Minor League Veteran Kelly Dugan Joins the Pioneer League Following Birth of Son

After being designated as the Grand Junction Jackalopes' "franchise player" earlier this month, outfielder/first baseman Kelly Dugan, in only his second Pioneer League game, achieved a major milestone with the 1,000th hit of his professional baseball career, a fourth inning double.

"I was aware of being on 999 hits going into the game, but as soon as I started playing, I forgot about it" said Dugan. "The at bat prior, I rolled a ball over to the second baseman and I was just trying to get a ball in the air the next time up. After the double, it was awesome hearing the announcer acknowledge the accomplishment on the loud speaker. It was a classy move on behalf of the Boise Hawks. [I'm] happy to get the ball and have that memory."

Dugan expressed his gratitude toward the league for giving him a chance to extend his baseball career, especially meaningful for the 6'3" lefty who just became a first-time dad over the offseason. 

"Initially I thought that since I had a kid I should stop playing, but now that I get to do this and Rigley, my son, gets to be here, I'm just so psyched," Dugan said. "He might be able to catch me play some baseball, and I wasn't sure if that was going to happen with my retirement after last year. So, I'm just completely thrilled that he's here."

Dugan was drafted out of high school by the Phillies, who took him with the 75th pick in the 2009 draft. He's since spent 13 years in the minor leagues, having reached the AAA level in 2015.

Though Dugan would have otherwise been far over the Pioneer League's 3-year eligibility standards, Grand Junction offered him the coveted singular franchise player roster spot, allowing Dugan to come back for another year of playing in the minors.

"This was an opportunity to be the franchise player here, which is an honor. I know I'm one of the older guys in the league, but for me baseball is baseball and you've got to respect every single opponent that you face and that's the way I'm going to treat it," he said. "I love the game, so when I heard I had the opportunity to come play, I'll always give it my all. I don't want to look back and regret anything."

While he's grateful for the opportunity to continue to play the game he loves, Dugan also sees this season as a time to impart his wisdom and experience in professional baseball to his teammates and those around him.

"My experience I feel could be like a memory bank. You see new situations every day in baseball, and there's [certain] ways to handle things. And I hope I can be leaned upon by my teammates," he said. "I hope they respect me enough on the field to come up to me and ask questions if they want. I'm around and available for them."

As Dugan continues his baseball journey in Grand Junction, he's excited to bring his famed, powerful swing to the high-elevation stadiums across the league this summer and maybe along the way leave behind some more records and lasting memories for Rigley.