George Kelly, baseball player, 148 home runs, 1915-1932

George Kelly

⭐ Hall of Fame 1973

Born: 9/10/1895 in San Francisco, CA, USA

Died: 10/13/1984 in Burlingame, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1915-08-18 | Final Game: 1932-07-26

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: George Lange Kelly

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Biography

George Kelly, born in 1895, was a pitcher who made his mark in Major League Baseball between 1915 and 1932. Known for his remarkable control and ability to handle pressure, Kelly played during a transformative period in the sport, witnessing the transition from the Deadball Era to a more offensive-minded game. Despite a modest career record of 1-0 and an impeccable earned run average (ERA) of 0.0, his contributions to the game extended beyond mere statistics. He recorded 2 strikeouts and did not secure any saves throughout his career, but his influence and presence on the mound were felt by teammates and opponents alike. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973, Kelly's legacy is cherished by baseball historians and fans. His induction underscores the impact he had on the game during his playing years, and his career serves as a testament to the dedication and skill required to excel at the highest level of baseball. Although Kelly's statistical achievements may not reflect the typical standards of Hall of Famers, his inclusion highlights the broader narrative of baseball history and the various ways players can leave a lasting impression on the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
1 0 1 0 0 0 0 5.0 4 0 0 1 2 0.00 0

Career ERA 0.00 vs. league average 2.69 across their career seasons — 100.0% better 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
1917 NY1 NL 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 5.0 4 0 1 2 0.00 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1622 5993 819 1778 337 76 148 1020 65 386 694 0.297 0.342 0.452 0.794 8888.9

Career AVG .297 vs. league average .276 across their career seasons — +7.3% above league average.

Career OBP .342 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .452 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — +18.3% above league average.

Career OPS 0.794 vs. league average 0.721 across their career seasons — +10.2% above 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
1915 NY1 NL 17 38 2 6 0 0 1 4 0 1 9 0.158 — — — — 0.0
1916 NY1 NL 49 76 4 12 2 1 0 3 1 6 24 0.158 .248 (-36%) .314 (-30%) .326 (-36%) .640 (-33%) -404.8
1917 NY1 NL 11 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1917 PIT NL 8 23 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 9 0.087 — — — — 0.0
1919 NY1 NL 32 107 12 31 6 2 1 14 1 3 15 0.290 .262 (+10%) .322 (-2%) .347 (+18%) .670 (+8%) 96.7
1920 NY1 NL 155 590 69 157 22 11 11 94 6 41 92 0.266 .271 (-2%) .331 (-3%) .363 (+9%) .694 (+3%) 251.4
1921 NY1 NL 149 587 95 181 42 9 23 122 4 40 73 0.308 .286 (+8%) .344 (+3%) .395 (+34%) .739 (+19%) 2159.6
1922 NY1 NL 151 592 96 194 33 8 17 107 12 30 65 0.328 .285 (+15%) .345 (+5%) .397 (+25%) .743 (+16%) 1773.4
1923 NY1 NL 145 560 82 172 23 5 16 103 14 47 64 0.307 .282 (+9%) .344 (+5%) .390 (+16%) .734 (+11%) 1213.5
1924 NY1 NL 144 571 91 185 37 9 21 136 7 38 52 0.324 .283 (+14%) .345 (+8%) .389 (+36%) .734 (+23%) 2483.7
1925 NY1 NL 147 586 87 181 29 3 20 99 5 35 54 0.309 .288 (+7%) .349 (avg) .407 (+16%) .756 (+8%) 950.6
1926 NY1 NL 136 499 70 151 24 4 13 80 4 36 52 0.303 .279 (+8%) .345 (+2%) .390 (+14%) .735 (+8%) 771.8
1927 CIN NL 61 222 27 60 16 4 5 21 1 11 23 0.270 .282 (-4%) .344 (-11%) .392 (+14%) .736 (+2%) -11.1
1928 CIN NL 116 402 46 119 33 7 3 58 2 28 35 0.296 .280 (+5%) .342 (+1%) .395 (+10%) .737 (+6%) 355.5
1929 CIN NL 147 577 73 169 45 9 5 103 7 33 61 0.293 .289 (+1%) .353 (-6%) .415 (+3%) .769 (-1%) -332.2
1930 CIN NL 51 188 18 54 10 1 5 35 1 7 20 0.287 .293 (-2%) .354 (-12%) .429 (avg) .784 (-5%) -220.7
1930 CHC NL 39 166 22 55 6 1 3 19 0 7 16 0.331 .293 (+13%) .354 (+2%) .429 (+1%) .784 (+1%) -220.7
1932 BRO NL 64 202 23 49 9 1 4 22 0 22 27 0.243 .275 (-12%) .335 (-5%) .391 (-9%) .726 (-7%) -248.1

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
26 101 11 25 2 0 1 11 5 23 0.248

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1924 WS NY1 7 31 7 9 1 0 1 4 1 8 0.290
1923 WS NY1 6 22 1 4 0 0 0 1 1 2 0.182
1922 WS NY1 5 18 0 5 0 0 0 2 0 3 0.278
1921 WS NY1 8 30 3 7 1 0 0 4 3 10 0.233

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1373 0 14232 861 121 1111
2B 145 0 337 509 25 84
3B 2 0 1 0 0 0
OF 67 0 120 6 6 2
P 1 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1915 NY1 1B 9 0 55 3 1 1
1915 NY1 OF 4 0 7 1 1 0
1916 NY1 1B 13 0 100 2 2 4
1916 NY1 3B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1916 NY1 OF 12 0 6 0 0 1
1917 NY1 1B 1 0 2 0 0 1
1917 NY1 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1917 NY1 OF 4 0 2 2 0 0
1917 NY1 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1917 PIT 1B 8 0 66 2 2 3
1919 NY1 1B 32 0 341 11 2 17
1920 NY1 1B 155 0 1759 103 11 115
1921 NY1 1B 149 0 1552 115 17 132
1922 NY1 1B 151 0 1642 103 13 123
1923 NY1 1B 145 0 1568 60 12 111
1924 NY1 1B 125 0 1309 60 10 107
1924 NY1 2B 5 0 9 18 2 2
1924 NY1 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1924 NY1 OF 14 0 39 1 1 0
1925 NY1 1B 25 0 263 16 3 13
1925 NY1 2B 108 0 272 394 13 68
1925 NY1 OF 17 0 31 1 2 0
1926 NY1 1B 114 0 1196 79 9 89
1926 NY1 2B 18 0 37 65 6 12
1927 CIN 1B 49 0 456 32 4 46
1927 CIN 2B 13 0 19 32 4 2
1927 CIN OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1928 CIN 1B 99 0 894 69 9 99
1928 CIN OF 13 0 33 1 2 1
1929 CIN 1B 147 0 1537 103 11 127
1930 CIN 1B 50 0 503 35 4 44
1930 CHN 1B 39 0 414 32 1 31
1932 BRO 1B 62 0 575 36 10 48
1932 BRO OF 1 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 1
First Base 1373
Second Base 145
Third Base 2
Left Field 26
Center Field 16
Right Field 19

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1926 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1924 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1924 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1922 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1921 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1926 Most Valuable Player NL 23th 2.0 80 0
1925 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 52.0 80 0
1924 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 34.0 80 0