Sometimes things just click. Sometimes they just fall into place. Sometimes good things happen to people who work hard.
All of those things happened to Keury Mella in 2018. The 6’2” starting righthanded pitcher began the season at Pensacola (Class AA) and he had a breakout season for the Blue Wahoos.
Mella was obtained by the Reds in the Mike Leake-Adam Duvall trade, as our current rebuilding process got underway. He’s always had potential but Mella was then bothered by a shoulder issue. Not so this year. Mella posted a 7-3 record and in 85 innings of work for Pensacola, struck out 87 and walked only 31 while posting an ERA of 3.