White Sox Prospect Jared Kelly Discusses His Early-Career Development

Jared Kelley has one of the more-intriguing arms in a Chicago White Sox system that has graduated much of its top talent to the big leagues in recent years. He might be best described as promising but raw. Drafted 47th overall in 2020 out of Refugio (Texas) High School, the 20-year-old right-hander came into this season having thrown just 23.2 professional innings. Moreover, he’d put up a 7.61 ERA in the lowest rungs of the minors while battling minor arm issues.

Despite the spotty early track record, Kelley’s ceiling is high. A ballyhooed prospect as a prep, he possesses a high-velocity fastball and a trio of developing secondaries.He’s off an up-and-down start in the current campaign. In his first outing with the Low-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, Kelley allowed just one hit, and one run, over three strong innings. In his second, he allowed eight baserunners and three earned runs over just one-and-two-thirds innings.No. 6 on our newly-released White Sox Top Prospects list, he discussed his early career development and how he’s adapted his repertoire.

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David Laurila: Let’s start with with your repertoire. What are you throwing now?

Jared Kelley: “I’ve been working on a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a slider, and a changeup. The sinker — the two-seam sinker — is the newest pitch.”

Laurila: I want to hear about the two-seamer, but first, I recall reading that you also throw a curveball.

Kelley: “I don’t throw a curveball anymore. I used to throw a curve, but it was more like a slurve. I don’t think it was going to play at the next level, so we changed into something a little bit harder, and a little bit easier for me to repeat.”

Laurila: When did that happen?

Kelley: “Towards the end of the my senior year of high school. I started to throw more of a slider instead of a curve, and as soon as I got here they showed me a grip for a slider. That was at the alternate site, in Schaumburg, right after I got drafted. I’ve stuck with it ever since.”

Laurila: What was the grip they showed you?

Kelley: “I used to go right along the seam, kind of like a generic slider grip, and we changed it to something that fit in my handle a bit more. It’s more repeatable. It’s kind of hard to explain, but if you were to grip a two-seam fastball and shift it over to the right, I’d be right over the horseshoe with the thumb beneath it. My thumb is pretty down, not too far up.”

Laurila: What is the movement profile?

Kelley: “No, it’s more of a pitch to get hitters off my fastball. It’s not something that’s super sweepy, it’s more of a hard, late-bite slider.”

Laurila: What about the two-seamer? Why have you added that to your mix?

Kelley: “It plays more into my slot — I’m three-quarters — and the way that the ball comes out of my hand. I’ve always had maybe a runny four-seam, so we tried throwing a sinker grip and all the numbers matched up. Everything was good. Now it’s just about repeating it.”

Laurila: Are you still getting run on your four?

Kelley: “I’ve done a better job of getting on top of my four-seam and getting a little bit more carry on it. That’s something I’ve been working on, not having a runny four-seam, just a runny sinker and a four-seam fastball with ride.”

Laurila: Do you know what the spin efficiency is your four-seam?

Kelley: “It’s always been 100% efficient, but it’s been efficient from a three-quarters slot. If you’re throwing from three-quarters, it’s going to run.”

Laurila: Where is your velocity?

Kelley: “The four-seam is about [95–97 mph] and the two-seam is maybe a tick lower, maybe one or two slower.”

Laurila: Would you identify as a power pitcher?

Kelley: “I would love to be. ‘Here it is, hit it’ kind of describes me.”

Laurila: We should touch on your changeup as well.

Kelley: “I’ve been thrown that since since high school. The grip is a pretty standard two-seam circle with the index finger and the thumb. I’m right along the two-seam grip with my middle finger and ring finger.”

Laurila: When in high school did start throwing it?

Kelley: “My freshman year. I was talking with agents, and stuff. It was a good pitch to get hitters off seeing nothing but fastballs; at that time I had maybe just a little bit of a feel for a breaking ball. Fastball/changeup is was what got me through my entire high school [career].”

Laurila: When did scouts and agents first start talking to you and your family?

Kelley: “I think it was maybe my eighth-grade year, going into my freshman year of high school.”

Laurila: Was it hard not to develop a bit of an ego, given the attention you were getting at a such young age?

Kelley: “I mean, you’ve just got to go out there and not worry about that stuff. Try not to get too high on yourself and think that you’re better than everybody else. Just go out there and keep playing.”

Laurila: With ego in mind, you’ve been on pitch counts since joining the organization. Has it been at all frustrating to not get to go deeper in games and to show people what you’re capable of doing?

Kelley: “I’m not too worried about [them] overusing me or underusing me, I just go out there and pitch. They were really strict on pitch limits and keeping us healthy in my first full season, but I see that as a positive thing, too. This year they’re building me up, and I’ll get more innings than I did last year. Last year I was also dealing with some injuries, but I’m good now.”

Laurila: Any final thoughts?

Kelley; “Just that I’m excited. Learn from the first year, and come out the second year and learn a few more things. So yeah, I’m excited for this year.”