Kelly Set to Return to Sioux City for 2019 Campaign
January 3, 2019 - American Association (AA)
Sioux City Explorers News Release
Sioux City Explorers catcher Dylan Kelly takes a big swing
(Sioux City Explorers)
SIOUX CITY, IA - The Sioux City Explorers announced today that the club has re-signed C Dylan Kelly to a 2019 American Association contract. The 2019 season will mark Kelly's 6th season in professional baseball, 3rd with the X's.
Kelly returns to Sioux City following a solid 2018 season for the Explorers in which he hit .297 with a .358 on base percentage, while knocking in a career best 65 RBIs. After a slow start to the season offensively, Kelly's bat heated up mid-June, raising his batting average 117 points from .185 to .302 by mid-July.
Kelly's bat produced for the Explorers in the 2018 American Association playoffs, hitting for a team high .375 average. Kelly came up big in a potential elimination Game 4 against the Kansas City T-Bones, going 3-3 with 2 doubles to help lead the Explorers to a 5-0 victory to force a deciding Game 5.
Kelly was a mainstay for the X's behind the dish, catching a league high 87 games, helping guide a pitching staff that finished the 2018 season ranked atop the league in several pitching categories.
In his first season for the Explorers in 2017, Kelly played in 50 games, producing a .294 batting average and owning the second highest on base percentage on the team at a .375 clip. Kelly was hitting .304 with an impressive .397 on base percentage before suffering an injury on July 6th which forced him to miss 38 games.
Kelly spent the majority of his first three professional seasons playing for the Normal CornBelters of the Frontier League. Kelly got off to a hot start in 2015 for the CornBelters, batting .350 before having his contract purchased by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was assigned to the DBacks rookie league affiliate and after just 6 games he made the jump to the Triple-A Reno Aces. Kelly returned to the CornBelters in 2016 and played in 91 games, hitting .311 with a .361 on base percentage.
Kelly started his collegiate career at Middle Georgia junior college and led the Georgia Athletic Association in batting average, ranking among the top 15 nationally with his .429 clip. The Roswell, GA native transferred to the University of Missouri and in his final collegiate season in 2014 he boasted a team high .330 batting average, good for fourth best among SEC catchers. Kelly led the tigers with 59 hits, 13 doubles, 27 RBIs, a .453 slugging percentage, and a .405 on base percentage.
The Explorers 2019 home opener will be Thursday, May 16th versus the Lincoln Saltdogs in a 7:12pm contest. Get in the game with the Sioux City Explorers by reserving your 2019 season ticket packages, flex ticket packages, or company group outing now by calling 712-277-WINS (9467).
Images from this story
 Sioux City Explorers catcher Dylan Kelly applies the tag |
 Sioux City Explorers catcher Dylan Kelly takes a big swing |
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American Association Stories from January 3, 2019
- Kelly Set to Return to Sioux City for 2019 Campaign - Sioux City Explorers
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