Bobby Kielty

[William Malone]

Robert Michael Kielty was born on August 5, 1976 in Fontana, California.

The Minnesota Twins signed him as an undrafted free agent in 1999. Kielty made his Major League debut in 2001, playing 37 games for the Twins over multiple big league stints that season. He hit .250 with two home runs and 14 RBI.

Kielty became more of a regular under rookie manager Ron Gardenhire in 2002, playing in 112 games. This included 73 starts. He slashed .291/.405/.484, finishing fourth place in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Minnesota ended a decade long playoff drought that season. They reached the ALCS, but Kielty was 0-for-7 in the postseason. He lost a lot of his playing time in right field to fellow rookies Michael Cuddyer and Dustin Mohr, who had both impressed down the stretch.

With a crowded outfield, Kielty began to see a lot of time at designated hitter in 2003. These at-bats were available because the Twins had infamously allowed David Ortiz to walk out the door that winter. Kielty did get off to a hot start, opening the season with a 12 game hitting streak and a 15 game on-base streak. They eventually traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays in July, acquiring Shannon Stewart. Kielty was slashing .252/.370/.420 through 75 games at the time of the trade.

He struggled in the second half with Toronto, and was traded to the Oakland Athletics that off-season. Kielty slashed .250/.334/.396 in parts of four seasons with the Athletics. They designated him for assignment midway through the 2007 season. He signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox, and was promoted to their big league roster in August. Boston won the World Series that fall. Kielty homered in his lone World Series at-bat.

2007 was his final taste of Major League action, but Kielty continued to play professionally through 2014. This included a brief stint in the Twins minor league system at one point.

Kielty has taken to the coaching ranks in retirement, but not in baseball. As of 2025, he is an assistant tennis coach UC Riverside. Kielty had been a successful high school coach prior to joining this Division I staff.

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