Roberto Kelly
I'm a big fan of the baseball nomad. Guys who go from one team tot he next over the course of many years. One guy can represent several teams over a career that a collection of his baseball cards will be so varied that it reflects a Power Rangers lineup more than a single mans timeline.
Plus, it makes it more fun to chronicle a players career here when it's not the same one or two teams a dozen straight years.
Enter Roberto Kelly. A potential star when he started in the majors, his career took a hard left turn and he was relegated to obscurity, best known for the man he was traded for and what happened to his former team as a result rather than his own accomplishments.
Kelly was born in Panama and the Yankees saw potential in him when they signed him in 1982. In 1987, after working his way up the system, he got his chance when Rickey Henderson got hurt and he used his 10 on-base to make an impact in his limited playing time.
The Yankees weren't ready for Kelly in 1988 and continued to give him just limited chances to show off. His on-base suffered for it, but the chart reflects that he wasn't settling for walks when he got the advantage.
With Henderson traded away, Kelly was finally a regular in 1989 and he responded with a huge uptick in stolen bases, making him a good top of the order option with his A speed and 11 on-base.
Kelly had a great 1990, with all his stats surging. The Yankees felt they had something special here to compliment Mattingly in the lineup. On-base was solid, speed stays high, and he put the ball in play.
In 1991, the Yankees promoted Outfield prospect Bernie Williams, and this is where Kelly really showed what a bad teammate he was. Feeling threatened by the future Centerfielder, Kelly would prefer to bully and belittle the meek Williams, trying to protect his spot in the field and lineup. There was another problem with Kelly...
In 1992, Kelly's star was as bright as ever. He was named to the all star team for the first time, and he felt he should be counted among the games best players. The truth was, Kelly was a Bobby Higginson: the best player on a lousy team. The reality was he was good, but not great. He was still a poor teammate, not just to the young Bernie Williams, but to everyone when he gave up on the 1992 season when it was clear the Yankees were out of contention. Yankees GM Gene Michael knew he had to do something.
In the '92-'93 offseason, the Yankees traded Kelly to Cincinnati in exchange for Paul O'Neill. The Reds wanted to get younger and have a reliable man in Centerfield, and the Yankees were looking for a strong defensive lefty bat that would grind out every at bat and never quit. Both teams got what they wanted. Kelly was an all star again in '93 and showed the same high on-base and speed card that we've become accustomed to.
Kelly was a fast man, with natural ability, but as his chart shows, he never really took advantage of it and rested on laurels. The year prior, he tried changing his name to "Bobby" which did not go over well and he was back to being "Roberto" in '94, but the Reds, who originally thought they came our on top of the Kelly-O'Neill swap, came to the decision that Kelly wasn't worth the hassle anymore.
While their former Rightfielder was winning a batting title in 1994 with the Yankees, the Reds were trading Roberto to the Braves for Dion Sanders. The Reds at this point may be admitting that they lost the Kelly-O'Neill trade.
The 1995 Braves would go on to win the World Series...without needing Kelly. They traded him to the Expos before the season for Marquis Grissom, who had a Gold Glove season and helped bring the city of Atlanta their first sports title. Kelly, would have a miserable time in Canada...
...and Canada had a miserable time with Kelly, so they too would trade him after just 24 games. The Dodgers got to benefit from his speed and no-walk chart, but the low on-base was proving to be his new-normal.
However, it was in Los Angeles that Kelly would finally reach the playoffs. There, the Dodgers would get swept by one of Kelly's former teams, the Reds...who would go on to lose to Kelly's other former team, the Braves...who would win the World Series but lose the next year to Kelly's other-other former team, the Yankees.
However, it was in Los Angeles that Kelly would finally reach the playoffs. There, the Dodgers would get swept by one of Kelly's former teams, the Reds...who would go on to lose to Kelly's other former team, the Braves...who would win the World Series but lose the next year to Kelly's other-other former team, the Yankees.
For the first time, Kelly's time with a team wouldn't end with a trade, but by free agency. In 1996, the Twins decided to take a chance on the former high-ceiling prospect, and he actually showed hints of that former potential.
...But 1997 came and Kelly regressed to his low on-base ways. In August, the Twins gave Kelly one final trade as they sent him to Seattle.
Arguably a low point for Roberto's career. In Seattle, the Mariners already had someone in Centerfield who was pretty good, so Kelly was pushed aside to Leftfield. But, Seattle would give Kelly his second taste of playoff baseball. Against the Orioles, Roberto would drive in one run and hit three doubles, but the Mariners would fall in four games. After the season, Kelly found himself a free agent yet again.
The Rangers were next in the merry-go-round. For once, a team picked Kelly up without immediately wanting to trade him, but his everyday player status was a thing of the past. Kelly turned himself into a low on-base, high homer threat type of bench option. Also one of the hallmarks he could rely on, his A speed, was long gone and now down to a C.
The 1998 and 1999 Rangers were a high powered offensive force to be reckoned with and would win the AL West both times...and both times run into the buzzsaw that was Kelly's original team, the Yankees, at the height of their dynasty run. As good as the Rangers were in those seasons, the '98 Yankees were one of the greatest ever and the '99 team was just as hungry. Texas and Kelly never stood a chance and got swept both times.
The 1998 and 1999 Rangers were a high powered offensive force to be reckoned with and would win the AL West both times...and both times run into the buzzsaw that was Kelly's original team, the Yankees, at the height of their dynasty run. As good as the Rangers were in those seasons, the '98 Yankees were one of the greatest ever and the '99 team was just as hungry. Texas and Kelly never stood a chance and got swept both times.
There is a Roberto Kelly card in the 2000 MLB Showdown Pennant Run set...but it was with the Yankees, a team he didn't actually play for in 1999. And since there is no Rangers version in that set for Roberto, we'll give him one here. Pretty much the same card as the official set had him, just with the correct team. He also played in 2000 but never got an official card, so we'll correct that oversight as well.
There is no upside to Kelly's 2000 card. Stick to the OG Showdown 2000 PR card.
For his final season, it ends where it began for Roberto Kelly, back with the New York Yankees, but they had no need for him in their playoff push.
The man who he was traded for, Paul O'Neill, would star in Game 1 of the World Series as he grinded out an at bat in the bottom of the 9th to work a walk that would end up tying the game. The Yanks would win in extras.
The man who replaced him in Centerfield, Bernie Williams, would make the catch to clinch the title.
Kelly tried to protect his status as the Yankees Centerfielder against Bernie Williams and the general consensus at the time was the Yankees were foolish in trading Kelly away for the older O'Neill.
Instead those two men were the 3-4 hitters of a dynasty, and playing beyond the 2000 season while Kelly was out of a job. There were comeback attempts for the next few years, but Roberto Kelly was done.
For his final season, it ends where it began for Roberto Kelly, back with the New York Yankees, but they had no need for him in their playoff push.
The man who he was traded for, Paul O'Neill, would star in Game 1 of the World Series as he grinded out an at bat in the bottom of the 9th to work a walk that would end up tying the game. The Yanks would win in extras.
The man who replaced him in Centerfield, Bernie Williams, would make the catch to clinch the title.
Kelly tried to protect his status as the Yankees Centerfielder against Bernie Williams and the general consensus at the time was the Yankees were foolish in trading Kelly away for the older O'Neill.
Instead those two men were the 3-4 hitters of a dynasty, and playing beyond the 2000 season while Kelly was out of a job. There were comeback attempts for the next few years, but Roberto Kelly was done.
