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Don Kelly leaves Detroit Tigers to join Houston Astros coaching staff

Taking a look at what the Tigers' starting lineup and pitching rotation could look like to open the 2019 season. Video by Anthony Fenech and Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press. Wochit

They can’t stop Don Kelly.

The former Detroit Tigers’ fan favorite, who joined the team’s scouting department as a professional scout two years ago, is headed to the Houston Astros as their first-base coach.

Kelly, 38, is considered a future Major League manager.

Late in the season, one rival talent evaluator who was familiar with Kelly’s impact the final two seasons of his career in Miami, said, “He can do whatever he wants in this game,” adding that he had passed on Kelly’s name to a pair of general managers last season as a potential managerial candidate.