A whole year of Kelly as manager: 'I’m still learning'
It was game No. 39 of the 2025 season when Don Kelly took on a managerial role for the very first time. A whole year has passed and Kelly now enters game No. 39 of the 2026 season as a more experienced manager, one who has compiled an 80-82 record over a 162-game sample.
“I was really thankful for the advice I got from (Jim) Leyland and others, just to be myself," Kelly said when I asked pregame about how he's evolved in this role over the last year. "I’m still learning a lot in regard to the role, communication, relationships and decision-making. Something that has evolved is our preparation and our review every single day on decisions we make, and trying to continue to beat that up and find a way to get better every single day. It’s just something that I challenge our players, our staff, I even talk to my kids about it, how do you continue to get better and work every day to do that? That’s something we’ve done and will continue to do.”
Kelly has seemingly taken the advice of Leyland and others and ran with it. BryanReynolds said he's continued to be himself, all while using his experiences as a bench coach and a player to help navigate the choppy waters associated with managing at the major-league level.
"He played for a long time, he was a bench coach for a while and he's been coaching around," Reynolds said. "I wouldn't necessarily say that anything surprises him, but I guess actually being the one calling the shots, you can second guess yourself a little bit. I think he's been doing a great job."
Just as any young prospect might find themselves learning on the fly upon making it to the major leagues for the first time, Kelly has found himself doing the same thing. There's been plenty of good during his time as the man in charge, including what has seemed to be a drastic culture change within the clubhouse. But there's room for additional growth, too.
“I think some of it slows down when you’re talking about the game," Kelly said. "Does that mean we’re gonna make absolutely, 100% perfect decisions? We try to, and we try to beat that up before the game and talk about that after. When you’re talking about communicating with the players and staff, no I can’t sit here and say I have been perfect. There are things you learn from as you go. I do feel like I have gotten better in some ways, but still a long way to go.”
THE ASYLUM
A whole year of Kelly as manager: 'I’m still learning'
It was game No. 39 of the 2025 season when Don Kelly took on a managerial role for the very first time. A whole year has passed and Kelly now enters game No. 39 of the 2026 season as a more experienced manager, one who has compiled an 80-82 record over a 162-game sample.
“I was really thankful for the advice I got from (Jim) Leyland and others, just to be myself," Kelly said when I asked pregame about how he's evolved in this role over the last year. "I’m still learning a lot in regard to the role, communication, relationships and decision-making. Something that has evolved is our preparation and our review every single day on decisions we make, and trying to continue to beat that up and find a way to get better every single day. It’s just something that I challenge our players, our staff, I even talk to my kids about it, how do you continue to get better and work every day to do that? That’s something we’ve done and will continue to do.”
Kelly has seemingly taken the advice of Leyland and others and ran with it. Bryan Reynolds said he's continued to be himself, all while using his experiences as a bench coach and a player to help navigate the choppy waters associated with managing at the major-league level.
"He played for a long time, he was a bench coach for a while and he's been coaching around," Reynolds said. "I wouldn't necessarily say that anything surprises him, but I guess actually being the one calling the shots, you can second guess yourself a little bit. I think he's been doing a great job."
Just as any young prospect might find themselves learning on the fly upon making it to the major leagues for the first time, Kelly has found himself doing the same thing. There's been plenty of good during his time as the man in charge, including what has seemed to be a drastic culture change within the clubhouse. But there's room for additional growth, too.
“I think some of it slows down when you’re talking about the game," Kelly said. "Does that mean we’re gonna make absolutely, 100% perfect decisions? We try to, and we try to beat that up before the game and talk about that after. When you’re talking about communicating with the players and staff, no I can’t sit here and say I have been perfect. There are things you learn from as you go. I do feel like I have gotten better in some ways, but still a long way to go.”
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