St. Louis Cardinals: Carson Kelly finally receives his due

The St. Louis Cardinals are set to announce the promotion of Carson Kelly to the big league team this weekend against the Cubs.

Late last night, Cardinal Nation received the only bit of news that could take away the sting of a disappointing road trip so far.  The number one catching prospect in all of MLB is on his way to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Carson Kelly, who has nothing left to prove in triple-A, will finally be a member of the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend. If you’re Kelly, there isn’t a better time to be called up. The Cardinals are set t take on the Chicago Cubs in a critical three game series starting Friday.

Before his call up, Kelly had a strong season for the Memphis Redbirds. Through sixty-eight games, Kelly batted .283 with ten home runs and forty-one RBI. His OBP, SLG, and OPS were .375, .459, and .874 respectively.

One thing important to note is recent comments made by John Mozeliak. The President of Baseball Operations made it very clear that once Kelly arrived, he would play. It will be very interesting to see how the St. Louis Cardinals manage Kelly’s playing time.

I don’t think he will take starts away from Yadier Molina, outside from the day games after night games, but could Kelly get starts elsewhere on the field? There were talks of him potentially playing third base, and someone in Memphis went on to describe Kelly as the best hands on the team.

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I don’t expect Kelly to be moved around much, but I won’t deny the possibility of it happening  to get him some at-bats.

If there is one thing I, and probably most of Cardinal Nation, don’t get, it’s the timing of his call up.

Why now? The St. Louis Cardinals could have used Kelly in so many other situations this season. I’m sure if you asked Kelly a month or two ago he would tell you he was ready then as he is now. However, the question, “Why now?,” still remains.

There are a couple of guesses. The first being the St. Louis Cardinals actually have a desire to win games, no offense to Eric Fryer. The second is his MLB clock. The Cardinals have now maximized his control and see no reason to keep him down. Lastly, and most unlikely, Kelly is auditioning to be traded.

I’ll say it again so it’s clear, the Cardinals won’t trade Kelly. My guess is speculation. The only team the Cardinals have talked to in trades that would make sense for Kelly is Toronto in the event of a swap for Donaldson. However, given the state the Cardinals find themselves in, I’m not banking on it.

Let’s keep it real. Kelly is here because the St. Louis Cardinals are a better team with him than without. He is a better backup to Molina than Fryer, both defensively and offensively. If the message is Kelly will play, then expect him on the field this weekend against the Cubs.

Next: Trade rumor update

Regardless of why now, it’s great to see Carson Kelly with the team. As I said, the Cardinals are a better team with him. He will get his opportunities, so fans, be patient. My guess is he gets the start tomorrow night or Sunday night.