Name Carson Kelly | Role Baseball Player | |
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Carson kelly under armour all america 2011
Carson Franklin Kelly (born July 14, 1994) is an American professional baseball catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Contents
- Carson kelly under armour all america 2011
- Baseball factory top prospect carson kelly 12 3b rhp portland or
- Career
- Personal life
- References
Baseball factory top prospect carson kelly 12 3b rhp portland or
Career
Kelly attended Westview High School in Beaverton, Oregon. In 2011, his junior year, he appeared in a national high school all-star game. He was named the Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year in 2011 and 2012. He also won gold medals in the 2011 World Youth Baseball Championship and an under-18 international tournament. Kelly committed to the University of Oregon to play college baseball for the Oregon Ducks.
The St. Louis Cardinals selected Kelly as a third baseman in the second round and 86th overall selection of the 2012 amateur draft. He signed with the Cardinals, receiving a $1.6 million signing bonus. He began his career with the Johnson City Cardinals of the Rookie-level Appalachian League. He hit .225 in 56 games for Johnson City. In 2013, he was promoted to the Peoria Chiefs of the Class A Midwest League. He struggled with Peoria, and was demoted to the State College Spikes of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League.
In 2013, Kelly and Gary LaRocque, the Cardinals' director of player development, discussed his switching positions to catcher. Kelly agreed to the switch, and began to transition during the 2013–14 offseason. He played for Peoria in 2014, and batted .248 with six home runs in 98 games. He began the 2015 season with the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League. He won the 2015 minor leagues Rawlings Gold Glove Award for catchers and was ranked the tenth-best prospect in the Cardinals system prior to the 2016 season, per Baseball America.
Kelly began the 2016 season with the Springfield Cardinals of the Class AA Texas League. He was selected to the 2016 Texas League All-Star Game and to the 2016 All-Star Futures Game. Kelly was promoted to the Memphis Redbirds of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League on July 11, 2016.
The Cardinals purchased Kelly's contract on September 4, 2016, promoting him to the major leagues. He made his major league debut on September 5 at Pittsburgh, and in his first ever at-bat, hit a line-drive double in the eighth inning, and then scored his first run. After the season, the Cardinals assigned Kelly to the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League (AFL). The Cardinals also named Kelly their 2016 Minor League Player of the Year.
Personal life
Kelly's mother, Traci, is from St. Charles, Missouri, while his father, Mike, is from Chicago. The Kelly family spent two years living in Toronto during Carson's youth. His younger brother, Parker, plays for University of Oregon.