Arizona Diamondbacks right-handed starting pitcher Merrill Kelly has been awarded the National League Pitcher of the Month honor for July.
Kelly in six outings for the month had a 1.31 ERA, 0.770 WHIP and 4-0 record across 41.1 innings. He struck out 33 batters while walking only eight, had two appearances with zero earned runs allowed and gave up a combined six in the other four starts.
The 33-year-old was also named National League Player of the Week on Monday for the last week of July.
Kelly made his MLB debut in 2019 with the D-backs. He was picked in the eighth round by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2010 MLB Draft but never found a way to the majors across five years. Prior to the 2015 season, Kelly signed with SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) and went on to pitch there for four seasons.
Arizona signed Kelly in December 2018 and the right-hander is now in his fourth year with the D-backs, and the latest is his best yet. Kelly has a 2.87 ERA in 21 starts and a 1.125 WHIP.