Alex Kellner, baseball player, 1948-1959

Alex Kellner

Born: 8/26/1924 in Tucson, AZ, USA

Died: 5/3/1996 in Tucson, AZ, USA

MLB Debut: 1948-04-29 | Final Game: 1959-06-23

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: Alexander Raymond Kellner

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Biography

Alex Kellner was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1959. Born in 1924, Kellner made a name for himself during a transitional period in baseball, navigating the shift from the post-war era into a time of greater offensive output. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 101 wins and 112 losses, with an earned run average of 4.41. He recorded a total of 816 strikeouts and secured 5 saves, showcasing his ability to both start and relieve in games. Kellner's lone All-Star selection in 1954 marked a high point in his career, reflecting his recognition as one of the more competent pitchers of his era. His playing style combined a solid fastball with an understanding of the art of pitching, which allowed him to stay competitive in a league that was becoming increasingly dominated by hitters. While his win-loss record may not have been stellar, Kellner's contributions to his teams and the game during the late 1940s and 1950s are remembered by baseball historians and fans alike.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
101 112 321 250 99 9 5 1849.3 1925 906 184 747 816 4.41 0

Career ERA 4.41 vs. league average 3.99 across their career seasons — 10.4% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1948 PHA AL 0 0 13 1 0 0 0 23.0 21 20 16 14 7.83 4.10 (-91%) 115.2
1949 PHA AL 20 12 38 27 19 0 1 245.0 243 102 129 94 3.75 4.12 (+9%) -1192.8
1950 PHA AL 8 20 36 29 15 0 2 225.3 253 137 112 85 5.47 4.36 (-26%) -3568.4
1951 PHA AL 11 14 33 29 11 1 2 209.7 218 104 93 94 4.46 4.04 (-11%) -935.5
1952 PHA AL 12 14 34 33 14 2 0 231.3 223 112 86 105 4.36 3.70 (-18%) -774.0
1953 PHA AL 11 12 25 25 14 2 0 201.7 210 88 51 81 3.93 4.14 (+5%) 5343.7
1954 PHA AL 6 17 27 27 8 1 0 173.7 204 104 88 69 5.39 3.90 (-38%) -2376.9
1955 KC1 AL 11 8 30 24 6 3 0 162.7 164 76 60 75 4.20 4.00 (-5%) -356.8
1956 KC1 AL 7 4 20 17 5 0 0 91.7 103 44 33 44 4.32 3.96 (-9%) -1677.1
1957 KC1 AL 6 5 28 21 3 0 0 132.7 141 63 41 72 4.27 3.83 (-12%) -935.9
1958 KC1 AL 0 2 7 6 0 0 0 33.7 40 22 8 22 5.88 3.86 (-52%) 41.1
1958 CIN NL 7 3 18 7 4 0 0 82.0 74 21 20 42 2.30 3.86 (+40%) 625.5
1959 STL NL 2 1 12 4 0 0 0 37.0 31 13 10 19 3.16 3.90 (+19%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
323 643 49 138 16 1 4 57 0 30 106 0.215 0.251 0.261 0.513 -2871.3

Career AVG .215 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 17.5% below league average.

Career OBP .251 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 24.5% below league average.

Career SLG .261 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 32.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.513 vs. league average 0.723 across their career seasons — 29.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1948 PHA AL 13 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1949 PHA AL 38 92 7 20 1 0 0 10 0 7 15 0.217 .262 (-17%) .343 (-21%) .384 (-41%) .727 (-31%) -490.0
1950 PHA AL 36 80 5 16 1 0 0 3 0 4 13 0.200 .265 (-25%) .346 (-31%) .401 (-47%) .747 (-40%) -561.9
1951 PHA AL 33 79 5 18 3 0 0 9 0 1 13 0.228 .260 (-13%) .336 (-29%) .385 (-31%) .721 (-30%) -421.6
1952 PHA AL 34 82 6 17 2 0 1 10 0 1 9 0.207 .252 (-18%) .326 (-34%) .369 (-27%) .696 (-30%) -429.0
1953 PHA AL 25 69 4 15 2 0 0 0 0 3 8 0.217 .264 (-18%) .335 (-20%) .397 (-38%) .733 (-30%) -338.6
1954 PHA AL 27 55 2 10 2 0 0 6 0 2 8 0.182 .261 (-30%) .333 (-38%) .390 (-44%) .723 (-41%) -396.3
1955 KC1 AL 30 56 6 12 2 1 0 5 0 4 7 0.214 .258 (-17%) .332 (-20%) .393 (-27%) .726 (-24%) -234.0
1956 KC1 AL 21 30 2 6 0 0 0 2 0 3 10 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1957 KC1 AL 28 47 7 11 2 0 3 6 0 2 10 0.234 — — — — 0.0
1958 KC1 AL 8 11 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.091 — — — — 0.0
1958 CIN NL 18 28 5 10 0 0 0 6 0 2 6 0.357 — — — — 0.0
1959 STL NL 12 9 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.222 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 321 106 83 280 17 27

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1948 PHA P 13 0 0 2 0 0
1949 PHA P 38 0 9 46 3 4
1950 PHA P 36 0 13 27 3 2
1951 PHA P 33 0 15 31 2 3
1952 PHA P 34 0 17 28 0 4
1953 PHA P 25 0 5 28 2 2
1954 PHA P 27 27 6 32 0 2
1955 KC1 P 30 24 4 30 3 2
1956 KC1 P 20 17 1 17 1 2
1957 KC1 P 28 21 5 24 2 4
1958 KC1 P 7 6 2 5 0 1
1958 CIN P 18 7 3 6 0 1
1959 SLN P 12 4 3 4 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 321

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1949 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 6.0 336 0
1949 Rookie of the Year AL 2nd 5.0 24 5