"Kelly should make a stronger showing after an injury-plagued first full season in the big leagues. He was disabled from April 21-May 7 with a sprained ligament in his left thumb. He started only once in the final 15 games due to inflammation in his right knee. Kelly did ease doubts about his offense by batting .254 in 56 games after the All-Star break and batted .271 from July 24 on.
An excellent second baseman, Kelly has great range. He turns the double play extremely well.
Born October 14, 1967, in Philadelphia, he was the Yankees' ninth round choice in the 1988 draft."
-Tony DeMarco (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram) and Tom Pedulla (Gannett Newspapers), The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1993 Edition
"Second baseman Pat Kelly had every reason last year to pack his bags and go home. In his first full year in the majors in '92, the 25-year-old infielder got off to a slow start at the plate and an injury impeded his short-term development. In addition, his replacement, Andy Stankiewicz, came off the bench, played extremely well, and became a crowd favorite.
Kelly did not hang his head. Instead, he persevered and finished the season with an offensive flourish that should set the tone for 1993. His personal credo summarizes his confident makeup.
'The strong survive and the gutless fall by the wayside,' Kelly said as the '92 season terminated.
No one questions the third-year Yankee's defensive abilities. The Yankees traded away All-Star second baseman Steve Sax to make room for the promising Kelly. His level of success in the majors will depend heavily on his offensive output.
'When I was in the minor leagues they said the better I hit, the higher I would go. Now, the better I hit the longer I will stay in the big leagues,' he adds."
-The New York Yankees Official 1993 Yearbook
"In 1992, his first full year in the majors, Pat hit .226 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs over 106 games.
In a tough start to the season, he hit .200 in April playing in just 12 games. In an April 20 game against Cleveland, he sprained his left thumb diving for a Carlos Baerga base hit. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 21. Pat played two games in Albany on injury rehabilitation before being activated on May 7.
From May 8-15 over six games, he hit .438 (7-for-16), raising his batting average from .182 to a season best .265. Overall he hit .273 in May and was hitting .250 for the season at the end of the month.
Pat had a tough June, hitting .100 (3-for-30). He went hitless in his final 17 at-bats prior to the break, bringing his average down to .195 (3 HR, 9 RBI). He ended July by getting 12 hits in his final 46 at-bats (.261).
He had a very strong August, hitting .294 (3 HR, 11 RBI). From August 16-22, Pat hit .440 (11-for-25) while raising his average from .205 to .230. He had his fourth career three-hit game on September 1 at Milwaukee.
Pat's average was at .239 on September 8, but he finished the season with three hits in his final 29 at-bats. He did not play in the final nine games and only once in the last 15 games, as he suffered from inflammation in his right knee. He hit .279 over his final 32 starts and .254 in the second half of the season.
For the season Pat led the club with 10 hit-by-pitch, tied for sixth in the AL, the most by a Yankee since Don Baylor in 1985 (24). He had a team leading eight bunt base hits plus eight infield hits. He finished with seven home runs, his second best professional total (8 in 1990 for Albany-Colonie).
31 of his 72 hits went for extra-base hits, the best ratio on the team. He hit .228 against left-handers, .225 against righties. He batted ninth in 96 of his 98 starts and reached base safely to begin an inning 24 of 77 times. He had 15 multi-hit games.
Pat finished with a .978 fielding percentage, making 11 errors in 510 chances. He made seven errors in his final 86 games.
He signed a contract for the 1993 season.
In 1991, making his debut at the AAA level with the Columbus Clippers, Pat was named the Jack Butterfield Player of the Month for April, hitting .360 with 13 runs over 14 games. He was recalled by the Yankees on May 19. At the time he was hitting .336 (39-for-116) with nine doubles, two triples, three home runs, 19 RBIs, eight stolen bases and 27 runs over 31 games. Though a natural second baseman, Pat made an immediate impact on the team by filling a void at third base for the remainder of the season.
He made his major league debut on May 20 at Cleveland as a second baseman and his first five starts were at second. His first major league hit came in his seventh at-bat, on May 22 at Cleveland, a two-run double off Tom Candiotti. Pat hit safely in four straight games (May 22-26), going 5-for-16 with four doubles. He played third base for the first time on May 26 at Baltimore.
Pat started 23 of the club's 27 games in June and hit .260 for the month, including 22 at third. He hit two home runs in 11 at-bats over three games: on June 7 against Texas off Kenny Rogers (solo) and on June 9 against Texas off Goose Gossage- an 8th inning two-run game-winning blast. Over a seven-game period from June 7-14, Pat hit .400 (10-for-25). On June 15 at Texas, he was hit on the right wrist by a Kevin Brown pitch in the second inning and missed the rest of that game plus three more games with a bad bruise. Pat hit .200 (7-for-35) for the rest of June.
His batting average reached a season high of .258 at the break. Pat's third homer came on Old-Timers' Day on July 27 off Mike Fetters of California. He started 24 of the club's 26 games in July.
Pat started August with a season-long five-game hitting streak. He left the game of September 14, against Boston, with stiffness in the lumbar area of his back and did not play the rest of the season, missing 21 games.
For the '91 season, Pat had the club's best success rate in stealing bases, with 12 steals in 13 attempts (92%); he led the majors in success rate among players with at least 12 steals. He was one of four Yankees to steal 10 bases (with Steve Sax, Roberto Kelly and Bernie Williams), the first Yankee quartet to steal 10 bases each since 1985. He tied Williams for the club lead in triples (4).
Pat started 91 games, 77 at third base and 14 at second base. When he started at second he hit .286 (12-for-42) and when he started at third he hit .238 (60-for-252). When he scored a run the Yankees were 19-10.
Pat was drafted by the Yankees in the 9th round of the June 1988 free agent draft. He was signed by Yankee scout Joe DiCarlo. That season he spent his first year in professional baseball at Class-A Oneonta and hit .327 and stole 25 bases. Drafted as a shortstop, he was converted to a second baseman by manager Gary Allenson. Pat was named to the New York-Penn League All-Star team as the starting second baseman and helped lead Oneonta to the league championship.
In 1989 he played in 124 games at Class-A Prince William and hit .266 with 21 doubles, seven triples, three home runs and 45 RBIs and stole 31 bases. He was named as the starting second baseman on the Carolina League All-Star team and helped lead Prince William to the league championship. Pat led the league in triples (7) and led second basemen in assists (367) and double plays (67).
In 1990 Pat spent his third season in professional baseball at AA Albany and hit .270 with 19 doubles, six triples, eight home runs and 44 RBIs. He had 31 stolen bases for the second straight season, finishing fourth in the Eastern League. Pat hit .291 at home and .255 on the road. He had a .970 fielding percentage, making six errors in 667 total chances and participating in 97 double plays.
His best monthly batting average was in June, as he hit .346 with 16 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Named the starting second baseman on the Eastern League All-Star team, Pat excelled in postseason competition, hitting .412 (7-for-17) over five games.
Pat attended West Chester University where he was a four-year letterman in baseball. He was also a regional All-American and was named a first-team shortstop on the ECAC All-Star team. He attended Catasauqua High School (PA) where he was All-State in baseball and All-League in basketball and football. He played Little League and American Legion ball.
Pat enjoys golf, music, basketball and tennis. He participates in many off-season charity events in the tri-state area."
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
Named to New York-Penn League All-Star Team (2B), 1988.
Led Carolina League in triples (7), 1989.
Led Carolina League second basemen in assists (372), 1989.
Tied for lead among Carolina League second basemen in total chances (671), 1989.
Led Carolina League second basemen in double plays (76), 1989.
Named to Carolina League All-Star Team (2B), 1989.
Led Eastern League second basemen in putouts (266), 1990.
Led Eastern League second basemen in assists (381), 1990.
Led Eastern League second basemen in total chances (667), 1990.
Led Eastern League second basemen in double plays (97), 1990.
Led Eastern League second basemen in errors (20), 1990.
Named to Eastern League All-Star Team (2B), 1990.
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
Patrick Franklin Kelly "PK" "Pat" (2B) #14
Born October 14, 1967, in Philadelphia, PA, resides in Clearwater Beach, Florida. Height: 6-0, weight: 182. Bats right, throws right. Attended West Chester State University.
Major league service time: 1 year, 140 days. Opening Day Age: 25.
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
