Kelly shortened the arm action in his delivery last season when he was moved to the bullpen full time, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports. After moving to the pen, Kelly had a 1.02 ERA and 1.019 WHIP, striking out 21 and walking five over 17.2 innings.
Instead of raring back and seeing how high he could register on the radar gun, Kelly kept his arm closer to his body, an adjustment that led to a more consistent release point and allowed him to stay on top of his pitches. That in turn led to consistent location of those pitches -- a fastball directed to the outside corner, stayed on the corner, and likewise pitches thrown on the inside corner. No longer were his pitches leaking over the plate where they could get hammered. It's a whole new world for Kelly in the pen. He'll be an important setup piece for closer Craig Kimbrel and will get fireman duty in high-leverage, non-save situations.