"When an opportunity comes your way you have to seize it, especially if it means a job in the major leagues. Well, for Roberto Kelly, it's deja vu time in 1989. For the second year in a row, the Yankees are looking for a new center fielder, leaving the door wide open for Kelly.
A product of the Yankees' farm system, Kelly was termed an 'untouchable prospect.' The 24-year-old native of Panama showed what he can do in only 23 games with the Yankees in 1987, and was so impressive he was named the starting center fielder for 1988 when Rickey Henderson was moved to left. His dazzling speed not only makes him a threat on the bases, but helps make him an exceptional fielder.
But on June 28 he injured his left wrist and right knee running into a center field wall, all but ending his season. With Claudell Washington going to California, after taking over the position last year, the ball bounced back to Kelly. So one year later Kelly's back where he started, with a little more experience, trying to help the Yankees as the starting center fielder."
-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook
"An injury-plagued year cut his season short. Roberto began the season on the Yankees roster but was optioned to Columbus on May 21. At the time of his option he was hitting .254 (15-for-59) with five RBIs.
Roberto had three multi-hit games in that time, including two three-hit games: on April 5 against Minnesota, when he started as the Opening Day center fielder and went 3-for-4, and on April 14 at Toronto, going 3-for-4. In that April 14 game, he was 1-for-2 in stolen base attempts, getting caught attempting to steal home.
Following his option, Roberto played 30 games with the Clippers, batting .333 (40-for-120) with three homers and 16 RBIs, and was successful on 11 of 14 stolen base attempts. He was recalled to New York on June 24, and on that day, his first game back, he hit a leadoff home run off Cleveland's Tom Candiotti at Yankee Stadium, his only home run of the year and one of the two leadoff home runs hit by the Yankees in 1988.
He hit safely in his first four games back, June 24-28, and coupled with his base hit on May 17 (his final game before his option), his five-game hitting streak from May 17-June 28 is a career high, with Roberto going 5-for-19 in those five games. In the final game of that streak, against Detroit, he was injured running against the center field wall attempting to catch a triple hit by Pat Sheridan in the 9th inning. Roberto suffered a sprained left wrist and a bruised right knee and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 30. He was transferred to the 30-day DL on July 25 and was activated on September 2.
Roberto made 10 appearances with the Yankees after that, all in a pinch-running or defensive replacement capacity, and did not have any plate appearances due to his sprained left wrist. He recorded a stolen base in each of three successive pinch-running appearances from September 8-11 and scored twice as a pinch runner.
Overall for the season Roberto batted .247 (19-for-77) in 38 games with a home run and seven RBIs, and was successful in five out of seven stolen base attempts- he has outstanding speed.
Roberto signed a contract for the 1989 season.
Roberto spent the first part of the 1987 season with the Columbus Clippers before being recalled to New York on July 29. At that point, he was hitting .300 (121-for-403) in 102 games with the Clippers, with 10 home runs, 54 RBIs, 48 stolen bases and six times caught stealing.
He made his major league debut with the Yankees on July 29 against Kansas City at Yankee Stadium, going 0-for-3 with a run scored and two stolen bases. His first major league hit came on July 30 off the Royals' Bud Black, a first-inning double. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI (his first major league RBI) on August 1 against Detroit. Roberto's first major league home run came on August 6 at Detroit, a three-run homer in the eighth inning off Willie Hernandez; his three RBIs in that game is his single-game high.
Roberto was optioned to Columbus on August 14 after playing 10 games with the Yankees, hitting .300 (6-for-20) with a homer, five RBIs and three stolen bases. He remained with the Clippers until the conclusion of their season, finishing with a .278 batting average (131-for-471) with 13 home runs and 62 RBIs, and was 51 of 61 in stolen base attempts. His 51 stolen bases led the International League, and he was named as the designated hitter on the postseason International League all-star team.
He was recalled to the Yankees on September 10 and had his first big league three-hit game on September 22 at Milwaukee (second game) when he also recorded his first major league game-winning RBI. In his two stints with the Yankees, Roberto combined to play in 23 games, batting .269 (14-for-52) with a home run and seven RBIs, stealing nine bases in 12 attempts and scoring 12 runs in those 23 games. He also had five walks and 15 strikeouts and had four multi-hit games.
Roberto was signed as a free agent by the Yankees (scout Fred Ferreira) on February 21, 1982. In his first pro season he hit .198 at Bradenton in 31 games, and in 1983 batted .265 in 20 games at Greensboro and .216 in 48 games in Oneonta. In 111 games with Greensboro in 1984, Roberto hit .238 (86-for-361) with 68 runs and 42 stolen bases. He batted .247 (103-for-417) in 1985 in 114 games at Ft. Lauderdale of the 'A' Florida State League, had 86 runs along with 49 stolen bases and led that circuit with 13 triples.
In 1986 Roberto batted .291 (87-for-299) in 86 games with the Albany-Colonie Yankees (AA Eastern League) with 11 doubles, two homers, 43 RBIs, 42 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. He was placed on the disabled list on July 10 due to the presence of bone chips in his right ankle and was not activated until August 23. Roberto was named to the Eastern League All-Star team but was unable to play due to his injury.
Roberto played Little League and in 1982 graduated from Instituto Jose Delores Moscote, a high school in Panama City, where he played baseball, basketball and volleyball."
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
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