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Merrill Kelly
#
29
Team
AZ · P
Debut
2019 · 8 MLB seasons

Merrill Kelly

Age 37
Contract Value $20,000,000/yr
Size 6' 2" · 202
Throws RHP
Bats Right
From Houston, TX
8-8 W-L
5.12
ERA
1.48
WHIP
5.6
K/9
3.6
BB/9
103.2
Innings
18
Starts
Merrill Kelly season snapshot
Season stats
ERA
5.12
WHIP
1.48
K/9
5.6
BB/9
3.6
HR/9
1.91
IP
103.2
GS
18
W-L
8-8
◆ Pitcher snapshot

Merrill Kelly, a starter for the Arizona Diamondbacks, has worked through an uneven season while trying to stabilize the rotation. The R-hander carries a 5.12 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across 103.2 innings in 18 starts, with a 8-8 record that reflects both flashes of reliability and stretches where traffic on the bases has created problems.

His profile points to a pitcher who has had to navigate contact more than overpower lineups. The strikeout rate sits at 5.64, while the walk rate is 3.56, and that combination can leave a thin margin for error when command drifts or hitters square up mistakes. When he is locating well, he can still move efficiently through lineups, but inconsistency has made it harder to sustain clean outings from start to start.

Recent form:

Recent starts
  • 07/225.0 IP · 2 ER · 3 K
  • 07/175.0 IP · 1 ER · 3 K
  • 07/097.0 IP · 1 ER · 6 K
  • 07/045.0 IP · 2 ER · 6 K
  • 06/286.0 IP · 5 ER · 3 K

Merrill Kelly has pitched to a down trend lately, even if there have been a few encouraging signs mixed in. The recent outings suggest he can still give the club usable innings when his fastball command is sharper and he stays ahead in counts, but the overall run prevention has remained vulnerable when hitters force him into deeper at-bats.

Going forward, the key question is whether he can tighten execution enough to limit baserunners and avoid the big inning. He does not need to be dominant to help this staff, but he does need steadier command and better sequencing to turn competitive starts into more dependable results.

Merrill Kelly ERA trend
Last 6
Earned runs per start
Avg 2.3 ER / start
↓ ERA trending down over recent starts.

Merrill Kelly game log

2026 season
DateOpponentIPHERKBBERA
Jul 22Athletics552313.60
Jul 17St. Louis Cardinals541321.80
Jul 9San Diego Padres731631.29
Jul 4Milwaukee Brewers582623.60
Jun 28Tampa Bay Rays685327.50
Jun 22St. Louis Cardinals673234.50
Jun 16Los Angeles Angels5.11164110.59
Jun 11Miami Marlins642123.00
Jun 5Washington Nationals5674312.60
May 31Seattle Mariners5.182223.53
May 25San Francisco Giants742422.57
May 20San Francisco Giants683404.50
May 15Colorado Rockies941301.00
May 9New York Mets731631.29
May 3Chicago Cubs4.1865313.17
Apr 28Milwaukee Brewers565159.00
Apr 21Chicago White Sox4.11085317.56
Apr 14Baltimore Orioles5.152343.53

Merrill Kelly season splits

Home / away / vs L-R · 2026
Home ERA
ERA7.44
Away ERA
ERA4.67
vs Left AVG
AVG0.289
vs Right AVG
AVG0.293
Merrill Kelly monthly splits
ERA · IP · K · BB · WHIP per month
MonthGSERAIPKBBWHIP
Apr39.2014.29122.25
May63.4938.224101.16
Jun57.3128.114111.66
Jul42.4522.01881.27
Pitch arsenal
Usage and average velocity · 2026
FFFour-seam FB
27.2%92.2 mph
CHChangeup
26.0%88.6 mph
FCCutter
14.4%91.1 mph
CUCurveball
11.7%82.6 mph
SLSlider
10.9%86.5 mph
SISinker
9.8%92.5 mph

Performance vs teams

2026 starts · sorted by ERA

Hot / Cold zones

Opponent results by strike zone area

AVG by zone

  • Zone 01: .231
  • Zone 02: .304
  • Zone 03: .357
  • Zone 04: .308
  • Zone 05: .368
  • Zone 06: .500
  • Zone 07: .243
  • Zone 08: .333
  • Zone 09: .289
  • Zone 11: .158
  • Zone 12: .417
  • Zone 13: .132
  • Zone 14: .163

OPS by zone

  • Zone 01: .643
  • Zone 02: 1.087
  • Zone 03: .714
  • Zone 04: 1.037
  • Zone 05: .974
  • Zone 06: 1.536
  • Zone 07: .684
  • Zone 08: .827
  • Zone 09: .867
  • Zone 11: .767
  • Zone 12: 1.167
  • Zone 13: .371
  • Zone 14: .585

SLG by zone

  • Zone 01: .462
  • Zone 02: .783
  • Zone 03: .357
  • Zone 04: .769
  • Zone 05: .605
  • Zone 06: 1.036
  • Zone 07: .459
  • Zone 08: .510
  • Zone 09: .578
  • Zone 11: .474
  • Zone 12: .750
  • Zone 13: .132
  • Zone 14: .233

OBP by zone

  • Zone 01: .214
  • Zone 02: .304
  • Zone 03: .357
  • Zone 04: .296
  • Zone 05: .368
  • Zone 06: .500
  • Zone 07: .237
  • Zone 08: .327
  • Zone 09: .289
  • Zone 11: .467
  • Zone 12: .417
  • Zone 13: .258
  • Zone 14: .431

earnedRunAverage by zone

  • Zone 01: -
  • Zone 02: -
  • Zone 03: -
  • Zone 04: -
  • Zone 05: -
  • Zone 06: -
  • Zone 07: -
  • Zone 08: -
  • Zone 09: -
  • Zone 11: -
  • Zone 12: -
  • Zone 13: -
  • Zone 14: -

numberOfStrikes by zone

  • Zone 01: 36.00
  • Zone 02: 35.00
  • Zone 03: 25.00
  • Zone 04: 62.00
  • Zone 05: 53.00
  • Zone 06: 38.00
  • Zone 07: 76.00
  • Zone 08: 68.00
  • Zone 09: 58.00
  • Zone 11: 35.00
  • Zone 12: 30.00
  • Zone 13: 102.00
  • Zone 14: 82.00

numberOfPitches by zone

  • Zone 01: 51.00
  • Zone 02: 58.00
  • Zone 03: 38.00
  • Zone 04: 89.00
  • Zone 05: 89.00
  • Zone 06: 65.00
  • Zone 07: 112.00
  • Zone 08: 114.00
  • Zone 09: 101.00
  • Zone 11: 184.00
  • Zone 12: 93.00
  • Zone 13: 297.00
  • Zone 14: 362.00
0.4000.3000.200
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