Wikipedia

Kenny Kelly

For other people with the same name, see Ken Kelly.

Kenneth Alphonso Kelly (born January 26, 1979) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played in the major leagues for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Cincinnati Reds, and Washington Nationals. He had also been a quarterback for the University of Miami football team.

Kenny Kelly
Kelly with the Washington Nationals in 2005
Outfielder
Born: (1979-01-26) January 26, 1979 (age 45)
Plant City, Florida, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 7, 2000, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Last MLB appearance
October 1, 2005, for the Washington Nationals
MLB statistics
Batting average.286
Home runs0
Runs batted in2
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Early life

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Kelly was born in Plant City, Florida to Shirley, a guidance counselor, and Floyd Kelly, a football coach at Plant City High School and later an assistant principal.[1] His older brothers played college football at Florida A&M and Grambling.[2]

Kelly was able to dunk a basketball in eighth grade and received interest from college basketball recruiters as a child.[2]

Kelly played baseball, football and basketball and ran track at Tampa Catholic High School in Tampa, Florida. As a sophomore, he helped the school to a state championship in basketball and broke a 25-year-old school record in the long jump.[1]

As a junior baseball player, he hit .457 and led Tampa Catholic to a state championship. Prior to his senior baseball season, Baseball America ranked him the 20th-best high school prospect in the nation.[1]

In his three seasons on the high school football field, he set state records in total yards and touchdowns.[1][2] He was described in the Sun-Sentinel in 1997 as "the most prolific passer in the history of Florida high school football." He committed to play college football for the Miami Hurricanes.[1]

Football career

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Kelly redshirted as a freshman at Miami in 1997.[3] In 1998, he served as the primary backup quarterback to Scott Covington and threw for 433 yards and five touchdowns.[4]

Kelly was named the starting quarterback ahead of the 1999 season.[2] Due to his being named the starter, head coach Butch Davis was increasingly pressuring Kelly to focus exclusively on football.[5] Kelly led the team to the number 19 ranking in the AP Poll until he was injured during a game against second-ranked Virginia Tech.[3][6] Freshman backup quarterback Ken Dorsey excelled in Kelly's absence. When Kelly was cleared to return for the 2000 Gator Bowl, Butch Davis told him that, despite a stated policy that players could not lose their starting roles due to injury, Dorsey would be getting the start.[3] Kelly ultimately led the Big East Conference in passing touchdowns and interceptions thrown despite having missed three full games.[7]

Just over a month later, Kelly announced that he would be leaving Miami to focus on his baseball career due in part to the perceived financial security offered by a professional baseball career as well as his worsening relationship with Miami and Butch Davis.[3]

Baseball career

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Kelly was selected in the second round of the 1997 Major League Baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[8] He signed with the Devil Rays for $450,000.[2] He was assigned to the Gulf Coast League to start his professional career.[9]

In February 2000, the Devil Rays restructured their agreement with Kelly and signed him to a four-year, $2.7 million contract to incentivize him to step away from football and focus on baseball. He began the season in Double-A with the Orlando Rays.[5] Prior to the season, Baseball America had ranked him the 100th-best prospect in baseball.[9] He spent the majority of the season in Double-A and led the Southern League in caught stealing with 21.[10]

Kelly was called up to the Major Leagues for the first time early in September 2000, as required by his contract.[11] He made his debut on September 7 against the Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field as a pinch runner for Aubrey Huff.[12][13] He appeared in only one more game that season as a pinch hitter.[12]

On April 4, 2001, the Seattle Mariners purchased Kelly's contract from the Devil Rays, a move necessitated by the club's financial straits; the Devil Rays at the time owed him $1 million.[12][14][15] Kelly spent the following two seasons in Seattle's farm system.[9] Prior to the 2002 season, Kelly was described in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as the Mariners' best outfield prospect.[15] Nonetheless, Kelly failed to reach the Major Leagues with the Mariners and was removed from the 40-man roster following the 2002 season. Seattle re-signed Kelly to a minor league contract in 2003 but sent him at the trade deadline to the New York Mets in exchange for Rey Sanchez.[16]

Kelly finished the 2003 season in Triple-A with the Norfolk Tides.[9] In 2004, he was invited to Major League spring training with the Mets who still considered him a prospect.[17] The Mets nonetheless released Kelly on April 3, 2004. He was picked up by the Cincinnati Reds three days later.[12] Kelly spent the season in Cincinnati's farm system.[9] In November 2004, the club re-signed him to a minor league contract.[18]

On June 12, 2004, Kelly appeared in a Major League game for the first time in nearly five years. In the same game, he recorded his first Major League hit, driving in Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn with a single against Todd Williams of the Baltimore Orioles.[19][20] He appeared in five more games with the Reds before undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus.[19][21] He was activated from the disabled list on July 14, 2005, and appeared in one more game with the Reds.[19][22]

On July 20, 2005, the Washington Nationals claimed him off waivers from the Reds.[23] On September 2, 2005, the Nationals called him up to the majors.[24] Kelly finished the season on the roster and appeared in what would be the final 17 games of his Major League career.[12]

He spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons, his final in professional baseball, in Triple-A with the New Orleans Zephyrs and Charlotte Knights.[9]

Personal life

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Kelly's first child, a daughter named Jeneisha, was born when Kelly was only 16 years old.[17] In 1999, he was paying child support in the amount of $800 per month.[2] By the time he left Miami, he had two children and was married.[15] In 2002, Kelly married Adrian McPherson's first cousin once removed.[25] As of February 2004, he had three children.[17]

After being drafted by the Devil Rays, Kelly bought himself a 1985 Buick Regal with a VCR and monitor in the dashboard. He later bought a 2000 BMW 328i.[2]

In 2001, Kelly started So Serious Records, a hip hop record label.[26]

Kelly received a degree in finance from Alabama State University in 2010 and got a job with Merrill Lynch. Kelly also served as an assistant coach with Alabama State's baseball team while attending classes.[27]

In June 2018, Kelly made his debut as a professional jai alai player. At the same time, he was serving as a part-time assistant football coach at Florida International University.[28]

Kelly has worked as a color analyst for college football broadcasts.[29]

Kelly has a tattoo on his arm of a Miami Hurricanes logo including Sebastian the Ibis.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Mell, Randall (February 4, 1997). "Cream of the Crop". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Perkins, Chris (August 27, 1999). "In Good Hands". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Perkins, Chris (February 10, 2000). "UM's Kelly Chooses to Play for Devil Rays". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "1998 Miami (FL) Hurricanes Stats". College Football Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Gamble, Jumoke R. (April 14, 2000). "Ray of Sunshine". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  6. ^ "1999 Miami (FL) Hurricanes Schedule and Results". College Football Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  7. ^ "1999 Big East Conference Leaders". College Football Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  8. ^ "2nd Round of the 1997 MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Kenny Kelly Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  10. ^ "2000 Southern League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  11. ^ Kahrl, Christina (September 6, 2000). "Transaction Analysis: August 31-September 4, 2000". Baseball Prospectus. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Kenny Kelly Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  13. ^ "Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Cleveland Indians Box Score, September 7, 2000". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  14. ^ Sickels, John (January 3, 2002). "Devil Rays minor-league report". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  15. ^ a b c Hickey, John (March 2, 2002). "Former Miami QB Kelly emerges as Mariners' top outfield prospect". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  16. ^ "Mets trade bypassed Sanchez to Mariners". ESPN.com. ESPN. July 29, 2003. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d Jenkins, Lee (February 25, 2004). "BASEBALL; Life Without Football Means a Life With Baseball". The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  18. ^ "TRANSACTIONS". Kitsap Sun. November 12, 2004. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c "Kenny Kelly 2005 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  20. ^ "Baltimore Orioles at Cincinnati Reds Box Score, June 12, 2005". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  21. ^ "Reds' Kenny Kelly has knee surgery". United Press International. June 23, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  22. ^ "TRANSACTIONS". The New York Times. July 14, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  23. ^ "Notebook: Wood leaves game with stiff shoulder". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. July 21, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  24. ^ Svrluga, Barry (September 3, 2005). "Armas Jr. Is Clueless About Pitching Woes". Washington Post. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  25. ^ Robbins, Josh (October 30, 2002). "FSU QB Set for Debut". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  26. ^ Topkin, Marc (March 18, 2001). "Rays Tales". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  27. ^ Mauney, Matt (August 8, 2013). "Local pro making a difference in hometown". Plant City Observer. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  28. ^ Putnam, Bob (November 1, 2018). "Tampa Catholic-Jesuit is ultimate test of loyalty for the Kelly family". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  29. ^ Reynolds, Tim (September 20, 2018). "Ties that bind: FIU has plenty of Miami people on its side". Associated Press. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
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