#22 DICK KELLEY
Left-handed Pitcher
What came before: Signed out of Massachusetts in 1959, Kelley was on pace to his the major leagues at an early age, but did not break through unil late in 1964 at age 24.
But he was back in Triple-A in '65 – where he was the ace of the final Atlanta Crackers' team: 11-2, 2.16 in 14 starts, including 10 straight victories. It still wasn't enough to earn a promotion, he'd learn.
That 1966 season: Probably to Kelley's disappointment and anger, he was stuck back in Triple-A again early in the '66 season – and again, he dominated the league with a miniscule 2.08 ERA to go with his 9-7 record. Finally, the Braves believed, and gave him 13 starts out of 20 appearances. He would be one of the league's top rookies with at 7-5, 3.22. Among those wins were two complete game shutouts.
What happened next: The Braves pretty much destroyed any chance of his having a solid career by moving him in and out of the bullpen. He had nine starts in 39 games in 1967 (2-9, 3.77, with one complete game shutout in the mix) and was a mere 2-4, 2.75 (11 starts, 31 appearances) with one more complete game shutout. But the perfect solution came along for a player for whom you cannot find a role: the expansion draft.
Picked by the Padres, he worked a career-high 136 innings in 1969, but despite a 3.57 ERA, he only managed a 4-8 record for the expansion team. He lost a year to arm trouble, and finished his MLB career as a LOOGY in 1971, pitching only 60 innings in 48 games (2-3, 3.47, one save).
In 1991, Kelley suffered a massive heart attack in Northridge, Calif., and died at the age of 51 four weeks later. He had lived in Orange County the previous 10 years, working for a mortgage company and operating a pitching school.
