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Robert Michael Kielty (last name pronounced KELT-ee) (born August 5, 1976) is an American former professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catc ...
. He played for the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
,
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball, professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Sin ...
, Oakland Athletics, and
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's ei ...
during a
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) career that lasted from 2001 to 2007. In his final MLB season, Kielty won the
2007 World Series The 2007 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2007 season. The 103rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Colorado Rockies and the American Le ...
over the
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors F ...
as a member of the Red Sox.


College (1994–98)

Kielty graduated from Canyon Springs High School (
Moreno Valley Moreno Valley is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and is part of the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Riverside County by population and one of the Inland Empire's p ...
, California) in 1994. After high school, he attended the
University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...
from 1994 to 1995,
Riverside City College Riverside City College (RCC) is a public community college in Riverside, California. The college is part of the Riverside Community College District, as well as the larger California Community Colleges System. History RCC first opened in 1916 at ...
from 1996 to 1997, and the
University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...
from 1997 to 1998. In 1998 Kielty played
collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they opera ...
for the
Brewster Whitecaps The Brewster Whitecaps are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brewster, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Whitecaps play their home games at Stony Brook ...
of the
Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousand ...
(CCBL). He was named league
MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a partic ...
after leading the league in
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
(.384) and RBI (45). Kielty was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2005. Kielty was also named 1998 Summer Player of the Year by
Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
. In , he was signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...
.


Professional career (1999–2011)


Minnesota Twins (1999–2003)

In 1999, Kielty began his minor league career with the
Quad City River Bandits Quad as a word or prefix usually means 'four'. It may refer to: Government * Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States * Quadrilateral group, an informal group which in ...
of the
Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
. An eye problem forced him to miss more than a month of action (May 21-June 24), and he was disabled with a strained right hamstring (August 25-September 3). In only 69 games, Kielty batted .294 with 13 HR and 43 RBI and 12 SB. He homered in 3 consecutive games from August 14–16. Kielty was promoted to the
New Britain Rock Cats The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado Rockies for one. They playe ...
of the Eastern League in 2000. He hit a grand slam against
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
on April 8, and another against Erie on May 26. He played in the Eastern League all-star game held in
Bowie, Maryland Bowie () is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 58,329. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous c ...
. Kielty led the team in home runs (14), was second in RBI (65) and third in hits (118). His 98 walks led the league. He also had a .262 batting average for the season. On August 26, Kielty was promoted to the
Salt Lake Stingers Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantit ...
of the
Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Ba ...
, where he played in only nine games, and hit .242 with 2 RBI. He was rated the Twins eighth best prospect, and the ninth best prospect in the Eastern League. Kielty then began the 2001 season with the Twins' newly relocated Pacific Coast League team in
Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...
with the
Edmonton Trappers The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in Edmonton, Alberta. They were a part of the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Their home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton. The ...
. Then in early April, the Minnesota Twins purchased his contract and Kielty made his Major League debut on April 10 against the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
. The Twins optioned Kielty back down to Edmonton on April 21, but was recalled by the team on July 31. Kielty was demoted to Edmonton again on August 17, but then returned to the Twins on September 3 and played in 28 of the Twins' last 37 games. Overall with Edmonton, he finished with a .287 average, 12 HR and 50 RBI, while with Minnesota he hit .250 with 2 HR and 14 RBI. Kielty once again started the 2002 season in Edmonton, but only appeared in two games before the Twins called him up. Kielty made his post-season debut against the Oakland Athletics in the ALDS, going 0 for 4 in the series. He then went 0 for 3 with a walk and RBI in the
ALCS The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...
against the
Anaheim Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
. After the season, he won the Bill Boni Award as the Twins' most outstanding rookie, and he finished fourth in the
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
for
AL Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...
. Kielty finished the year with a .291 average, 12 HR and 46 RBI in 112 games. After the Twins traded right fielder
Matt Lawton Matthew Lawton, Jr. (born November 30, 1971) is an American former professional baseball player whose career spanned 15 seasons, including 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lawton, an outfielder, made his major league debut September 5, ...
to the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
midway through the 2001 season, the team frequently used a platoon of Kielty and Dustan Mohr in
right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...
. Twins fans were so accustomed to seeing one or the other player in right field that they dubbed the duo "Dusty Kielmohr". This situation persisted until midway through the 2003 season. Kielty began the 2003 season with a 12-game hitting streak with the Twins, and had his first career two-homer game on April 17 against Detroit. He was traded mid-season to the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball, professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Sin ...
.


Toronto Blue Jays (2003)

On July 16, Minnesota traded Kielty to the Toronto Blue Jays for
left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...
Shannon Stewart. He made his Blue Jays debut the next day against the Boston Red Sox, going 3 for 4 with a home run and 3 RBI. Kielty's stats were .244, 13 HR and 57 RBI. In the off-season, the Blue Jays traded Kielty to the Oakland Athletics for starting pitcher
Ted Lilly Theodore Roosevelt Lilly III (born January 4, 1976) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Lilly attended Yosemite High School in Oakhurst, California, and Fresno City College. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Mont ...
in a move that had been pre-planned by the two management groups as Athletics GM
Billy Beane William Lamar Beane III (born March 29, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player and current front office executive. He is the executive vice president of baseball operations and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics of Maj ...
was a fan of Kielty's.


Oakland Athletics (2004–07)

Kielty was the Athletics' Opening Day left fielder in 2004, and through May 19, he was hitting .250 with 4 HR and 14 RBI. After that, he hit .190 with 3 HR and 17 RBI for the rest of the season, ending up with a .214 average, 7 HR and 31 RBI. Kielty rebounded in 2005 by hitting .263 with 10 HR and tied his career high with 57 RBI. Kielty missed 3 weeks in September due to an oblique muscle injury. In the 2005 season, Kielty, along with other members of the team, grew out his hair and refused to cut it. He earned the nickname "Ronny Mac" due to his similarity to McDonald's mascot,
Ronald McDonald Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. He inhabits the fictional world of McDonaldland, with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird and ...
. Kielty cut his hair in the 2005 off-season, and began the 2006 season with the Athletics Triple A affiliate, the
Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...
. He spent 10 games there, batting .222 with 1 HR and 4 RBI before being recalled by the A's. With Oakland, he managed to play in 81 games, hitting .270 with 8 HR and 36 RBI, helping the club make the playoffs. Kielty did not appear in the Athletics series against the Minnesota Twins, in which the A's swept Minnesota, and he saw very limited action in the ALCS against the Detroit Tigers, as he went hitless in 2
at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...
s, as Oakland was swept. Kielty returned to Oakland for the 2007 season, however, he ran into injury problems, and played in just 13 games, hitting .200 with 0 HR and 3 RBI. On July 23, 2007, Kielty was
designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the play ...
by the Athletics to make room for closer
Huston Street Huston Lowell Street ( ; born August 2, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels. After ...
. He was released a week later.


Boston Red Sox (2007)

On August 6, the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's ei ...
signed Kielty to a minor-league deal, setting up his potential promotion as a fourth outfielder. On August 18, the Red Sox called Kielty up from Triple-A Pawtucket, following the trade of
Wily Mo Peña Wily Modesto Peña Gutierrez (born January 23, 1982) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Washington National ...
to the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
. He hit .237 with 2 HR and 5 RBI in 10 games with Pawtucket. With Boston, Kielty saw limited action as the 4th outfielder, appearing in 20 games, hitting .231 with 1 HR and 9 RBI. He saw no action in the Red Sox playoff series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, which the Red Sox swept. In the
ALCS The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...
against the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
, Kielty played in games 1 and 5 due to his past success against Cleveland starter
CC Sabathia Carsten Charles Sabathia Jr. (born July 21, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the New York Yankees. He also played for the Cleveland Indians and Milwauke ...
, hitting .400 with 2 RBI, and helping the team advance to the
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Wor ...
. On October 28, in his only
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Wor ...
at bat and on the first pitch, Kielty hit a pinch-hit solo home run in Game 4 of the
2007 World Series The 2007 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2007 season. The 103rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Colorado Rockies and the American Le ...
, which turned out to be the series-clinching game winner in the 4–3 final over the
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors F ...
. He is the 21st player to hit a pinch-hit home run in the World Series. The at-bat would turn out to be Kielty's final appearance in a major league game. On February 6, 2008, the Red Sox re-signed Kielty to a one-year non-guaranteed deal. On March 31, 2008, Kielty accepted an assignment to the Pawtucket Red Sox rather than opt for free agency. On April 25, Kielty had surgery on his left hand that would require an absence of 4 to 6 weeks. Kielty asked for and was granted his release from the Red Sox organization on July 13, 2008.


Second stint with Twins (2008)

Kielty re-entered the Twins system when he signed a minor league contract on August 11, 2008. He was assigned to the
Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field, located in downt ...
, the Twins' Triple-A affiliate, and played three weeks with the ballclub. When the major league rosters expanded on September 1, Kielty was not among those called up to Minnesota. Since Kielty's contract had a clause that allowed him to leave the organization if he was not called up to the Twins, Kielty was granted his release from the Twins system prior to the Red Wings' final game of the season on September 1.


New York Mets (2009)

In January 2009, Kielty signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets. He was released on June 22.


San Diego Padres (2011)

On February 3, 2011, Kielty signed a minor league contract with the
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With ...
.


References


External links


Bobby Kielty: It's gotta be the hair (Minnesota Public Radio)

Catching up with Kielty (Minnesota Public Radio)

Baseball Almanac

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kielty, Bobby 1976 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from California Boston Red Sox players Brewster Whitecaps players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Edmonton Trappers players Lancaster Barnstormers players Lancaster JetHawks players Lowell Spinners players Major League Baseball outfielders Minnesota Twins players New Britain Rock Cats players Oakland Athletics players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Moreno Valley, California Quad Cities River Bandits players Riverside City Tigers baseball players Rochester Red Wings players Sacramento River Cats players Salt Lake Buzz players San Antonio Missions players Sportspeople from Riverside County, California Toronto Blue Jays players Tucson Padres players USC Trojans baseball players Ole Miss Rebels baseball players