ICYMI Elliott: Cards Carson Kelly was a Canadian (peewee) champ

Carson Kelly, a Markham Mariner in 2007, was promoted to the St. Louis Cardinals from triple-A Memphis where he played for manager Stubby Clapp (Windsor, Ont.) on Friday, joining the Cards at Wrigley Field in Chicago. He hit a two-run double off the top of the fence in the Cards nine-run eighth, barely missing a grand slam.

Orifinally published, Sept. 7, 2016

By Bob Elliot
Canadian Baseball Network
Before Ontario played its first game at the 2007 Canadian peewee championships coach Bill Byckowski was emphatic:

“Look, we may have hit 28 homers in our first 50 games ... but they were mostly on peewee diamonds, now we’re playing on bantam fields,” Byckowski told his players before the opener against New Brunswick. “Don’t try to hit home runs. Hit line drives.”

Byckowski’s theory held up for all of six hitters at Fargy Field in Quebec City. That’s when catcher Carson Kelly, a Georgetown Eagles pick up from the Markham Mariners, stepped to the plate and went the other way for a two-run homer into the right-field screen putting Ontario up 3-0.

Four innings later Kelly hit an inside-the-park homer to straightaway centre facing Travis Harris. As the Ontario team made its way back to home plate from congratulating Kelly there was a sad sight: coach Jim Ridley seated glumly on the bench.

“What’s wrong? I left my book back at the hotel, I have to write that kid up, he’s going to be a player,” said Ridley, who doubled as a Minnesota Twins scout when he was not fixing pitching and hitting mechanics of the 12-year-olds.  

The keen-eyed Ridley was ahead of his time as usual. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Kelly in the second round in 2012 and this week as the rosters expanded Kelly was promoted from triple-A Memphis and Kelly made his debut Monday night at PNC Stadium taking over for Yadier Molina in the seventh with the Cardinals ahead 10-4. Kelly led off the eighth and doubled to centre off Antonio Bastardo, later scoring on a Randal Grichuk double.

This season Kelly was hitting .289 with 17 doubles, six homers and 32 RBIs in 96 games at Memphis and double-A Springfield.

Away back in 2007, Kelly wound up with a perfect day in the opeener and a welcome-to-the-team line of:
AB R H RBI

4    2    4    5

The five RBIs were more than enough as he put down all the right fingers in calling a shutout. Starter Bradley Bedford, who pitched four innings and Zack Sardellitti who worked three combining on a two-hitter. Bedford struck out nine, Sardellitti five. Kelly threw out a runner at third in the fourth inning. 

After a 1-2-3, get-the-jitters-out-of-the-way first, Ron Stewardson led off the second with a single to centre on a 1-0 pitch and scored when Adam Anderson doubled to left on a 3-2 pitch. Kelly then went deep into the screen for his two-run shot on the first pitch he saw.

Anderson walked and scored on his roommate Kelly’s second rocket, a drive over the centre fielder’s head for an inside-the-park two-run blast. Luke Sinclair doubled, Anthony Marra took over on the bases advanced on a Mark Jankowski single and scored on a Sardellitti single to make it 6-0.

Kyle Hann opened the seventh with a double and Anderson walked. Kelly then doubled home Hann and Anderson scored on a Marra ground ball.

“Hitting a home run in my first at bat was something special,” Kelly said post game. “I was so happy to help my new team and the greeting at home plate and in the dugout made me feel like I was part of the G-Town family.” 

Among the amazed like Ridley was centre fielder Mark Jankowksi, a future first-round pick of the Calgary Flames, who said “When Carson was up for the first time, he hit a home run on the first pitch, opposite field, way over, when he did that I knew we had a really good chance of winning the championship.” 

After Georgetown won the eliminations in Whitby catchers worked on blocking balls in the dirt. The season had been played with short screens -- not a lot of room to advance. The catchers tried blocking and then it was Kelly's turn.

It was impossible to get a ball past him. "Where did you learn that?" one coach asked. Kelly answered The Baseball Zone where he was taught by Rick Johnston, Wayne Forman and Ryan Armstrong.

Tourney organizers selected Kelly as the offensive player of the game.

And at the conclusion Kelly, from Portland, Oregon, whose father was re-located to Toronto for two years when he worked for NIKE, was presented the Catcher of the Tournament honors. The award was a new set of catching gear ... made by Wilson Sporting Goods.

Also honored after Ontario beat Quebec 5-1 in the goal medal game as the best infielder was Saskatchewan’s Cole Bauml.

Linescore
                123 456 7        R  H   E
Ontario         030 003 2   --   8  9   5
New Brunswick   000 000 0   --   0  1   1
Battery: Brad Bedford, Zackary Sardellitti and Carson Kelly; Zackary Matthew Bursey, Travis Harris (5), Shawn Gallant (7).  

Ontario 8, New Brunswick 0
     ab    r    h    bi         ab    r    h    bi
Ontario New Brunswick

Byckowski, Tom ss    4    0    0    0    Small, Kent ss    3    0    2    0
Bedford, Brad p-lf    3    0    0    0    Dickson, Cody 2b    3    0    0    0
(b5) Sardellitti, Zackary pr    1    0    1    1    Bursey, Matthew p-c    3    0    0    0
Hann, Kyle 2b    4    1    1    0    Harris, Travis c-p-1b    2    0    0    0
Stewardson, Ron rf    3    1    1    0    (b7) Slader, Sean pr-1b    0    0    0    0
(b6) Hoover, Adam rf    1    0    0    0    Thomas, Devan 1b    2    0    0    0
Anderson, Adam 1b    2    3    1    1    (b6) Gallant, Shawn p-1b    1    0    0    0
Kelly, Carson c    4    2    4    5    Loparco, Michael rf    0    0    0    0
Sinclair, Luke 3b    3    0    1    0    (b7) Tobias, Evan rf    1    0    0    0
(t6) Mara, Anthony pr-3b    1    1    0    1    Galbraith, Sean lf    2    0    0    0
Jankowski, Mark cf    2    0    1    0    McGrath, Joshua cf    2    0    0    0
(b6) Leff, Kalev pr-cf    1    0    0    0    Arwood, Brad 3b    1    0    0    0
Courvoisier, Mike lf    1    0    0    0    Sullivan, Morgan rf    1    0    0    0
(t5) Palumbo, Jonathan lf    1    0    0    0    Legere, Mark rf    1    0    0    0
TEAM TOTALS    31    8    10    8    TEAM TOTALS    22    0    2    0

E: Thomas, Devan. LOB: New Brunswick 3, Ontario 6. 
2B: Hann, Kyle, Kelly, Carson, Anderson, Adam, Sinclair, Luke. HR: Kelly, Carson (2). SB: Sardellitti, Zackary (2), Anderson, Adam, Courvoisier, Mike, Jankowski, Mark, Kelly, Carson. CS: Small, Kent. 

Ontario    IP    H    R    ER    BB    SO
Bedford, Brad W    4.00    1    0    0    0    9
Sardellitti, Zackary S    3.00    1    0    0    2    5

New Brunswick                              
Bursey, Matthew L    4.00    4    3    3    1    6
Harris, Travis    2.00    4    3    3    2    4
Gallant, Shawn    1.00    2    2    2    2    2