Bjornson, “That's really a great thing about Joe Kelly, is he’s growthminding and knows you can get better and do things in a more efficient manner. He seeks to do those on a year-to-year basis.
“He will tell you, ‘I read a book (by) Malcolm Gladwell,’ and then he can pull from that and apply it to adapt it to a pitch... ing-type of learning. It’s really been a pleasure to be firsthand with him now what he does pitching and his work ethic and all that.”
Pedroia already paid off
Dustin Pedroia was firm this week when discussing his belief that he’ll be fully healthy and playing baseball for the Red Sox again at some point, even if it doesn’t happen this year. An MRI in 4-5 weeks will give him more information about his availability. But even if he doesn’t play another game for the Sox, they should be able to look back at his 13year career and feel satisfied. Not only did he help provide two World Series trophies, but he did it while making below-market salaries for almost his entire career. He’s making $16 million this year, the highest salary of his career, and still has $40 million owed to him the next three years. Will his eight-year, $110 million contract still have been worth it when it’s all over? Consider: Pedroia signed his first extension following his MVP 2008 season. Had he not, he would’ve been eligible for free agency after the 2012 season. Over the four years in between 2009 and 2012, just before he could’ve tested the market, he made just $20 million. What might’ve Pedroia made if he was a free agent after 2012? He was one of the six most valuable players in baseball from 2007-2012 by FanGraphs’ WAR, behind only Albert Pujols, Chase Utley, Matt Holliday, Miguel Cabrera and David Wright. Holiday signed a seven-year, $120 million deal before the 2010 season. Pujols was on a team-friendly extension with the Cardinals through 2011, then signed a 10-year, $254-million deal with the Angels. After 2012, Wright signed a seven-year extension worth $122 million. And Cabrera signed for eight years, $248 million before the 2014 season. Pedroia made substantially less than all of them. Then there’s Robinson Cano. From 2007-2013, just before Cano elected for free agency, Pedroia topped Cano in Gold Gloves, 3-2. He had the only MVP between them. Pedroia hit .305 with an .829 OPS; Cano hit .307 with an .866 OPS. According to fWAR, Pedroia was worth 34.8 to Cano’s 33. The debate could be made for either, but the point is that Pedroia was equally deserving of the 10-year, $240 million contract Cano signed with Seattle before the 2014 season. Instead, he signed for $110 million in the summer of 2013. Shortly after Cano signed, some front office executive of other clubs were asked on the condition of anonymity if Pedroia would garner an equal contract if he were a free agent. Most agreed he would, but this answer stood out: “I think it would be close. It’s actually weird to think about. There are certain players you know are untouchable. You can dream of having the opportunity to negotiate with them and imagine them wearing the uniform. And it’s just impossible to see Dustin Pedroia in another uniform. And really, in a couple years (when Pedroia would’ve been a free agent had he not signed an extension), with the money these free agents are getting, a player of his caliber could conceivably bring in more. But again, it’s silly to even think about. He’s a great player for sure.” From 2014-2017, Pedroia was worth 13 fWAR. At the time, the industry was evaluating 1.0 WAR as being worth around $6-$8 million. That puts Pedroia’s value between $78-$104 million in those four years. The entire contract was worth $110 million, and he still has 31⁄2 years to add to it. “I’m a pretty loyal guy,” Pedroia said when he signed. “I love being here. I live and die by this team. It’s important to me to be here my whole time.” Injuries or not, he’s been well worth the cost.
Humbling honor
Last year was one of the Red Sox’ worst in recent memory when it comes to public relations. Racism at Fenway Park became a glaring issue, the Yawkey Way name change debate was still hot, David Price was cursing out media members and broadcasters alike, and there was also a perception that, despite the team’s division title, it was an unlikable group. This year, they’ve made a 180. Ratings are up 20 percent on NESN and the Red Sox are one of four professional teams nominated for ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year, “for their strategy that finds creative solutions to ongoing challenges for children, families, veterans and communities in need.” The Anaheim Ducks (NHL), Chicago Fire (MLS) and the U.S. Women’s National Ice Hockey Team are the other finalists. The winner will be announced on Tuesday. “We are honored and humbled by the nomination, given we made a fundamental commitment back in 2002 to be active participants in the New England community,” Red Sox president Sam Kennedy said in an email to the Herald. “In fact, since its inception in 2002, the Red Sox Foundation has raised and given away more money than any other foundation in professional sports. “This nomination is a testament to the hard work of the men and women at the RSF, led by our incredible new leader Bekah Salwasser, who is taking the foundation to new heights. Specifically, we were likely nominated this year given the remarkable success of our Home Base program, created by Tom Werner nearly 10 years ago. This program has transformed the way we treat the invisible wounds of war (PTSD and TBI) and has treated over 15,000 service men and women.”