King Kelly
From BR Bullpen
Michael Joseph Kelly
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 10", Weight 170 lb.
- Debut May 1, 1878
- Final Game September 2, 1893
- Born December 31, 1857 in Troy, NY USA
- Died November 8, 1894 in Boston, MA USA
Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1945
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[edit] Biographical Information
"Mike's only enemy was himself." - Cap Anson
King Kelly was a legendary 19th Century ballplayer who played all nine positions and had an Adjusted OPS of 138. He led the league twice in batting.
Kelly did most of his catching toward the end of his career. For the first part of his career he was primarily an outfielder, although in one season (1879) he was chiefly a third baseman while in another (1882) he was mostly a shortstop. In 1887 he played 30 games at second base. As a pitcher he had a 4.14 ERA in 45.7 innings spread out over 7 years.
The most similar player, based on the similarity scores method, was Buck Ewing, which makes sense since Ewing was also a catcher and player-manager.
Kelly broke in at age 20 as an above-average player with the 1878 Cincinnati Reds and became a star in 1879 when he hit .348. He spent much of the 1880's (1880-86) playing in Chicago alongside Cap Anson. For most of the rest of his career he played in Boston, appearing for all its teams in three leagues - the National League, the Players League, and the American Association.
He stole more than 368 bases in his career (stats are not available for the early part of his career), causing fans to call out "Slide, Kelly, Slide".
Kelly was a flamboyant personality and dressed very snappy. He appeared during the off-seasons on stage, which added to his fame. His obituary referred to him as having "uncertain habits".
After his major league days, he managed in the minors and and opened a bar. Kelly died young, in 1894 only a year after he left the majors.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 2-time NL Batting Average Leader (1884 & 1886)
- 2-time NL On-Base Percentage Leader (1884 & 1886)
- 3-time NL Runs Scored Leader (1884-1886)
- 3-time NL Doubles Leader (1881, 1882 & 1889)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 5 (1884-1887 & 1889)
- 50 Stolen Bases Seasons: 5 (1886-1890)
- Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1945
| Preceded by John Morrill | Boston Beaneaters Manager 1887 | Succeeded by John Morrill |
[edit] Further Reading
- Mike "King" Kelly: Play Ball: Stories of the Diamond Field and Other Historical Writings about the 19th Century Hall of Famer, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2006 (originally published in 1888, this is considered the first autobiography ever written by a professional baseball player).
