Red Sox pitcher Trevor Kelley relishes Fenway Park debut

BOSTON --- Six of the last 10 players selected by the Red Sox in the 36th round of the Major League Baseball draft have opted not to sign with the club.

Trevor Kelley was never going to be one of those players.

The side-arming right-hander made his Fenway Park debut with a scoreless inning in Saturday’s 5-1 loss to the Yankees. Kelley was chosen out of the University of North Carolina in 2015 and had actually given up hope of being drafted at all after about the [...]

BOSTON --- Six of the last 10 players selected by the Red Sox in the 36th round of the Major League Baseball draft have opted not to sign with the club.

Trevor Kelley was never going to be one of those players.

The side-arming right-hander made his Fenway Park debut with a scoreless inning in Saturday’s 5-1 loss to the Yankees. Kelley was chosen out of the University of North Carolina in 2015 and had actually given up hope of being drafted at all after about the 20th round or so. All it took was one phone call from Boston to change the course of his life.

“I was just like, ‘This is not going to happen for me,’” Kelley said. “I just wanted a jersey. I just wanted a shot. I didn’t care what it would take.”

Kelley grew up in Barrington and moved to North Carolina prior to his teenage years, relocating to Wilmington with his parents, Greg and Jill. He still counts several family members and friends in Rhode Island, and he had a sizeable contingent on hand to watch him work against New York. Kelley grew up a Boston fan and made his second appearance after debuting against Toronto in July.

“Saturday, 4 o’clock game – you couldn’t write it up any better,” Kelley said. “It was just an overall cool experience.”

Kelley was named an International League postseason all-star at Triple-A Pawtucket this season, going 5-5 with a 1.79 earned-run average and 12 saves. The 25-year-old allowed 51 hits and struck out 63 in 65 1/3 innings. Kelley has pitched to a 2.37 ERA across 171 games in the minor leagues.

“I’ve been one of the more consistent guys, and that’s what I pride myself on,” Kelley said. “I’m not going to walk that many guys and I’m going to be aggressive and I’m going to get quick outs.”

Boston also drafted a future big league player in 2009. The Red Sox selected outfielder MikeYastrzemski out of St. John’s Prep (Mass.) – he opted to honor a college commitment to Vanderbilt and has enjoyed a breakout 2019. Yastrzemski and the Giants will visit the Red Sox for a three-game series Sept. 17-19.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25