Just when you thought that the Chicago White Sox clubhouse was full enough of fun personalities, they go out and do what they did on Saturday night. Joe Kelly is going to be a Chicago White Sox relief pitcher which is so good for so many different reasons.
First, and probably most important, the big reason is that the Sox just added a really great baseball player. He has had a tremendous Major League Baseball tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
All three of those teams were extremely awesome while he was with each one. He isn’t the main reason as he is a relief pitcher but there is a reason that franchises who win a lot want this guy. He helps any team out with his impressive stuff,
In 2021, he played 48 games and was very good. He pitched in 44.0 innings where he recorded 50 strikeouts, an ERA of 2.86, and a WHIP of 0.977 which are outstanding numbers. Bringing this level of pitching to the White Sox is certainly going to help them.
High-powered reliever Joe Kelly has agreed to a 2-year contract with the Chicago #WhiteSox. The deal will be final when he completes a physical.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 13, 2022
The Chicago White Sox are going to get so much out of Joe Kelly in 2022.
The White Sox are a very young and inexperienced team. They need to find their way in the big games before they can go off and win a World Series or two. Kelly understands because he probably wouldn’t have signed with them if he didn’t.
The biggest thing that the White Sox lacks right now is experience. Most of their guys have only played in a playoff series in both the Oakland A’s and Houston Astros. Joe Kelly would bring a lot which could really help in big games like that.
A World Series championship with the Red Sox could be the highlight of Kellly’s career even though he also won one with the Dodgers in 2020. Clearly, there is a lot of winning on the part of Kelly in his career.
In addition to being a great player, Kelly is so perfect for the south side. He is not afraid to mix it up with his opponents if they make him angry. He isn’t going out there to fight but his competitive spirit has brought that out of him before. Like Lance Lynn and Liam Hendriks, Joe Kelly is perfect for the Sox and their culture.
The White Sox are going to have a nasty bullpen. With Liam Hendriks, Kendall Graveman, Aaron Bummer, Craig Kimbrel, and Garrett Crochet all there with Joe Kelly, a load of strikeouts is coming to an American League team near you.
We can only hope that Joe Kelly can come though when he makes his White Sox debut in 2022. If he does, this could be the best bullpen in team history. All of these guys are hungry to work too which could end up making them more dangerous.