Kelly Has a Moment to Savor : Baseball: Rookie outfielder from Los Alamitos enjoys early success with Braves.

On feeling the charge from the crack of the bat, Mike Kelly raced from the batter’s box in long, fluid strides, rounded first base gracefully and eased into second as he had countless times before.

This time, though, the moment was special, worth savoring.

The Atlanta Braves’ rookie left fielder from Los Alamitos High had just notched his first major league hit in his second at-bat of the regular season. It came in the Braves’ 10-8 victory over the Padres on April 7 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium; a line-drive double down the left-field line in the final inning of a wild battle that took 11 innings.

And although Kelly stood calmly at the bag as he knew a big leaguer should, emotions of pride swirled within him and a wide grin creased his face.

Yes, he knew the moment would be recorded simply as 2B--Kelly (1) ; another in the myriad of numerical listings that all too often blurs the game’s meaning. But to Kelly, it was an accomplishment born of dedication to and love of a sport. An obscure listing of the moment in the following morning’s newspaper could not diminish its meaning.

Two days later in the visitors’ clubhouse at Dodger Stadium, the soft-spoken Kelly looked like a grade-school kid after getting his first “A.” “It was awesome,” said a still exuberant Kelly, only a few hours before scoring the winning run in the Braves’ 2-1 victory over the Dodgers on April 9.

“As soon as I made contact, it seemed like the ball and my swing just sort of went into slow motion. I remember it so vividly.”

Kelly recorded another first in his young career Tuesday night against the Florida Marlins. After entering the game as a pinch-runner in the seventh inning, Kelly stepped to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth inning of a 6-6 tie.

He took control of the pressure situation, smacking a double down the third base line for his first three runs batted in. The Braves won, 9-6, on the strength of Kelly’s heroics.

Many believe such success will become commonplace for Kelly--soon.

The product of an Atlanta farm system teeming with prospects, Kelly is one of several promising rookies to earn a spot on arguably the game’s most talent-rich team. And while coaches and teammates see promise in his future, Kelly is content to watch and learn for as long as it takes.

Fred McGriff is one of many Braves helping the process along.

The veteran All-Star first baseman remembers his trials as a rookie and wants to help Kelly avoid similar pitfalls.

“Any time you break in trying to learn the ropes and everything, it’s tough,” McGriff said. “Mike is a talented young guy, but nobody is so good that they don’t need help. Everybody needs help.”

The assistance has not gone unnoticed--or unappreciated.

“Everything has been going real good,” Kelly said. “The team hasn’t put any pressure on me.

“I’m just up here gaining experience as far as the big leagues and big-league lifestyle goes. I’m just picking up pointers from C.J. and all the guys.”

The initials are those of Atlanta hitting coach Clarence Jones, also a Kelly tutor. Jones is among a large group in the Braves’ organization pulling for Kelly.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in Mike,” Jones said. “I think he’s going to be a hell of a ball player. He uses the whole field and he hits the ball in the gaps with authority.

“He’s got center-field power . . . he can go out of the ballpark anywhere. He’s young and strong, and he loves the game.”

To watch Kelly at work is to understand Jones’ effusive praise.

Kelly, 23, looks the part of the up-and-coming rookie outfielder. Heck, at 6 feet 4 and 195 pounds, Kelly could be the prototype.

His batting-practice sessions do nothing to taint the image, as he laces one ball after another with a forceful swing. He charges balls hit to the outfield with a presence that belies his experience, and whips pinpoint throws with seemingly effortless flicks of his right wrist.

Similar displays prompted the Braves to make Kelly their first-round selection (second overall) in the 1991 free-agent draft after a brilliant career at Arizona State. Baseball executives make difficult choices everyday, but the decision to draft Kelly was as easy as trading with the Padres.

Kelly left the Sun Devils after his junior season, bringing several chunks of hardware out of the desert with him.

He was named freshman of the year by Collegiate Baseball magazine after setting a school freshman record for RBIs with 56, and tying the freshman record for stolen bases with 16. Kelly hit .300 with 10 home runs.

There would be no sophomore jinx.

Kelly was selected player of the year by The Sporting News and Baseball America after his second season, batting .376 with 21 homers and 82 RBIs. More big numbers and, yes, another player-of-the-year award came in his final season as an amateur.

This time, the honor was from the U.S. Baseball Federation. The organization found Kelly deserving of its Golden Spikes award, which was understandable considering he hit .373 with 15 homers and 56 RBIs.

“I’ve never seen a baseball player that’s as pretty to watch,” Arizona State Coach Jim Brock told The Times in 1990. “Everything he does is just beautiful. Beautiful.”

Kelly joined the long list of former Sun Devils, including three-time National League MVP Barry Bonds, who made swift progress to the major leagues.

He hit .229 with 25 homers and 71 RBIs for the Greenville (S.C.) Braves during 1992 in double A. His success continued the following season at triple-A Richmond, where he hit .243 with 19 homers and 58 RBIs. Moreover, he cut his strikeouts from 161 to 109.

Kelly secured his position on the big club in spring training, batting nearly .400 and playing steady defense. As with many young power hitters, Kelly still swings as often as a guy cutting through the brush in the Amazon. Recently, however, he has displayed a more discerning eye at the plate.

“That first game (in San Diego) was a thrill for me just to be out there,” Kelly said. “To be down on the field with all these guys who you’ve seen on TV your whole life, and now you’re on the field with them, it was pretty exciting.”

In addition to making a dream reality, reaching the major leagues also helped Kelly cope with a painful memory.

Ben and Betty Kelly were deluged with college scholarship offers for their son after he batted .463 and was selected to The Times’ All-Orange County team as a senior at Los Alamitos in 1988. But the pros did not seem to have a drop of interest in Kelly when the major league draft was held in June.

It wasn’t until the 24th round that a major league club called. The New York Mets chose Kelly and offered him an $80,000 contract.

Confused and hurt, Kelly sought answers. He heard from baseball people that the pros believed he was intent on going to college.

But the draft-day snub did not faze Ben and Betty.

No matter what others thought, they knew their son was special. Education is a priority in the Kelly household, so Ben and Betty did not mind Mike turning down the Mets’ offer and spending another few years with baseball and books.

“It wasn’t a difficult decision at all,” Ben said. “The main thing we stressed was getting the education.”

Obviously, things worked out.

“I was upset that I didn’t get drafted as high as I thought I should,” Kelly said, “but that just motivated me to go to college and do even better.”

Kelly has promised his parents, who still reside in Los Alamitos, that he will return to Arizona State and finish his degree after getting “his feet wet a little,” Ben said.

Kelly’s continued progress pleases the Braves.

“He runs better and he throws much better now than he did when we first signed him,” said Jones, Atlanta’s hitting coach. “He has improved in every aspect of the game.”

Now the only hurdle for Kelly is to get in the game.

Currently, Kelly platoons in left field with fellow rookies Ryan Klesko and Tony Tarasco. He is batting .250 with the three RBIs, and is also third on the team with four doubles despite only 20 at-bats.

The left-handed Klesko plays against right-handers and Kelly and Tarasco (both right-handers) play against left-handers. But Klesko should play the majority of the time because there are more right-handed pitchers in the league.

“I hate to see Mike not playing,” center fielder Deion Sanders said. “He’s got a lot of talent. It’s just that we’re so deep right now.”

Playing every inning is Kelly’s goal, but he understands the situation.

“(Atlanta Manager) Bobby (Cox) told me early in spring training what my role was going to be, which was, basically, platooning in left field, pinch running and pinch hitting,” Kelly said. “I accepted that a long time ago, so I’m happy to contribute anyway I can.”

Klesko, a former standout at Westminster High, and Kelly played youth baseball together in the county and were teammates last season in triple A. The competition has not affected their friendship.

“All of us feel that we should be playing everyday in the major leagues,” Klesko said of the rookie left-field triumvirate. “But we know it’s a situation where there is only one spot open and we’re going to share the time and that’s the way it goes.”

Time is on Kelly’s side, and few doubt his moment will arrive.

“Mike is going to be a great player,” Sanders said. “If he played daily, there’s no telling what type of numbers he could put up.”

Mike Kelly as a Pro

Year Team Avg. G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI 1991 Durham-1 .250 35 124 29 31 6 1 6 17 1992 Greenville-2 .229 134 475 83 109 18 4 25 71 1993 Richmond-3 .243 123 424 63 103 13 1 19 58 1994 Atlanta .250 12 20 5 5 4 0 0 3

1--Class A; 2--Double A; 3--Triple A. Source: Atlanta Braves