Rangers Top 30 Prospect Wraps: Antoine Kelly

The Texas Rangers traded for Antoine Kelly in August and sent him to Frisco to help the RoughRiders win a Texas League title.

InsidetheRangers.com will review each of the Texas Rangers’ Top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB.com at the end of the 2022 season.

No. 13: LHP Antoine Kelly, Frisco RoughRiders (Double-A)

Statistics for 2022: Kelly went 2-4 with a 4.43 ERA in 26 appearances (24 starts). He pitched 109 2/3 innings. He gave up 72 hits, 59 runs (54 earned), six home runs and 71 walks. He had 143 strikeouts. Opponents hit .189 against him and he had a 1.30 WHIP.

Season Transactions: Kelly started the season with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. He played in the MLB Futures game on July 7. The Rangers acquired Kelly and infielder Mark Mathias from the Milwaukee Brewers on Aug. 2. The Rangers assigned Kelly to High Class-A Down East on Aug. 2 and promoted him to Frisco on Aug. 7.

Season Summary: In two minor league seasons, 2019 and 2021, he threw just 51 innings. His innings load doubled in 2022, and while his ERA didn’t quite respond, his strikeout volume and opponent batting average showed that the live arm that he had in college made it through his 2020 health issues. Kelly recorded all of his decisions with the Timber Rattlers, the Brewers’ High Class-A team. Frisco served as a promotion for Kelly after the trade. Kelly started five games and played in seven, throwing just 18 2/3 innings. His strikeout-to-walk ratio wasn’t great (24 strikeouts to 19 walks) but his opponent batting average remained under .200. He was with the RoughRiders as they made their run to the Texas League crown.

Path Through the Organization: Kelly could have been a San Diego Padre, had he signed with them out of high school after being a 13th-round pick. Kelly opted to go to Wabash Valley (IL) CC, where he had such an eye-popping strikeout-per-nine-inning rate (19.1) in 2019 that the Milwaukee Brewers made him a second-round pick. Kelly had thoracic outlet surgery in November 2020, worked his way through the Brewers’ organization and was considered the centerpiece of the trade that sent Matt Bush from the Rangers to the Brewers.

What’s next: Kelly should start next season at Frisco. His arm speed and his opponent batting average may lend Kelly to being a reliever at the Major League level. But he projects as a starter for the RoughRiders next season.

2022 Texas Rangers Top 30 Prospect Wraps:

No. 30: Josh Stephan | No. 29: Mason Englert | No. 28: Marc Church | No. 27: Danyer Cueva | No. 26: Alejandro Osuna | No. 25: Zak Kent | No. 24: Dane Acker | No. 23: Avery Weems | No. 22: Emiliano Teodo | No. 21: Jonathan Ornelas | No. 20: Gleider Figuereo | No. 19: Thomas Saggese | No. 18: Maximo Acosta | No. 17: Mitch Bratt | No. 16: Ricky Vanasco | No. 15: Yeison Morrobel | No. 14: Tekoah Roby |

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