Photo by: Andy Mead
Kelly Battles Adversity for Pro Success
10/8/2019 9:45:00 AM | Baseball, Les Johns
Garrett Kelly joined the Wake Forest baseball team as a catcher and is now excelling in the pro ranks as a pitcher.
A promising senior campaign for Wake Forest pitcher Garrett Kelly was off to a rocky start after being unceremoniously yanked from the hill after missing the strike zone seven straight times during a mid-week outing.
After enduring multiple injuries and transitioning early in his career from catching, Kelly wanted desperately to capitalize on his final collegiate baseball season with the Deacs, so he met with coach Tom Walter to discuss the rough outing.
Walter reassured the hurler, advising Kelly to trust the process and stay out of his own way mentally.
"Things got better from there," Kelly said. "I still had my struggles here and there, but they stuck with me and continued to give me opportunities."
He had to be patient with his own development, much in the same way the Wake Forest coaching staff had been with him throughout his four seasons in the Old Gold & Black.
Kelly has had to apply that same level of both persistence and patience as he begins to navigate the twists and turns to begin his professional baseball career.
"My time at Wake, obviously from a statistical perspective, wasn't the best," Kelly said. "But it was a great opportunity to learn about pitching, and jumpstart that part of my career. I'm always grateful for them that they gave me a chance. At a lot of ACC schools, if you don't produce right away, that's it. They were patient with me and gave me a chance."
With his velocity hitting the low 90s, Kelly was at his best toward the finish of the 2016 season, as the Deacs made a run to the NCAA Regional at Texas A&M.
"We had such a great team my senior year," Kelly said. "I felt like that could have been a Super Regional team, but things certainly didn't go our way at Texas A&M. We had so much talent, and all those guys are knocking on the door of the big leagues now. I hated that I didn't get things more put together for that team, but they were patient and great in my development."
Kelly finished his senior season at Wake 1-2 with a 4.86 ERA, striking out 41 batters in 33 1/3 innings pitched. Walter said Kelly's velocity peaked late in his senior season, primarily because he focused solely on pitching.
"After my senior year, I figured someone would take me as a project in a late round," Kelly said. "When I didn't get drafted at all, it was a bit of a gut-check. 'What are my options?'"
The Minnesota Twins called and offered Kelly an undrafted free agent contract, which he accepted immediately. After a year of mixed success in 2016 with the Gulf Coast Twins in which Kelly finished with a 1-3 record and a 3.67 ERA, the organization cut him on the final day of spring training the following season.
"I'm forever grateful to them," Kelly said. "They gave me a chance to put my name out there."
The following few months were particularly tumultuous for Kelly, who even pondered putting his Wake Forest degree to work instead of focusing primarily on baseball. He ended up playing independent baseball with the Schaumburg Boomers, a Frontier League team close to Chicago. He excelled, going 1-0 with a 1.77 ERA out of the bullpen, before going into training with Driveline Baseball, an organization he first learned about from former Wake Forest pitching coach Matt Hobbs.
After five weeks of training at Driveline, Kelly impressed scouts in the Driveline Showcase enough that he was given a chance with the Chicago Cubs organization.
He played for the Class A South Bend Cubs and Advanced A Myrtle Beach Pelicans in 2018, and stayed at Myrtle Beach the entire 2019 season. Kelly had a 1-0 record with a 2.16 ERA on July 24, but got roughed up a bit in his final two appearances of the season.
"Unfortunately, my last two outings I was dealing with an ailing shoulder," Kelly said. "It was a minor issue that sidelined me the rest of the year. Other than that, I was happy with the way I competed. I was grateful for the opportunity I was given."
Now in Miami for the offseason, the goal for Kelly is to get the shoulder 100 percent and win a job in spring training next season.
"My goal is still to be a big league baseball player," he said. "I have a fantastic agent now, who really goes to bat for me. I'm stoked to be a Cub. Baseball does end eventually for everyone. I'm fortunate to have that Wake Forest degree to fall back on. That was the main reason for going to begin with.
"Every year you have to prove yourself all over again. It's an uphill battle for me, but I knew that signing up for it. I just have to arrive ready to go and let the chips fall where they may. The goal is to make AA."
Walter said it would be foolish to bet against Kelly.
"He was a blue collar grinder," he said. "He was primarily a catcher, but had a really good arm. The hitting never went as we all hoped, and he decided to shift gears and become a pitcher. I think his upside as a pitcher is greater to move up through an organization. Garrett is someone I wouldn't count out ever on anything he chooses to do."
After enduring multiple injuries and transitioning early in his career from catching, Kelly wanted desperately to capitalize on his final collegiate baseball season with the Deacs, so he met with coach Tom Walter to discuss the rough outing.
Walter reassured the hurler, advising Kelly to trust the process and stay out of his own way mentally.
"Things got better from there," Kelly said. "I still had my struggles here and there, but they stuck with me and continued to give me opportunities."
He had to be patient with his own development, much in the same way the Wake Forest coaching staff had been with him throughout his four seasons in the Old Gold & Black.
Kelly has had to apply that same level of both persistence and patience as he begins to navigate the twists and turns to begin his professional baseball career.
"My time at Wake, obviously from a statistical perspective, wasn't the best," Kelly said. "But it was a great opportunity to learn about pitching, and jumpstart that part of my career. I'm always grateful for them that they gave me a chance. At a lot of ACC schools, if you don't produce right away, that's it. They were patient with me and gave me a chance."
With his velocity hitting the low 90s, Kelly was at his best toward the finish of the 2016 season, as the Deacs made a run to the NCAA Regional at Texas A&M.
"We had such a great team my senior year," Kelly said. "I felt like that could have been a Super Regional team, but things certainly didn't go our way at Texas A&M. We had so much talent, and all those guys are knocking on the door of the big leagues now. I hated that I didn't get things more put together for that team, but they were patient and great in my development."
Kelly finished his senior season at Wake 1-2 with a 4.86 ERA, striking out 41 batters in 33 1/3 innings pitched. Walter said Kelly's velocity peaked late in his senior season, primarily because he focused solely on pitching.
"After my senior year, I figured someone would take me as a project in a late round," Kelly said. "When I didn't get drafted at all, it was a bit of a gut-check. 'What are my options?'"
The Minnesota Twins called and offered Kelly an undrafted free agent contract, which he accepted immediately. After a year of mixed success in 2016 with the Gulf Coast Twins in which Kelly finished with a 1-3 record and a 3.67 ERA, the organization cut him on the final day of spring training the following season.
"I'm forever grateful to them," Kelly said. "They gave me a chance to put my name out there."
The following few months were particularly tumultuous for Kelly, who even pondered putting his Wake Forest degree to work instead of focusing primarily on baseball. He ended up playing independent baseball with the Schaumburg Boomers, a Frontier League team close to Chicago. He excelled, going 1-0 with a 1.77 ERA out of the bullpen, before going into training with Driveline Baseball, an organization he first learned about from former Wake Forest pitching coach Matt Hobbs.
After five weeks of training at Driveline, Kelly impressed scouts in the Driveline Showcase enough that he was given a chance with the Chicago Cubs organization.
He played for the Class A South Bend Cubs and Advanced A Myrtle Beach Pelicans in 2018, and stayed at Myrtle Beach the entire 2019 season. Kelly had a 1-0 record with a 2.16 ERA on July 24, but got roughed up a bit in his final two appearances of the season.
"Unfortunately, my last two outings I was dealing with an ailing shoulder," Kelly said. "It was a minor issue that sidelined me the rest of the year. Other than that, I was happy with the way I competed. I was grateful for the opportunity I was given."
Now in Miami for the offseason, the goal for Kelly is to get the shoulder 100 percent and win a job in spring training next season.
"My goal is still to be a big league baseball player," he said. "I have a fantastic agent now, who really goes to bat for me. I'm stoked to be a Cub. Baseball does end eventually for everyone. I'm fortunate to have that Wake Forest degree to fall back on. That was the main reason for going to begin with.
"Every year you have to prove yourself all over again. It's an uphill battle for me, but I knew that signing up for it. I just have to arrive ready to go and let the chips fall where they may. The goal is to make AA."
Walter said it would be foolish to bet against Kelly.
"He was a blue collar grinder," he said. "He was primarily a catcher, but had a really good arm. The hitting never went as we all hoped, and he decided to shift gears and become a pitcher. I think his upside as a pitcher is greater to move up through an organization. Garrett is someone I wouldn't count out ever on anything he chooses to do."
Football Media Availability (10/21/25)
Tuesday, October 21
Wake Forest Head Coach Jake Dickert Weekly Press Conference (10/20/2025)
Monday, October 20
Wake Forest Postgame Press Conference vs. Virginia Tech (Oct. 4, 2025)
Monday, October 20
Coach Jake Dickert Postgame Press Conference vs. NC State (Sept. 11, 2025)
Monday, October 20