Some signings make front page news. Others won’t even make the footnotes. When the Mets signed Ty Kelly on November 13, 2015, no alarms sounded.
Quietly, though, Kelly has turned himself into one of the top hitters in the Mets’ minor league system. Kelly’s .391 batting average leads all qualified hitters in affiliated baseball, and his .478 on base percentage is first among Mets minor leaguers. He had a 12-game hitting streak snapped on Sunday, a period over which he hit .438 (21-48) with two home runs and five runs batted in. Kelly’s hot streak couldn’t have come at a better time.
With Lucas Duda sounding more and more like he’s going to be placed on the DL, Wilmer Flores already being on the DL, the ongoing saga that is David Wright‘s spinal stenosis, and the Mets offensive struggles, the Mets need help. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Kelly will be the player to help the Mets as he’s currently with the team in Washington D.C.
Kelly was the option for a few reasons. First, he really impressed Terry Collins in Spring Training. Second, he gets on base. Kelly has long been considered a prospect that has exceptional awareness of the strike zone. He works the count well and draws walks.
Overall, in his minor league career, Kelly has actually walked more than he’s struck out (505 BB – 504 K). Last, Kelly is a switch hitter. As constructed now, the Mets are heavily right-handed with Alejandro De Aza as their lone lefty off the bench. Kelly helps give the Mets a little more versatility off the bench.
Kelly is versatile in the field as well. He has seen time at each position except catcher across his eight minor league seasons. Yes, he even tossed a scoreless for the Tacoma Rainiers in 2014.
Ultimately, versatility is Kelly’s best feature. Offensively, his versatility comes from his switch hitting ability. He has a gap to gap approach with doubles power. He hits equally well against righties or lefties. Defensively, he can play almost anywhere in the field. He is not a particularly good defender at any position, but he’s not a butcher out there either. He’s got a decent arm, which is part of the reason he’s played mostly in the outfield this year.
He was the 13th round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2009 and was ranked their #30 prospect by Baseball America after the 2012 season.
Overall, Mets fans should expect Kelly to play similarly to Eric Campbell except with more speed and better plate discipline. It is possible Kelly could outperform Campbell as he has the offensive tools to do so. No matter the result, it looks like the Mets under the radar minor league signing is about to pay dividends.
