George Kelly (baseball)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| George Kelly | ||
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| First Baseman | ||
| Born: September 10, 1895 San Francisco, California |
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| Died: October 13, 1984 (aged 89) Burlingame, California |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| August 18, 1915 for the New York Giants |
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| Final game | ||
| July 27, 1932 for the Brooklyn Dodgers |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Batting average | .297 | |
| Home runs | 148 | |
| Runs batted in | 1020 | |
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
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| Member of the National | ||
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Elected | 1973 | |
| Election Method | Veteran's Committee | |
George Lange Kelly September 10, 1895 , San Francisco, California - October 13, 1984 , Burlingame, California), nicknamed "Highpockets", was a Major League Baseball player known for his solid all-round hitting and slick fielding at first base.
Kelly entered the majors briefly in the mid-1910s, beginning in 1915 with the New York Giants, but he wasn't a regular in their line-up until 1920, when he had a league-leading 94 RBIs. In 1921, Kelly began a string of successful years individually and with his team. Kelly drove in 100 or more runs for four consecutive seasons (which he did again in 1929) and batted .300 or higher six consecutive seasons. The Giants appeared in the World Series in 1921, 1922, 1923 and 1924, and won in 1921 and 1922.
Kelly was traded to the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 1927 season for Edd Roush. His production declined somewhat in Cincinnati before retiring after the 1932 season as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. He retired with 148 home runs, 1020 RBIs and a .297 batting average.
Kelly shares the National League record with seven home runs in six consecutive games, set in 1924.
Kelly was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. Sabermetrician Bill James has listed Kelly as one of ten examples of Hall of Fame inductees who do not deserve the honor.[1]; James has also noted that Kelly's selection may have been influenced by the fact that former team mates such as Frankie Frisch and Bill Terry were on the Veterans Committee.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Bill James Answers All Your Baseball Questions, an April 2008 entry from the Freakonomics blog
[edit] External links
- Baseball Hall of Fame
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
| Preceded by Hy Myers |
National League RBI Champion 1920 (with Rogers Hornsby) |
Succeeded by Rogers Hornsby |
| Preceded by Cy Williams |
National League Home Run Champion 1921 |
Succeeded by Rogers Hornsby |
| Preceded by Irish Meusel |
National League RBI Champion 1924 |
Succeeded by Rogers Hornsby |
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