JUPITER, Fla. -- He stood in the hot Florida sun, socks high as always, politely asking if the Detroit reporters minded waiting until he finished hitting to talk.
That's Don Kelly.
But Kelly is wearing the bright Miami Marlins colors these days instead of the Old English D.
"It was just the fact of the way the roster was set up at the time and the way that Miami's was, it just seemed like a better fit to be in the NL and to be here when I signed," Kelly said on the field at Jupiter's Roger Dean Stadium. "You know, it's been good to be over here. It's a good opportunity. I've gotten to play all over the field. Come in and just compete."
When Kelly signed a minor-league deal with the Marlins Jan. 17, he had no way of knowing that Victor Martinez would suffer a knee injury.
That coupled with Miguel Cabrera's recovery from offseason surgery on his right ankle and foot has left the Tigers short on first basemen.
"That type of guy would fit well with the injuries to Miggy and Victor that can play first, third, outfield, left-hand bat," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "Certainly would be an extremely viable option. That's part of the reason we moved (Andrew) Romine and (Hernan) Perez around, to do what Donnie had done in the past."
Now Kelly is trying to win a utility spot with the Marlins.
"Everything that goes on in a National League game is one of the reasons it was such a good fit," Kelly said. "To bounce around and play all over the place. Double switches, pinch hits, stuff like that."
That doesn't mean that it was an easy decision to leave the Tigers, even for a possible better opportunity.
"You're there for so long and the success that we had, the relationships that you build, it is, it's going to be tough," Kelly said.
Kelly was asked if he knew that he was trending on Twitter the day he signed with the Marlins.
"All the attention, it was humbling but at the end of the day, you just go out, you compete, you play as well as you can and hopefully people respect the way you go about your business," Kelly said.
Former manager Jim Leyland gave Kelly a big hug when he saw him on the field. Kelly said the two have kept in touch.
"Ever since our relationship as manager and player â when he moved on, it became a little bit of more, per se," Kelly said. "There was always that boundary there of boss and employee. Having that relationship, being able to talk to him every once in a while, it's good."
Kelly said all of his memories of being a Tiger are good and he'll definitely miss Detroit, his old teammates and the fans.
"The wins, the team that we had, the guys that were together for so long, that's the thing that you hear ex-players, when they come back, that's what they miss," Kelly said. "And I think that's the same thing that I will too. The group that we had, the bonds that we formed. It was a lot of fun to win. That was the biggest thing."
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