Merrill Kelly was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010, but after four years in the minors, he never made the big leagues and was released after the 2014 Season. Kelly persevered and went to Korea, where he played for SK Wyverns for four seasons, winning a league title in 2018. After that, he gave the Majors another try, and he signed with the Diamondbacks, making the team out of Spring Training.
Kelly became a competent starter, throwing 183.1 Innings with a 4.42 ERA. He only had five Starts in 2020, though had an ERA of 2.59. Although his stats went back to his rookie year in 2022, he rebounded strongly in 2023, with a 13-8 record, a 3.37 ERA, and 177 Strikeouts. Going into 2023, he is one half a nice pairing with Zac Gallen, giving Arizona two arms to build on. They did not do that in 2023, but the bats came alive, leading Arizona to the World Series. For his efforts, Kelly went 12-9 with a 3.29 ERA and 187 Strikeouts. Kelly also had a good postseason, going 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA, sub-1.000 WHIP, and 28 Ks.
After a year that was spent mostly on the shelf, the gritty hurler grinded out in 2025 (9-6, 3.22 ERA) before he was traded to Texas for their playoff run. That stay in Texas was brief, as the free agent signed back with Arizona for the 2026 Season.
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