Shelby was born in Lexington, Kentucky on February 23, 1958. In 1976, he graduated from Henry Clay High School in Lexington, where he played baseball (as a shortstop) and basketball and was an all-area performer. After high school, he played one year of baseball at Columbia State Community College in Columbia, Tennessee.\n', '

In the January 1977 amateur draft, Shelby was a first–round pick of the Baltimore Orioles. He made his professional debut that year for the Bluefield Orioles of the Appalachian League, batting .256 in 60 games.\n', '

When Shelby was traded to the Dodgers during the 1987 season, the team was so desperate for a center fielder that he was rushed into uniform and into his first game. There was not even time to put his name on the back of his uniform, so he played the entire game without his name stitched onto his uniform. During Game Four of the 1988 National League Championship Series, he drew a crucial walk off Dwight Gooden in the top of the ninth inning, allowing Mike Scioscia to come up and hit a game-tying home run, paving the way for the game-winning home run by Kirk Gibson in the top of the twelfth inning. \n', '

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