We’ve seen plenty of MLB players try their hand at something new after calling it a career. Sammy Byrd found success on the golf course. Drew Henson gave the NFL a run. But using AI to map out your next move? That’s a new twist. And apparently, that’s exactly the route former big leaguer Joe Kelly decided to take.

The former Dodgers pitcher and two-time World Series champ stepped away from the diamond in 2024 and seems to be carving out his next chapter with a little help from ChatGPT. And in true Kelly fashion, the whole thing came with some playful banter, even hinting that he might reconnect with the very first sport he loved as a kid.

Why? Because ChatGPT said so.

“I have been training for the Olympics. I’m gonna be a javelin thrower. I just want to get a bronze medal. That’s it. The Olympics are here in 2028. You know, my arm’s still good. I asked ChatGPT whether Joe Kelly trained hard enough for 2 years and whether he could make the Olympic team by throwing a javelin. ChatGPT said yes. My next goal is to train for the Olympics, throwing a javelin,” Kelly continued the playful banter in a podcast with Cardinal Territory.

Well, this isn’t the first time Joe Kelly has been linked to the javelin.

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He actually comes by it honestly. Growing up in Orange County in the 1970s, his father, Joseph William Kelly, was a standout athlete in football and javelin, eventually earning a scholarship to Vanderbilt University. So we could say the whole “throwing things really far” gene has been in the family all along.

That said, we hadn’t really heard Joe himself talk seriously about pursuing javelin until now. After ChatGPT apparently suggested it as his next move, Kelly seems more than happy to lean into the idea, even joking about making a run at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

And in classic Kelly fashion, he’s keeping it light. He’s not shooting for gold, just a casual bronze.

But here’s the fun part: arm strength isn’t exactly a question. If you remember, back in 2017, his two-seam and four-seam fastballs were among the hardest in MLB, with some pitches touching 102.2 mph. And considering elite javelin throws typically leave the hand at around 60 mph, we have every reason to think he could at least make it interesting.

So yes, maybe ChatGPT really does know what suits Joe Kelly best.

Joe Kelly never lets go of any moment without being playful

It’s not just the triple-digit fastballs that made Joe Kelly a fan favorite, but his mariachi jacket, too.

Kelly famously got the jacket from musician Grover Castro in a jersey swap, and then casually rocked it to the White House after the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series. That alone turned it into an instant piece of baseball folklore. The legend grew so much that the Anaheim Ducks even gifted him a Ducks-orange version of the mariachi jacket!

And here’s the best part! Kelly doesn’t just let anyone wear it. He’s pretty protective of that thing. The only exception? Yoshinobu Yamamoto. “I would let Yama do it,” Kelly joked. That’s the kind of clubhouse personality fans absolutely eat up.

Which is why plenty of MLB fans still miss seeing him on the mound. But here’s the interesting twist: Kelly never officially retired. According to him, he’s not done; he’s just not playing right now. So, when you look at what Max Scherzer is still doing at 41, it’s not crazy to wonder if the 37-year-old Kelly might have another chapter left in him.

With Joe Kelly, you just never know.