Roberto Kelly


Roberto Conrado "Gray" Kelly is a Panamanian former professional baseball outfielder in Major League Baseball and current manager of the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican Baseball League. He was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1982 and went on to play for them, the Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers. During his playing days in Panama, he was known as La Sombra, Spanish for Shadow. After his playing career, he managed the Giants' single-A team, the Augusta GreenJackets and later became a coach for the Giants major league team.

Playing career

Kelly was a member of four playoff teams in his career, having helped the Dodgers win the 1995 NL West Division, the Mariners win the 1997 AL West, and the Rangers win the 1998 and 1999 AL Western Division.
He was a two-time All-Star, having been named to the 1992 American League All-Star team as well as the 1993 National League All-Star team.
Kelly also broke up Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dave Stieb's perfect game in 1989 with a 2-out double in the 9th inning.
In 14 seasons, he played in 1,337 games and had 4,797 at bats, 687 runs, 1,390 hits, 241 doubles, 30 triples, 124 home runs, 585 RBI, 235 stolen bases, 317 walks, a.290 batting average, a.337 on-base percentage and a.430 slugging percentage. Defensively, he recorded a.985 fielding percentage as an outfielder.

Coaching career

On November 16, 2007, Kelly was hired as the San Francisco Giants' new first base coach and hitting instructor. As a manager of the Augusta GreenJackets, he gained a reputation for his aggressive approach to baserunning. In February 2008, he told Giants pitchers that he didn't want them to use the fact that they were pitchers as an excuse for poor baserunning.
On January 17, 2018, Kelly was announced as the new manager for the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican Baseball League for the next 3 seasons.

Personal life

Kelly is married to Blanca Kelly, sister of Juan Gonzalez, former Texas Rangers’ Player. He has seven sons, named Roberto Jr., Roberto Bryan, Xavier, Ryan, Johaun, Jacques and Jadrien. He also has three daughters named Charlene, Rhianna and Bianca.