Where Are They Today: Bobby Kielty

Bobby Kielty cemented his place in Red Sox history on October 28, 2007, when in his last major league at-bat, he hit a home run to help the Sox sweep the Rockies in the World Series that year.

Th NY Daily News reports that after a miserable 2008 in which he was plagued by injuries, he "has opened eyes" in the Mets camp so far this spring.

I liked Bobby Kielty and wish him well with the Mets in 2009.

Yes, that is Bobby Kielty, and no, that is not a wig!

Read more...

So Long, Bobby Kielty

Bobby Kielty has been released by the Red Sox. I posted earlier about the long road for him to get back with the big club and now that road has come to an end. Kielty asked the Sox to release him and they granted his request. He only appeared in 20 games for the Sox but did make the post-season roster. At game four of last year's World Series I turned to a fellow Sox fan at Coors Field as he was coming in to pinch hit and told him, "Kielty was crushing balls over the left field wall in BP, let's hope he can do it in the game." Sure enough he hit the biggest homer of his career.

Read more...

Maybe A-Rod Needs Viagra

Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez struck out in a key at bat last night as the Yankees lost again and failed to get to 2 games over .500. From Blogging the Bombers:

"A commenter asked how many times this season Alex Rodriguez has struck out with runners in scoring position in the wake of A-Rod watching a called third strike to end the third inning with runners on first and third. Here’s the answer – that was No. 14, tops on the team and one more than Bobby Abreu, who happened to whiff just before Rodriguez did."

Maybe Roger* left some of his Viagra supply in his locker that the overpaid infielder could use.

Read more...

Bobby Kielty Can't Get A Break

Bobby Kielty was making good progress on his road back to the majors. He was starting to get his hitting back with the PawSox and may have been called up when Coco gets suspended. Those chances ended yesterday when Kielty went on the minor league DL for the second time this season with an injured left oblique.

Read more...

Bobby Kielty's Long Road Back

Things have been rough for Bobby Kielty since he hit the game winning home run in Game 4 of the 2007 World Series. He chose to accept a spot with the PawSox after he was cut from the Red Sox at the start of the season in the hope that he could be back with the big club sometime this season. Much of the landscape has changed since he reported to Pawtucket; there is now a good chance that Coco will not be traded, and Brandon Moss and Jonathan Van Every have emerged as a good options when another outfielder is needed in Boston. Shortly after the season began Bobby Kielty went on the minor league DL after having surgery on his hand, missing a time when he would have been called up. He made his first of 2 rehab starts last night for the Single A Lancaster going 0-2. If Kielty is going to get back to Boston this season he needs Coco to be traded and he needs to beat out Moss and Van Every for the fourth outfielder spot. Injuries are bound to happen so I wouldn't count out Kielty but it is going to be a big test for him to find a way back into the limelight.

Read more...

Kielty Has Surgery...Now What

Bobby Kielty had surgery on his hand and is now expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Kielty was going to be the utility outfielder when the Sox traded Coco but with him hurt a trade is less likely to happen. Boston is not going to move Coco and have Thurston as the backup after his dismal performance last week. Ellsbury had been developing well while Coco was out with the leg injury but now Coco is healthy and hitting well; he showed his power and speed in yesterday's game. What are the Sox to do? Do they resume the every other day scenario in center or do they include J.D. in the platoon mix. It is possible they might just do a rotation where Ellsbury continues to play all 3 outfield positions to give players a rest or comes in late as a defensive replacement or pinch runner. The Kielty injury means there will continue to be more questions than answers in the outfield.

Read more...

El Gordo Pitches PawSox to Victory

Bartolo Colon pitched very well in his first start getting a win for the PawSox. He pitched 5 scoreless innings only giving up one hit while walking 2. He is putting the pressure on Clay Buchholz to pitch well in Toronto this weekend. The PawSox won the game 3-0. As for the offense, recent Red Sox players Bobby Kielty went 0-4 and Moss went 1-3. You can view the box score here.

Read more...

Kielty Will Go To Pawtucket

Bobby Kielty is staying with the Red Sox in the hope that Coco gets traded and he can get some playing time as the 4th outfielder. Yesterday there was a chance he might leave the team to persue a full time gig with another team but that did not develop. For now Kielty will go the PawSox and wait it out but he has some new competition with Brandon Moss to be the next in line.

In other Sox news: Boston Dirt Dogs is running an April Fool's joke of Roger* returning to play for Boston this season, check it out.

Read more...

Clock is Ticking on Kielty

Bobby Kielty may not be with the Red Sox by day's end. He told the Red Sox he would report to Pawtucket but now if another team is offers him a spot in the show by the end of the day he may take it.. Kielty will only get playing time in the majors for Boston if/when Coco is traded. As long as Crisp remains on the team there is no room for him. Kiety said the following about the situation: “Boston has been pretty good about letting me explore options and see what’s out there, I don’t think there’s a set decision. We’ll see what happens in the next 24 hours. There’s definitely something out there. It’s just a matter of waiting and seeing what happens. I don’t want to go anywhere, but we’ll see. If there’s a big league job somewhere, I might have to take it.”

On a side note, Kielty had the only hit for the Red Sox in yesterday's exhibition game against the Dodgers.

Read more...

Making Sense Of the Outfield

One thing is for certain; Manny is the starting left fielder. After that things start to get a little muddy. Fans and Sox management want Jacoby in center but they still have Coco to contend with. For now it looks like Coco and Ellsbury will platoon in center so Boston can showcase Crisp's abilities and prove the injury is behind him. Teams like Chicago and Oakland are still interested in trading for Coco but a trade does not appear imminent. The Red Sox will try to get Ellsbury into more games when Coco starts by having him pinch run or as a late inning defensive replacement for Manny. J.D. Drew now has the mysterious back spasms that seem to be attacking Red Sox players this year, the injury is minor but it has already caused him to miss two games and the long flight back from Japan will not be much help. Drew believes he will be back by April 1st. Brandon Moss had a great spring in the outfield for Boston and was the opening day hero but there is no room for him on the roster so he was sent down to Pawtucket today. Bobby Kielty is on a non guaranteed contract but has won a spot on the team as the 5th outfielder. Kielty had a leg injury late during spring training and was not 100% in Tokyo, that is why you saw Moss in right. It will be a few months before Jacoby is the everyday center fielder and may be just as long before we see Moss back in Boston.

Read more...

Will Sox Go Into Season With Coco, Ellsbury and Kielty?

If the Red Sox have 12 pitchers on the roster they will most likely not have 5 outfielders so something hast to give. If Coco is not traded by opening day there is a good chance that Kielty will start the season in AAA. He has a clause in his contract where he can become a free agent if he does not make the team in spring training. The Sox want to keep Kielty as insurance if they trade Coco but they can not guarantee he will be there if they go into the season with him in the minors. It is possible they go with 5 outfielders and platoon center and right field; especially if J.D. start off slow. As with pitching the Sox are in a good position of having too much talent, things could be much worse.

Read more...

Manny Shows Up Early

According to the Boston Herald, Manny Ramirez has arrived in Fort Myer. He dropped off his equipment and left. The only players not at camp yet are Bobby Kielty (who has an excused absence because his wife is about to give birth) and Alex Cora. Tito spoke with Cora and said he would be on time....that is if he does not get arrested on the way.

Read more...

Does Kielty Signing Signal the Departure of Coco?

When you read the tea leaves of the Kielty signing it can only mean one thing; Coco will be traded soon. As great as it would be to have Coco as a backup outfielder, he also could be a major negative influence on the team if he can not handle being a reserve player. As I have mentioned before, the Red Sox are over the luxury tax mark and would like to unload Coco's salary even if he is only making $4 million a year. This would be a good time for Boston to trade for the catcher of the future and let him play in AAA for half the season and slowly bring him up. There is also a need for a starter for next season when Wake and Schilling retire. Coco's value is not going to get any higher if he is not the starting center fielder so look for him to go before the end of the month.

Read more...

Sox Re-Sign Kielty

The Red Sox have re-signed outfielder Bobby Kielty to a one-year deal according to the Globe's Gordon Edes.

Kielty is a switch hitter who will likely serve as a fifth outfielder getting at-bats against lefties. Kielty will reportedly make $800,000 if he makes the team in spring training.

Kielty hit .218 last season, but had a great postseason, hitting .500.

Read more...

Brian Fuentes to Sox?

The Rockies reliever is being discussed in Nashville as part of a trade for Red Sox SS prospect Jed Lowrie. Boston is still looking for bullpen relief but they really need a righty. You may remember Fuentes as the guy who gave up the gopher ball to Kielty in the 8th inning of game 4 of the World Series. Fuentes had a 3.08 ERA this season with 20 saves.

Read more...

Theo Still Interested in Bobby Kielty

The backup outfielder who filled in nicely when injuries hit late in the season may be back. The Red Sox need a backup outfielder, especially if they are planning on dealing Coco for a catcher or pitcher. Kielty had a good game in the ALCS and hit a big home run in game 4 of the World Series. Theo mentioned that Boston is still interested in Bobby Kielty during a conference call last week. He spent a portion of last year on the Oakland A's before coming to the Red Sox but was sidelined with knee problems. He is a switch hitter and is a solid option off of the bench.

Read more...