Ty Kelly’s versatility helps him get on field for 51s

Ty Kelly has been moving around the diamond so much throughout his career that it’s virtually impossible to discern his natural position.

It’s to the point that his manager admitted he’s not really sure what it is, and Kelly didn’t have a concrete answer himself.

“It always changes,” the 27-year-old said.

But wherever the 51s (13-13) have played Kelly in the field this season — be it left field, first base or third — he’s performed.

That includes at the plate, as Kelly is among the leaders in hitting in Triple A with a .387 average as Las Vegas opens a four-game series today at Sacramento. He went 0-for-5 in Thursday’s 7-6, 10-inning loss at El Paso to see his average drop from .421.

Kelly, a New York Mets’ offseason pickup, has played his way into 21 of the team’s first 26 games — though manager Wally Backman might like to see him more than that.

“I knew he was a versatile player that was not going to play every day but was going to play most of the time. But the more you watch him play, the more you want him playing every day,” Backman said. “He’s kind of fallen into the category of, yeah, he’s playing most of the time, but it’d be nice if he was playing more.”

His versatility makes it easier to pencil his name into the lineup every day.

This season, he’s been primarily in left, where Backman likes him most and would prefer to play him all the time.

But if need be, he can go anywhere.

“A guy that can play that many positions is a very valuable player on a team, if it’s here or in the major leagues,” Backman said, “so from what I’ve seen, he’s going to get an opportunity to play somewhere in the big leagues.”

In the lower levels of the minors, Kelly played mostly second and third, but as he’s moved up, he’s been seeing more action in the outfield.

Last season, with two organizations, he saw a decent amount of time at every outfield position, second and third.

The constant switching over the years has gotten it to the point that Kelly is adept throughout the field, instead of just being plugged in at a random spot.

“I like moving around,” Kelly said. “It keeps things fresh, and you keep working on everything all the time so that I’m ready to go play the outfield if I need to or I can come and play the infield and just always (be) ready for wherever I’m at.”

That versatility has helped ensure Kelly more playing time, as he has started the past nine games.

That, and because he’s off to a hot start at the plate.

While it will be impossible to maintain a .387 average throughout the season, Kelly’s selective approach has undoubtedly helped him take better at-bats.

His .521 on-base percentage entering Thursday’s game led Triple A, and his minor league career suggests he’s more apt to take a walk than strike out.

“Every time I go up there, I’m just trying to get on base (and) have a good at-bat,” Kelly said. “I’m not so much worried about everything else — just having a good at-bat and trying to get on base any way I can.”

If that means a walk, he’ll take it. In 2013, Kelly took 102 of them in 595 plate appearances.

Backman said Kelly was the most patient player on the team, citing his knowledge of the strike zone, and Kelly said he’s become more disciplined as he’s advanced through the minors.

“Moving up, the umpires get better and zones get smaller, so I think that that, along with guys being around the plate more, I have a pretty good strategy going into every at-bat,” he said.

Though he’s been at Triple A for most of the past four seasons, Kelly’s patience and versatility have helped improve his stock.

“He’s a good player. He grows on you, that’s for sure. He’s grown on me already,” Backman said. “He plays the game hard. He plays the game right.”

Betsy Helfand can be reached at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @BetsyHelfand