Boasting a league-best 86% success rate on ABS challenges, the Cubs veteran is pairing elite defensive precision with a resurgent bat to anchor Chicago’s lineup this season.
Carson Kelly has been a difference maker behind the plate this season.
The Chicago Cubs backstopper has arguably been the best catcher at ABS challenges in the early going. It always feels like Kelly is winning these ABS challenges behind the plate.
That has exactly been the case.
Kelly has won 19-of-22 ABS challenges this year. His 86% win rate is tied with Mitch Garver for the best win percentage among all catchers with at least 10 challenges, and nine of those 22 challenges have ended in a strikeout.
The veteran has been very selective about when to use these ABS challenges. He has only challenged 22 pitches this season and has challenged 31 fewer pitches than William Contreras, who leads the league with 53 pitches challenged. Kelly's 22 challenges rank 31st among all catchers.
Despite the limited challenges, there's no denying just how valuable Kelly has been in these situations. He ranks sixth in net overturns versus expected (12.4), first in net runs versus expected (2.4), and tied for sixth in walks eliminated by challenges (3) among all catchers.
On top of Kelly’s impressiveness behind the plate, he has been a consistent force in Chicago’s lineup. He is batting .299 with two home runs, five doubles, and 17 RBI across 32 games this season.
Kelly has done some great things on both sides in the early going. He continues to play exceptional defense behind the dish and has come up in big spots at the plate in recent weeks.
In Friday’s 10-5 win over the Chicago White Sox, the 31-year-old was a big part of the offense. Kelly came through to break an even tie in the fourth inning with an RBI single and brought in another run with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. He also put the game out of reach with a two-out, two-run double in the eighth.
The Cubs catcher went 3-for-5 with four RBI in that victory. Those four RBI were a season-high, and this marked his third multi-hit game since May 1.
Kelly has been a productive bat in the Cubs’ lineup to start the season. He is batting .301 with five extra-base hits and 14 RBI since April 12, and there are reasons to be optimistic about this hot stretch.
The 11-year-old veteran currently ranks in the upper half of the league in xwOBA (.337), expected batting average (.259), average exit velocity (90.5 mph), squared-up rate (31.9%), strikeout rate (16.4%), and walk rate (11.5%).
Given his strong offensive numbers and his high win rate on ABS challenges, Kelly is such a valuable piece of this Cubs team.