ORGANIZATION REPORTS
National League
● A young Reds flamethrower puts his secondaries first in his return from Tommy John surgery PAGE 36
● A Marlins outfielder eschews his family’s football tradition PAGE 37
● Praise for a young Mets pitcher’s arsenal and makeup PAGE 38
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Levi Kelly took the ball just twice, but it was enough to thrust him into the conversation for the title of most eye-opening prospect at D-backs summer camp in July.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound righthander, already one of the club’s more intriguing pitching prospects, showed off electrifying stuff in each outing, tossing a combined five shutout innings with no walks and eight strikeouts.
Kelly spent the 2019 season at low Class A Kane County, posting a 2.15 ERA with 126 strikeouts and 39 walks in 100.1 innings.
The 2018 eighth-round pick did not look intimidated facing a lineup in camp that included established big leaguers Nick Ahmed, Jake Lamb and Carson Kelly.
“His mentality is, ‘I’ve got really good stuff. I don’t care who you are, come hit it,’ ” D-backs assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye said.
Pitching as a starter last season, the 21-year-old sat mostly in the low-to-mid 90s with his fastball. During camp, however, he was routinely in the 95-97 mph range.
D-backs farm director Josh Barfield said Kelly also has shown improvement with his command and his secondary stuff, turning his curveball and split-changeup into weapons to go along with his plus slider.
“Both were kind of non-factors for him last year and now they’re above-average pitches that he’s added to his arsenal,” Barfield said. “He’s gone from a two-pitch guy to a four-pitch guy with a bump in velocity.”
Whether Kelly can hold that velocity over a full season is a question that won’t be answered this year. But if the rest of Kelly’s improvements are here to stay, there likely will be fewer people questioning his future role. Some scouts believe, in part because of some aggression in his delivery, that Kelly is likely ticketed for the bullpen.
“The drive that he has is different,” Barfield said. “He wants to be a starter and a really good one for a long time. I’m never going to bet against somebody with the work ethic and competitiveness that he has. You put his talent with that, that’s a very dangerous combination.”
—NICK PIECORO
ATLANTA BRAVES
Due to unforeseen circumstances, William Contreras was forced into the Braves’ plans far earlier than expected.
During the first week of the season, the Braves were down both their veteran catchers—Travis d’Arnaud and Tyler Flowers—due to them exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. The team turned to youngsters
Alex Jackson—who’d appeared in four career big league games—and Contreras in their absence.
Contreras, the Braves’ preseason No. 8 prospect, looked more ready than expected. After subbing in during his first two games, the 6-foot, 180-pound backstop made his first start on Sunday Night Baseball, collecting three hits in a win against the Mets.
Teammates and coaches have raved about Contreras, who signed
