| Don Kelly | |
|---|---|
 Kelly with the Detroit Tigers in 2010 | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates – No. 12 | |
| Utility player /Manager | |
| Born: (1980-02-15)February 15, 1980 (age 45) Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 2, 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 27, 2016, for the Miami Marlins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .230 |
| Home runs | 23 |
| Runs batted in | 98 |
| Managerial record | 54-63 |
| Winning % | .476 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
Donald Thomas Kelly (born February 15, 1980) is an American former professionalbaseballutility player andcoach who is themanager for thePittsburgh Pirates ofMajor League Baseball (MLB).[1] He played in MLB for the Pirates,Detroit Tigers, andMiami Marlins. Kelly played every position on the field in the major leagues, includingpitcher. Over the course of his career, he mainly played theoutfield andthird base.
Kelly was born inButler, Pennsylvania, and played baseball at suburbanMt. Lebanon High School; in his senior year the team won the Class AAA state title. At Mt. Lebanon, he regularly alternated between the two middle infield positions withJosh Wilson, another future Major League player.[2]
He was not then considered a "draftable" player and attendedPoint Park University, aliberal arts college indowntown Pittsburgh. Over three seasons he batted .413 and struck out just 20 times in over 500 at-bats.[3]
In the summer of 2000 Kelly played for thePetersburg Generals of theCoastal Plain League, a collegiate summer league.[4] Kelly's collegiate performance prompted interest from major league teams and theDetroit Tigers drafted him in the eighth round (237th overall) of the2001 Major League Baseball draft.[5] Detroit assigned him to the Low-AOneonta Tigers in theNew York–Penn League, where he batted .286 and struck out sixteen times—second lowest in the league. The next year Detroit promoted him to the Single-AWest Michigan Whitecaps in theMidwest League. Kelly was named the startingshortstop for the Eastern All-Stars in the league's mid-season All-Star game.[3]
Kelly's versatility was first put to the test at the professional level when he was with the High-ALakeland Tigers in 2003. He shifted tothird base whenAnderson Hernández replaced him at shortstop. Kelly eventually spent more time atfirst andsecond base afterRyan Raburn took over at third.[2] Kelly got off to a strong start: by mid-June his .363 average led theFlorida State League and the localLedger described him as a "slugger."[6] Although his average eventually cooled to .317, Detroit promoted him in mid-season to the Double-AErie SeaWolves, where he joined future brother-in-law Matt Walker (brother of former Major League infielderNeil Walker).[7]
In 2004 Detroit invited Kelly tospring training, and in his first at-bat in a spring training game Kelly hit a home run against thePittsburgh Pirates.[8] On March 17, Detroit optioned Kelly back to Erie, but he missed most of the season with an injured shoulder.[9] Kelly returned to Erie in 2005 and picked up where he had left off, hitting .340 over 82 games.Baseball America named Kelly the best-hitting prospect in theEastern League. On June 30, Detroit promoted him to the Triple-AToledo Mud Hens of theInternational League, one step away from the majors.[10][11]
Kelly played in 43 games for the Mud Hens in 2005 and batted .250, a tenure partially interrupted by a groin injury. Commented Mud Hens managerLarry Parrish: "Hitting-wise, there's been a little bit of an adjustment for him here...He tore up Double-A, and here he's done alright. He's holding his own. But it's his first year here, and he's still going through a learning process."[4] In the off-season Kelly played for theMesa Solar Sox of theArizona Fall League.[12] In 2006 Kelly almost made the Major League team out of spring training but instead returned to Toledo. Detroit managerJim Leyland said "When push came to shove, he ran into a numbers game." At Toledo Kelly's numbers fell off; Detroit demoted him to Erie after hitting .228. At Erie his numbers improved to .272, but at the end of the season Detroit removed Kelly from their 40-man roster, making him a free agent.[13]
ThePittsburgh Pirates, Kelly's hometown team, signed him to a minor league contract on December 14, 2006.[14] He made the Major League team as a utility player, filling in at second base, shortstop, andleft andright field.[2] His major league debut came on April 2, 2007, in a season-opening 4–2 victory over theHouston Astros atMinute Maid Park. As a pinch hitter forDámaso Marte, Kelly popped out to the shortstop to end the Pirates half of the ninthinning. He finished the game at second base.[15]
Kelly played sparingly, amassing 27 at-bats over 25 games and hitting .148, before Pittsburghdesignated him for assignment on June 12 to make room forDan Kolb.[16] Kelly cleared waivers and joined the Triple-AIndianapolis Indians on June 23. Kelly finished out the season with Indianapolis, batting .247 and playing both shortstop and in the outfield. Pittsburgh granted Kelly free agency at the end of the season.[17]
Kelly signed a minor league contract with theArizona Diamondbacks and spent the entire 2008 season with the Triple-ATucson Sidewinders, where he batted .275 but never made it with the major league club and was granted free agency at the end of the season.
In 2009, Kelly signed a minor league contract with an invitation tospring training with the Tigers.[18] Following spring training Kelly rejoined the Mud Hens, with whom he had last played in 2006. On June 11, 2009, the Tigers called Kelly up to the Major League club to replace outfielderClete Thomas.[19] Kelly played his first game for Detroit against thePittsburgh Pirates, his former club. After going hitless in his first game, he hit a two-RBI single and a double against Pittsburgh, obtaining his first major league extra base hit and RBIs.[20]
On October 1, 2010, Kelly hit a home run in both games of a doubleheader against theBaltimore Orioles.[21]
On July 24, 2011, Kelly was pranked byJustin Verlander after noticing that hisright shoe was caught on fire.
In his first two seasons with the Tigers, Kelly added first and third base andcenter field to the positions he has played in the majors.[2] He was called on to pitch with twoouts in the top of the ninth inning aftermanagerJim Leyland thoroughly depleted hisbullpen in a 16–9 defeat to theNew York Mets atComerica Park on June 29, 2011. Throwing only five pitches, he used acurveball to getScott Hairston to fly out to center field. Kelly was the first position player to pitch in a game for the Tigers sinceShane Halter did it in October 2000.[22] He reached the milestone of having played every position on the field in his major league career in a 15–3 loss at home to theSan Francisco Giants three nights later on July 2. He entered the contest at the start of the fourth inning, replacing startingcatcherVíctor Martínez who had left the game with abruised rightshoulder.[23]
In the decisive Game 5 of the2011 American League Division Series against theNew York Yankees, Kelly belted a first-inning solo home run offIván Nova into the right field seats at Yankee Stadium to give the Tigers a 1–0 lead, one which they never relinquished. Detroit went on to win the game, 3–2, and moved on to face the Texas Rangers in the American League Championship Series.[24]
On August 3, 2012, Kelly was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for outfielderAndy Dirks, who returned to the Tigers after coming off the disabled list the same day.[25] On August 9, 2012, Kelly cleared waivers and his contract was outrighted by Detroit to their Triple-A affiliate Toledo.[26] The Tigers called him up again on September 1,[27] and later named him to their post-season roster after the team clinched the AL Central division. He hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in Game 2 of Detroit'sAmerican League Division Series against theOakland Athletics.
On October 31, 2012, Don Kelly cleared waivers and became a free agent.[28] On January 16, 2013, Kelly signed a minor league deal with the Tigers.[29] He made the team out of spring training, and played another full season as the club's super-utility man. In 216 at-bats, Don hit .222 with six home runs and 23 RBIs, while playing six defensive positions. After the season, Kelly signed a one-year deal with Detroit that would pay him $1 million in 2014, avoiding arbitration.[30] On November 3, 2014, Kelly declined his minor league assignment and became a free agent.[31]
On January 18, 2015, Kelly signed a minor league contract with theMiami Marlins.[32]
After hitting .270 with two doubles and five RBI with .681 OPS in Spring training, the Marlins purchased Kelly's contract and placed him on the Opening Roster.[33]
Kelly suffered a fractured finger early in the 2015 season and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 13.[34] Kelly had two at-bats before getting hurt and was 0-for-2.
On July 18, 2015, the Marlins announced that Kelly would have season-ending Tommy John surgery.[35]
On February 3, 2016, Kelly re-signed with the Marlins to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. He was released by the Marlins on March 29 and re-signed the next day.[36] Kelly was called up from New Orleans on July 6.
With the return ofDee Gordon to the Marlins roster after an 80-day suspension forPED use, Kelly was designated for assignment on July 28, 2016.[37]
On February 18, 2017, Kelly was named a scout and assistant on the player development staff for theDetroit Tigers organization.[38] On September 29, Kelly was promoted to a Major League scout for the Tigers.[39]
On November 21, 2018, Kelly was named theHouston Astros' first base coach.[40]
Kelly was named thePittsburgh Pirates' bench coach on December 7, 2019.[41] On May 8, 2025, Kelly was named manager of the Pirates following the firing ofDerek Shelton.[42]
On September 29, 2025, Kelly and the Pirates agreed to a contract extension.[43]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| PIT | 2025 | 124 | 59 | 65 | .476 | 5th in NL Central | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 124 | 59 | 65 | .476 | ||||||
Kelly spends his offseasons inMars, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Carrie, and their three sons, Brett, Luke and Brooks. He married Carrie Walker on January 13, 2007; his brothers-in-law include former major league infielderNeil Walker and former minor leaguer Matt Walker; his father-in-law is former major league pitcherTom Walker.[13][44] His wife Carrie was a women’s basketball player at Wagner College and the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year in 2001. She went on to play a year of professional basketball forKillarney (St. Paul’s) of the Irish Women’s SuperLeague. His sister Ashlee was a standout women's basketball player forQuinnipiac University and theNortheast Conference Player of the Year in 2003. After spending three years as head women's basketball coach atMercy College, she was named assistant coach atIona College on July 1, 2009.[45]
