Kelly was Colorado’s fourth-round pick, 107th overall, in the 2025 draft out of UC-Irvine. The 6’5″ 21-year-old righty starter signed for a $700,000 bonus, about $15,000 below the slot value. Like many other high-ranking Rockies draftees, Kelly was a high school quarterback with good athleticism. In high school, he was considered high enough to be in the top 250 of the MLB Pipeline and to be drafted in the 20th round out of Arizona in 2022 (although he did not sign). His standout feature is a high RPM curveball (3,000+) combined with low velocity to the mid 90s and a decent changeup.
The first few years in college did not go well for Kelly, who threw only 20 1/3 innings with poor results while dealing with a back injury. In his draft year, Kelly started the season in the bullpen for UC-Irvine before returning to the rotation in mid-March. In his second start, he defeated eventual 2025 #2 overall pick Tyler Bremner en route to a season total of 66 2/3 innings with a 3.78 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 9.5 K/9 rate and 4.3 BB/9 rate. Kelly did not pitch in an official game in the Rockies system after signing.
Here’s a look at Kelly after his second campaign in 2024:
Kelly’s fastball sits around 92-93 mph and he can push it up to 96 at times. But his best pitch has always been his curve, especially if he can land it for strikes. It’s a nasty 11-to-5 breaker that was thrown in the 1970s and routinely registers over 3,000 rpm and flashes plus. He has a low 80s change that can also be effective.
Although Kelly’s hitting throws were inconsistent, scouts saw better quality strikes with the move into the rotation. He should be given every opportunity to start, knowing that the fastball-curve combination could be a success if he had to return to the ‘pen.
UC Irvine right-handed Riley Kelly (4) moved from the Anteaters to the rotation this year and thrived, making twelve starts and five relief appearances and lowering his ERA by a run and a half. He’s headed for 96, but he’s more like 91-93, generating a lot of whiffs on his straight 80-85 mph changeup, though his 11/5 curveball looks like it should be his best pitch. He has 45 control now, but if that gets to 50, he’ll be a starter.
If Kelly can drive that hammer, generate some more velocity on the fastball and keep the rotation, he will be an interesting starter. Pending that evidence, I’ve ranked Kelly as a 35+ FV player with some upside and put him at 26th on my list. Kelly will start at High-A Spokane or Low-A Fresno in 2026, likely the latter.
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