Atlanta Braves Say Bye Bye Bethancourt

October 2, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Casey Kelly (49) pitches the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Multiple sources say the Braves parted ways with Christian Bethancourt

According too David O’Brien and others, tonight the Atlanta Braves traded former hot prospect Christian Bethancourt to the Padres.

Casey Kelly

Kelly was a the first round selection of the Red Sox in the 2008 draft as a shortstop. He always wanted to be a shortstop and played there in his first game and a couple of times in late 2009 but after throwing a perfect inning on 9 pitches in the 2009 Futures game decided he would remain a pitcher. He’s was a highly ranked prospect from 2009 through 2013 in spite of missing the last half of 2102 and all of 2013 with TJ Surgery. In 2011 Kelly was traded to the Padres as part of the Adrian Gonzales deal.Kelly always seemed to out perform his stuff (pitch up) which included a high 80s- low 90’s fastball with cut and sink, a nice change and a yellow hammer curve. Before his strained elbow turned into a torn UCL he had increased his K rate due to better command and smart use of his pitches

Braves fans may remember Kelly’s major league debut when he threw six scoreless innings allowing the Braves just three hits at Petco in August of 2012. On the day he threw just 87 pitches, struck out four and walked two. He also grabbed his first major league hit as he went one for two at the plate and won the game.

When Kelly returned in 2014 he looked better than before the injury but he made just just four starts in 2014 that season. Even so scouts think all three of his pitches look like plus pitches because he generates so much sink and cut at a mid-nineties velocity that’s hard to lift forcing hitters to beat it into the ground. When they sit too heavily on his fastball he uses big yellow hammer curveball and a well above average changeup.

Last Season Kelly split time between AA San Antonio and AAA El Paso before being called up in September.
As you can see his second foray into the major leagues wasn’t as successful as the first. How much of that was being tired and how much was due to a change in his stuff I don’t know,

Statistics from Fangraphs