One year ago, Merrill Kelly was in a whirlwind.
The ink still drying on his first big-league contract with the Diamondbacks, Kelly was meeting new faces, learning new concepts and trying to coordinate ticket requests for family and friends. Kelly graduated from Scottsdale Desert Mountain High and played for Yavapai College and then Arizona State.
All this made it difficult for Kelly to focus on the task at hand — spring training. But this spring, fresh off a rookie campaign in which he led the Diamondbacks in wins with 13, Kelly feels he can finally focus on preparing for the regular season.