Born in Panama City, Panama, Kelly was signed by the Yankees as a free agent in February 1982. He's been a much better hitter in the big leagues than he was in the minors, where he compiled a .260 lifetime batting average."
-John Shea and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1991 Edition
"As a player in the Yankee minor league system, Roberto Kelly brandished talents worth keeping an eye on.
There was the speed on the bases, the skill at the plate, and deftness in the outfield.
The 26-year-old Panamanian enjoyed his finest season as a pro in 1990. Kelly was durable; he played 162 games, joining Roy White as the only Yankee outfielders to ever accomplish the feat. Kelly was productive; he finished the season hitting .285 with 15 home runs and 61 RBIs. He stole 42 bases, third in the American League, including a theft of home plate versus the Toronto Blue Jays.
In the outfield, Kelly ranked 12th in the league with a .988 fielding percentage and finished the season with 39 straight errorless games.
Look for this burgeoning star to once again be the center of attention in 1991."
-The New York Yankees 1991 Official Yearbook
"A consistent player on the 1990 club, Kelly enjoyed a fine season, hitting .285 with 15 home runs, 61 RBIs, 42 stolen bases, playing in all 162 games. He made his first error of the year in game 25 on May 8, breaking a string of 90 consecutive errorless games dating back to July 14, 1989, and played every inning of every game through May 26 (40 games).
Kelly started out hot, hitting .317 with four steals in eight tries in April. He made 17 starts and hit safely in 14 games, with four multi-hit efforts. He had eight hits in his first 21 at-bats, went 0-for-6 over two games and then ended the month by hitting safely in nine straight (11-for-33).
He struck out 10 times and his batting average was .380 when putting the ball in play. On April 17 in Detroit during the second inning, Roberto was caught stealing twice in one inning (once after reaching base safely on an error), becoming the fifth player in major league history to do so.
Roberto hit .280 in May with two home runs and 15 RBIs. He hit .315 over the first 25 games but was 1-for-15 over the final five contests. He played in all 27 games (26 starts) and hit safely in 20. He had trouble with strikeouts, fanning 32 times, yet his batting average was .400 (30-for-75) when he made contact. Roberto's last time over .300 in 1990 was on May 30 (.301) when he went 0-for-4, dropping his average to .293.
He hit a solid .282 in June but his production was down (2 HR, 3 RBI). He was hitting .275 on June 10 but hit .329 (24-for-73) over the final 18 games in June to bring his season batting average to .289.
On June 20 at Milwaukee Roberto had a game-winning, two-out solo homer in the ninth inning off Chuck Crim to give the Yankees a 5-4 win. On June 22 at Toronto, he had the first of two four-hit games.
At the break, Kelly was hitting .286 with 16 doubles, four home runs, 25 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. He hit.275 in July, starting 28 of 29 games, and it was his biggest month production-wise (7 2B, 4 HR, 18 RBI). He cut down on his strikeouts (24) and had a .344 batting average when he made contact.
On July 6 against Minnesota Kelly had the game-winning RBI in the 12th inning to give the Yankees a 5-4 win. On July 29, he had his second career four-RBI game in an 8-5 Yankee win.
Roberto had his best average in August when he hit .320 (6 HR, 11 RBI). He hit in a season best 10 straight games August 18-27 with a .400 average (18-for-45), five doubles, two home runs, six RBIs and six stolen bases, bringing his season average up 10 points to .297.
On August 21 against Toronto, Roberto had two steals including one of home, the first Yankee to steal home since Claudell Washington on September 15, 1988. The following day he hit his first Yankee Stadium home run of the season (off John Cerutti) after hitting his first eight on the road.
Roberto was named American League Player of the Week (along with Dave Parker) for the week of August 20-26. During that week he batted .406 (13-for-32) with four doubles, two homers, five RBIs and six stolen bases. He was the first Yankee to win the award since Don Mattingly (week of July 17, 1988). Kelly capped off August by hitting a home run off Greg Harris at Boston in his final at-bat of the month.
He hit .254 (31-for-122) in September/October. Kelly struck out for the 142nd time on September 24 against Baltimore (Curt Schilling), setting the all-time Yankee strikeout record which was surpassed by Jesse Barfield. He finished the season with 39 straight errorless games. After the break, he hit .285 with 16 doubles, 11 home runs, 36 RBIs and 24 stolen bases.
For the 1990 season, Kelly led the club in seven offensive categories including games played (162), at-bats (641), runs (85), hits (183), total bases (268), doubles (32) and triples (4). He led the club with 52 multi-hit games (tied for fifth in AL) and in two-hit games (38), three-hit games (12) and four-hit games (2). Kelly ranked in the league in at-bats (2nd), caught stealing (tied for 2nd), hits (3rd), stolen bases (3rd), strikeouts (6th) and total bases (10th). He and San Diego's Joe Carter were the only two to play 162 games in 1990; Kelly became only the fifth Yankee to play all 162 games.
He started 155 games (144 in center field, 11 in left) and had three lead-off-the-game home runs (July 29 at Cleveland off Cecilio Guante, August 6 against Cleveland off Greg Swindell, September 25 against Baltimore off Anthony Telford) and had 22 two-out RBIs.
Roberto contributed five outfield assists and ranked 12th in the AL with a .988 fielding percentage.
He teamed with Steve Sax to become the first Yankee duo to each steal at least 40 bases since Birdie Cree (48) and Bert Daniels (40) in 1911. The Yankees became the first club to have two of the top three in the league since the 1975 Oakland Athletics had Billy North (75, 1st) and Bert Campaneris (54, 3rd).
Roberto stole 42 bases in 59 tries, a 71 % success rate. For his career he has 91 steals in 125 tries, a 73% success rate. In 1990, his longest stretch without being caught was nine straight (May 6-12). Roberto stole 35 of his bases (83%) when the Yankees were leading or trailing by two runs or less. He stole third successfully five times in seven attempts.
He is signed for the 1991 season.
Roberto had a career major league average of .256 in two short stints entering 1989 but put together an outstanding season, hitting .302 as the Yankee starting center fielder.
He started the season with a bang, getting his first career four-hit game with a home run (off Juan Berenguer), two RBIs and two stolen bases. Roberto had a five-game hit streak from April 14-19 (8-for-17), getting a two-hit and a three-hit game in that span. He also had a career-high four-RBI game on April 17 at Toronto. For the month, he hit a club-best .329 (24-for-73) and made two errors.
He started out slowly in May, as over the first ten games (May 2-13) he hit .115 (3-for-26), dropping his average to .278. Then, from May 14-20, Roberto hit in seven straight games (12-for-25, .480). He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 26 with a sprained left wrist which he aggravated diving for a ball the previous evening against California and remained on the DL until June 12. He hit .254 for the month of May.
Roberto started playing again on June 14 and hit in five straight (7-for-16), raising his average from .294 to .309. A 2-for-2 effort on June 16 (first game) put him over .300 to stay for the season. Overall in June, he reached base safely in 14 of 16 games, hitting .340 for the month.
July was his best month offensively, with Roberto hitting .349 (30-for-86) with 15 RBIs. He had a four-game hitting streak (4-for-12) from July 5-8 that included a home run off Roger Clemens in Boston. He was hitting .312 with five errors at the break; he committed his sixth and final error of the 1989 season in the third game after the break (July 14, second game). From July 19-26, Roberto hit in eight straight games (11-for-29, .379), and for the month reached safely in 24 of 27 games including the final 13 games.
He continued his torrid hitting in August with a .324 (33-for-105) mark for the month. Roberto hit in a career best 11 straight games from July 29-August 7 (20-for-38, .526), and from July 19-August 7 reached base in 20 straight games while hitting .470 to raise his average from .305 to .341. In Minnesota he went 4-for-4 on August 11 and 2-for-4 on August 12 to boost his batting average to .345, his highest mark since the third game of the season.
Roberto hit .197 (12-for-61) with 15 strikeouts during the rest of August to give him a .324 average for the month. September was his slowest month, as he hit .188 (12-for-64) with three home runs and six RBIs. His post-break average was .291.
For the season, Roberto ranked first on the club in on-base percentage (.369), second in stolen bases (35), second in sacrifice hits (8), fourth in runs (65), games (137) and hits (133), and sixth in doubles (18). He hit .273 (27-for-99) with men in scoring position and was fourth on the club in multi-hit games with 34. Roberto reached single-game career highs in hits (4, twice), stolen bases (4) and runs (4). He hit .316 in day games and .264 at night, .372 against left-handed pitchers and .267 against right-handed pitchers, and .317 at home and .288 on the road.
He stole 35 bases in 47 attempts (74%), bringing his career mark to 49 steals in 66 attempts (74%). He teamed with Steve Sax (43 steals) to become the first Yankee tandem to each steal 30-plus bases since Mickey Rivers (43) and Roy White (31) in 1976.
In the outfield, Roberto contributed nine assists (second on the club to Jesse Barfield) and his .984 fielding percentage ranked 15th in the league. He committed one error after the break (July 14) and ended the year with 66 straight errorless 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 with 68 runs and 42 stolen bases. He batted .247 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 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 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 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 in the majors) 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 was 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 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 IL 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.
In 1988, 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 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 was 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 (making plate appearances in 23 of them, and none after his June 28 injury) with a home run and seven RBIs, and was successful in five out of seven stolen base attempts- he has outstanding speed.
"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."
-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide
A SHINING STAR
"Think about all the things Roberto Kelly can do.
Can he run? Kelly ranked among the league leaders in stolen bases by recording 30-plus steals for the second straight season last year.
Can he hit? Kelly batted .302 in 1989, his first full major league campaign, and was around the .300 mark most of the 1990 season.
Can he play defense? Kelly already compares to the better center fielders in either league.
Last season Kelly displayed his resiliency and dependability through the long haul of the 162-game schedule by playing in every game. He became only the second outfielder in Yankee history to accomplish this feat, joining Roy White who performed the deed in 1973. As of May 2, only Baltimore's Cal Ripken (1,430) and Toronto's Joe Carter (365) had played more consecutive games among active players than Kelly's 180 straight.
'It's really exciting to look and think about the things I can do,' Kelly says. 'I feel I can put some good numbers out there and accomplish some good things.'
Versus the Tigers on April 11, three games into the '91 season, Kelly's words rang prophetic. Although the Yankees went down to defeat 11-5 that afternoon, he displayed the tools of a certain-to-be major league all-star.
After going 1-for-8 in the season's first two games, Kelly broke it into the open in the series finale. In four trips to the plate, he ripped a first-inning 400-foot, three-run homer to make the score 3-0. He later brought home a run on a sacrifice fly, and ended the afternoon with a run-scoring double for a career high five-RBI day.
But the third-year Yankee is not one to rest on his laurels. Kelly, who turned 26 last October, recognizes he is still in the proving stage.
On the whole, the center fielder's performance through the first of May has reflected the slow start of the entire team. His skills now make him the player Manager Stump Merrill will mold his team around.
His outstanding offensive effort in '90 and the diminished power of Don Mattingly gave Merrill the idea of putting Kelly in the No. 3 spot often reserved for a team's best hitter. Mattingly would have the opportunity to see better pitches and Kelly the chance to drive in more runs in the new alignment.
As the third hitter, Kelly went 10-for-42 and had a team-leading 10 RBI to start the season. Speedy second baseman Steve Sax was placed in the leadoff spot and Mattingly would follow. But Kelly was not getting enough opportunities to steal bases and create some offense for a team that was last in on-base percentage in 1990. So Merrill moved him to the leadoff spot on April 23.
Although Kelly's propensity for striking out (148 in 1990) is not an ideal match for a leadoff hitter, his ability to get on base and generate some excitement is a top priority at this juncture of the season. While the leadoff spot is not unfamiliar terrain for the center fielder, it may not necessarily be the most comfortable spot, either.
'I have always been a leadoff hitter, but I don't see myself as a leadoff hitter because I strike out a lot,' says Kelly, who had nine strikeouts in 61 at-bats entering May. 'The team is not winning so if they move me up or down, I don't mind.'
Kelly is already proving he is a wiser hitter. Last year he collected just 33 walks in 641 at-bats. Through 17 games this season, he's already totaled 13 free passes.
'He's a year older, a year more mature and a year smarter,' Merrill adds. 'His best days are ahead of him, and he's a quality player right now.'
'I hit .302 in 1989,' says Kelly, 'and they said, 'It was just a fluke. He's just lucky.' Now when I was hitting .300 against last season they say, 'Maybe he can hit .300. Can he hit home runs?' So I started hitting home runs.'
Kelly reached double figures in home runs for only the second time in his nine-year pro career last season. The only other time he accomplished the feat was in 1987 when he totaled 13 home runs playing for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. Kelly was never regarded as much of a power hitter. He never thought of himself that way, either.
'Honestly, it did surprise me,' Kelly says of the muscle he showed last year. 'I knew I was going to hit some home runs because I felt stronger, but I didn't think I'd have that many and I was surprised at the place I'm hitting home runs. I'm hitting them to right-center.'
But there is a renewed confidence about his ability to hit the long ball. There are no lingering doubts about whether the deep fences at the Stadium are beyond his power range. Kelly predicts he'll top the 15 home runs of last year.
'Hell, yeah,' says Kelly. 'I wasn't even thinking about hitting home runs last year. It was only once or twice where I tried to hit a home run, and I did.' For a right-handed hitter such as Kelly, that's a quite a shot at Yankee Stadium.
'I've learned I have what it takes to hit home runs,' he says. 'I don't have to try too hard to hit them. I know I have the strength to hit some home runs.'
Kelly gained that strength prior to the start of the 1990 season when he decided to begin a weightlifting program. When he reported to spring training he had added considerable bulk to his upper body.
'I did it on my own because I wanted to be injury-free,' he says. 'At the end of the 1989 season, I was kind of tired. I did the weights and it worked out pretty good.
'It shows out there. It makes a difference. I don't recall one day of the season where I felt tired or had to ask for a day off.'
Kelly has set his goal for this season. He is determined to reduce his strikeout total.
'At the beginning of last season I wasn't being selective,' he says. 'I wasn't picking up the rotation of the ball. You realize you will not get too far doing that. I know this year I have to be more selective.'
Kelly noted that his batting average remained high despite the too-frequent strikeouts. 'If I can cut down on the strikeouts, who knows what could happen?' he says.
There is little doubt that Kelly will continue to get better and better. Meanwhile, there are many parts of his ever-expanding game to which he can point with pride. There are two elements, though, that he will always prize above others.
'I've always been proud of my defense. I said defense was No. 1. What got me here was defense and speed, so that's what I talk about.' "
-1991 New York Yankees Scorebook and Souvenir Program
A SHINING STAR
"Think about all the things Roberto Kelly can do.
Can he run? Kelly ranked among the league leaders in stolen bases by recording 30-plus steals for the second straight season last year.
Can he hit? Kelly batted .302 in 1989, his first full major league campaign, and was around the .300 mark most of the 1990 season.
Can he play defense? Kelly already compares to the better center fielders in either league.
Last season Kelly displayed his resiliency and dependability through the long haul of the 162-game schedule by playing in every game. He became only the second outfielder in Yankee history to accomplish this feat, joining Roy White who performed the deed in 1973. As of May 2, only Baltimore's Cal Ripken (1,430) and Toronto's Joe Carter (365) had played more consecutive games among active players than Kelly's 180 straight.
'It's really exciting to look and think about the things I can do,' Kelly says. 'I feel I can put some good numbers out there and accomplish some good things.'
Versus the Tigers on April 11, three games into the '91 season, Kelly's words rang prophetic. Although the Yankees went down to defeat 11-5 that afternoon, he displayed the tools of a certain-to-be major league all-star.
After going 1-for-8 in the season's first two games, Kelly broke it into the open in the series finale. In four trips to the plate, he ripped a first-inning 400-foot, three-run homer to make the score 3-0. He later brought home a run on a sacrifice fly, and ended the afternoon with a run-scoring double for a career high five-RBI day.
But the third-year Yankee is not one to rest on his laurels. Kelly, who turned 26 last October, recognizes he is still in the proving stage.
On the whole, the center fielder's performance through the first of May has reflected the slow start of the entire team. His skills now make him the player Manager Stump Merrill will mold his team around.
His outstanding offensive effort in '90 and the diminished power of Don Mattingly gave Merrill the idea of putting Kelly in the No. 3 spot often reserved for a team's best hitter. Mattingly would have the opportunity to see better pitches and Kelly the chance to drive in more runs in the new alignment.
As the third hitter, Kelly went 10-for-42 and had a team-leading 10 RBI to start the season. Speedy second baseman Steve Sax was placed in the leadoff spot and Mattingly would follow. But Kelly was not getting enough opportunities to steal bases and create some offense for a team that was last in on-base percentage in 1990. So Merrill moved him to the leadoff spot on April 23.
Although Kelly's propensity for striking out (148 in 1990) is not an ideal match for a leadoff hitter, his ability to get on base and generate some excitement is a top priority at this juncture of the season. While the leadoff spot is not unfamiliar terrain for the center fielder, it may not necessarily be the most comfortable spot, either.
'I have always been a leadoff hitter, but I don't see myself as a leadoff hitter because I strike out a lot,' says Kelly, who had nine strikeouts in 61 at-bats entering May. 'The team is not winning so if they move me up or down, I don't mind.'
Kelly is already proving he is a wiser hitter. Last year he collected just 33 walks in 641 at-bats. Through 17 games this season, he's already totaled 13 free passes.
'He's a year older, a year more mature and a year smarter,' Merrill adds. 'His best days are ahead of him, and he's a quality player right now.'
'I hit .302 in 1989,' says Kelly, 'and they said, 'It was just a fluke. He's just lucky.' Now when I was hitting .300 against last season they say, 'Maybe he can hit .300. Can he hit home runs?' So I started hitting home runs.'
Kelly reached double figures in home runs for only the second time in his nine-year pro career last season. The only other time he accomplished the feat was in 1987 when he totaled 13 home runs playing for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. Kelly was never regarded as much of a power hitter. He never thought of himself that way, either.
'Honestly, it did surprise me,' Kelly says of the muscle he showed last year. 'I knew I was going to hit some home runs because I felt stronger, but I didn't think I'd have that many and I was surprised at the place I'm hitting home runs. I'm hitting them to right-center.'
But there is a renewed confidence about his ability to hit the long ball. There are no lingering doubts about whether the deep fences at the Stadium are beyond his power range. Kelly predicts he'll top the 15 home runs of last year.
'Hell, yeah,' says Kelly. 'I wasn't even thinking about hitting home runs last year. It was only once or twice where I tried to hit a home run, and I did.' For a right-handed hitter such as Kelly, that's a quite a shot at Yankee Stadium.
'I've learned I have what it takes to hit home runs,' he says. 'I don't have to try too hard to hit them. I know I have the strength to hit some home runs.'
Kelly gained that strength prior to the start of the 1990 season when he decided to begin a weightlifting program. When he reported to spring training he had added considerable bulk to his upper body.
'I did it on my own because I wanted to be injury-free,' he says. 'At the end of the 1989 season, I was kind of tired. I did the weights and it worked out pretty good.
'It shows out there. It makes a difference. I don't recall one day of the season where I felt tired or had to ask for a day off.'
Kelly has set his goal for this season. He is determined to reduce his strikeout total.
'At the beginning of last season I wasn't being selective,' he says. 'I wasn't picking up the rotation of the ball. You realize you will not get too far doing that. I know this year I have to be more selective.'
Kelly noted that his batting average remained high despite the too-frequent strikeouts. 'If I can cut down on the strikeouts, who knows what could happen?' he says.
There is little doubt that Kelly will continue to get better and better. Meanwhile, there are many parts of his ever-expanding game to which he can point with pride. There are two elements, though, that he will always prize above others.
'I've always been proud of my defense. I said defense was No. 1. What got me here was defense and speed, so that's what I talk about.' "
-1991 New York Yankees Scorebook and Souvenir Program
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