masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgSALISBURY, Md. – Manny Machado is not the only Delmarva Shorebird position player here at the South Atlantic League All-Star game.

Ty Kelly is batting ninth at second base for the North team. Kelly is 10th in the league batting at .312 in 52 games with seven doubles, three homers and 27 RBIs.

He went 8-for-16 over his past four Shorebirds’ games and, after hitting .259 for Delmarva last year, has taken his game to a higher level in 2011.

“The more I think about it, there were times I…SALISBURY, Md. – Manny Machado is not the only Delmarva Shorebird position player here at the South Atlantic League All-Star game.

Ty Kelly is batting ninth at second base for the North team. Kelly is 10th in the league batting at .312 in 52 games with seven doubles, three homers and 27 RBIs.

He went 8-for-16 over his past four Shorebirds’ games and, after hitting .259 for Delmarva last year, has taken his game to a higher level in 2011.

“The more I think about it, there were times I struggled last year and I had to figure out what I was doing wrong. This year, there was a time where I struggled and I had to think back to last year. That experience helped me get through tough times and be able to stay consistent,” Kelly, a 13th-round pick out of Cal-Davis in 2009, said.

This is his second All-Star after he scored the winning run in the New York-Penn League contest representing Aberdeen in 2009.

“It’s very exciting. To be recognized at a venue like this is really cool and to be with all these players.”

Kelly has been a versatile player with the glove, playing infield and outfield and is starting at second base here tonight.

He is a switch-hitter and said his dad started him batting from both sides as far back as he can remember.

“There were always some coaches where, you weren’t hitting well from one side and they said stop doing it. But my dad said no you are going to do it and that’s the end of that,”Kelly said.

Before you temper any enthusiam for Kelly’s solid season by saying he should be playing this well repeating a level Joe Mahoney played here in both in 2008 and 2009 and last season was the O’s minor league player of the year.

Kelly hopes his versatility on defense and his solid batting average on offense might helped him get noticed a bit more.

“Hopefully. All I can really do is play the best I can and hope people recognize it.”