Antwone Kelly

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #7 prospect in 2026
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Average
  
  Adjusted Grade: 40
  
  Track Record: The Pirates have a strong track record of developing under-the-radar arms, and Kelly fit that profile with a breakout 2025. Signed out of Aruba in 2021, he made his stateside debut the following year and steadily climbed the ladder. In 2025, he pitched to a 3.02 ERA over 107.1 innings between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona, striking out 27.2% of batters compared to a career-best 7.7% walk rate.
  
  Scouting Report: Added power across his entire arsenal has unlocked another level for Kelly. Having grown three inches and added more than 60 pounds from his listed weight of 183 pounds, the righthander reshaped his body entering 2025 after an oblique injury hampered him the year before. Those strength gains translated to an additional 3 mph on a fastball that now averages 97, touches 101 and carries well through the zone. He throws it for strikes roughly 70% of the time, showing advanced control, though his delivery isn’t particularly deceptive and produced only average whiff rates. He has solid feel for an above-average upper-80s changeup that has significant vertical separation and induced a whiff in nearly 40% of swings. Kelly’s upper-80s slider shows above-average potential but remains inconsistent, and he shelved his cutter later in the season to focus on slider development. With above-average command and the ability to hold velocity deep into outings, his path to a rotation role depends on refining his breaking ball into another reliable swing-and-miss option.
  
  The Future: Kelly’s velocity spike raised his ceiling. If his slider takes a similar step forward in 2026, he projects as a midrotation starter with the fallback as a late-inning reliever who can overpower hitters. An MLB debut in 2026 isn’t out of the question after he closed 2025 at Double-A Altoona.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 70 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55.