George Kell
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1943-1957)
George Kell was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1957 for 5 teams, including the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,795 career games, he hit .306 with 2,054 hits, 78 home runs, and 870 RBI. George Kell was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983 and was a 10-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 12,722.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 175 lb
- Died
- 3/24/2009 in Swifton, AR, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1943-09-28
- Last Game
- 1957-09-14
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 1983 (BBWAA)
- Awards
- 10× All-Star
Full name: George Clyde Kell
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,795 | 6,702 | 881 | 2,054 | 385 | 50 | 78 | 870 | 51 | 621 | 287 | .306 | .367 | .414 | .781 | 12,722 |
Career AVG .306 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +17.8% above league average.
Career OBP .367 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +10.4% above league average.
Career SLG .414 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — +9.5% above league average.
Career OPS .781 vs. league average .711 across their career seasons — +9.9% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | PHA | AL | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1944 | PHA | AL | 139 | 514 | 51 | 138 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 5 | 22 | 23 | .268 | .261 (+3%) | .325 (-8%) | .357 (-13%) | .683 (-11%) | -890.7 |
| 1945 | PHA | AL | 147 | 567 | 50 | 154 | 30 | 3 | 4 | 56 | 2 | 27 | 15 | .272 | .260 (+4%) | .328 (-7%) | .354 (avg) | .683 (-3%) | -405.7 |
| 1946 | PHA | AL | 26 | 87 | 3 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 6 | .299 | .256 (+16%) | .328 (+15%) | .358 (+9%) | .687 (+12%) | 179.6 |
| 1946 | DET | AL | 105 | 434 | 67 | 142 | 19 | 9 | 4 | 41 | 3 | 30 | 14 | .327 | .256 (+27%) | .328 (+13%) | .358 (+23%) | .687 (+18%) | 179.6 |
| 1947 | DET | AL | 152 | 588 | 75 | 188 | 29 | 5 | 5 | 93 | 9 | 61 | 16 | .320 | .262 (+22%) | .336 (+15%) | .376 (+9%) | .712 (+12%) | 1540.1 |
| 1948 | DET | AL | 92 | 368 | 47 | 112 | 24 | 3 | 2 | 44 | 2 | 33 | 15 | .304 | .263 (+15%) | .340 (+9%) | .379 (+6%) | .719 (+7%) | 514.8 |
| 1949 | DET | AL | 134 | 522 | 97 | 179 | 38 | 9 | 3 | 59 | 7 | 71 | 13 | .343 | .262 (+31%) | .343 (+24%) | .384 (+22%) | .727 (+23%) | 2517.9 |
| 1950 | DET | AL | 157 | 641 | 114 | 218 | 56 | 6 | 8 | 101 | 3 | 66 | 18 | .340 | .265 (+28%) | .346 (+16%) | .401 (+20%) | .747 (+18%) | 2500.1 |
| 1951 | DET | AL | 147 | 598 | 92 | 191 | 36 | 3 | 2 | 59 | 10 | 61 | 18 | .319 | .260 (+22%) | .336 (+15%) | .385 (+4%) | .721 (+9%) | 1212.8 |
| 1952 | DET | AL | 39 | 152 | 11 | 45 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 15 | 13 | .296 | .252 (+17%) | .326 (+10%) | .369 (avg) | .696 (+5%) | 133.8 |
| 1952 | BOS | AL | 75 | 276 | 41 | 88 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 40 | 0 | 31 | 10 | .319 | .252 (+26%) | .326 (+19%) | .369 (+23%) | .696 (+21%) | 133.8 |
| 1953 | BOS | AL | 134 | 460 | 68 | 141 | 41 | 2 | 12 | 73 | 5 | 52 | 22 | .307 | .264 (+16%) | .335 (+14%) | .397 (+21%) | .733 (+18%) | 1714.7 |
| 1954 | BOS | AL | 26 | 93 | 15 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 3 | .258 | .261 (-1%) | .333 (+8%) | .390 (-26%) | .723 (-10%) | -88.3 |
| 1954 | CHA | AL | 71 | 233 | 25 | 66 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 48 | 1 | 18 | 12 | .283 | .261 (+9%) | .333 (-3%) | .390 (avg) | .723 (-1%) | -88.3 |
| 1955 | CHA | AL | 128 | 429 | 44 | 134 | 24 | 1 | 8 | 81 | 2 | 51 | 36 | .312 | .258 (+21%) | .332 (+17%) | .393 (+9%) | .726 (+13%) | 1231.2 |
| 1956 | CHA | AL | 21 | 80 | 7 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 6 | .312 | .258 (+21%) | .331 (+12%) | .397 (+4%) | .728 (+7%) | 107.0 |
| 1956 | BAL | AL | 102 | 345 | 45 | 90 | 17 | 2 | 8 | 37 | 0 | 25 | 31 | .261 | .258 (+1%) | .331 (-6%) | .397 (-2%) | .728 (-3%) | 107.0 |
| 1957 | BAL | AL | 99 | 310 | 28 | 92 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 44 | 2 | 25 | 16 | .297 | .257 (+15%) | .323 (+9%) | .391 (+6%) | .715 (+7%) | 458.2 |
| Career · 19 seasons | 1,795 | 6,702 | 881 | 2,054 | 385 | 50 | 78 | 870 | 51 | 621 | 287 | .306 | — | — | — | — | 11,057 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1795 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 892 | 3285 | 450 | 1011 | 39 | 444 | .308 |
| Away | 903 | 3416 | 430 | 1043 | 39 | 429 | .305 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-09-14 | BAL | DET | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-11 | BAL | KC1 | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-11 | BAL | KC1 | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-08 | BAL | BOS | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-07 | BAL | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-06 | BAL | BOS | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957-09-05 | BAL | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957-09-04 | BAL | MIN | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-03 | BAL | NYY | L | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-02 | BAL | NYY | W | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 85 | 68 | 557 | 22 | 2 | 53 |
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 3B | 1692 | 323 | 1825 | 3303 | 166 | 306 |
| OF | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | PHA | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944 | PHA | 3B | 139 | 0 | 167 | 289 | 20 | 25 |
| 1945 | PHA | 3B | 147 | 0 | 186 | 345 | 20 | 32 |
| 1946 | PHA | 3B | 26 | 0 | 36 | 57 | 2 | 5 |
| 1946 | DET | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | DET | 3B | 105 | 0 | 105 | 210 | 5 | 22 |
| 1947 | DET | 3B | 152 | 0 | 167 | 333 | 20 | 25 |
| 1948 | DET | 3B | 92 | 0 | 108 | 146 | 8 | 15 |
| 1949 | DET | 3B | 134 | 0 | 154 | 271 | 11 | 23 |
| 1950 | DET | 3B | 157 | 0 | 186 | 315 | 9 | 30 |
| 1951 | DET | 3B | 147 | 0 | 175 | 310 | 20 | 34 |
| 1952 | DET | 3B | 39 | 0 | 38 | 78 | 5 | 7 |
| 1952 | BOS | 3B | 73 | 0 | 75 | 138 | 9 | 14 |
| 1953 | BOS | 3B | 124 | 0 | 114 | 231 | 10 | 23 |
| 1953 | BOS | OF | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | BOS | 3B | 25 | 25 | 31 | 49 | 7 | 5 |
| 1954 | CHA | 1B | 32 | 32 | 253 | 8 | 1 | 27 |
| 1954 | CHA | 3B | 31 | 27 | 19 | 48 | 3 | 4 |
| 1954 | CHA | OF | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955 | CHA | 1B | 24 | 13 | 133 | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| 1955 | CHA | 3B | 105 | 102 | 83 | 165 | 6 | 8 |
| 1955 | CHA | OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956 | CHA | 1B | 4 | 4 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 1956 | CHA | 3B | 18 | 17 | 17 | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956 | BAL | 1B | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956 | BAL | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1956 | BAL | 3B | 97 | 93 | 97 | 165 | 7 | 19 |
| 1957 | BAL | 1B | 22 | 19 | 146 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| 1957 | BAL | 3B | 80 | 59 | 66 | 122 | 4 | 15 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 85 |
| Second Base | 1 |
| Third Base | 1690 |
| Left Field | 10 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1951 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1950 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 3B |
| 1950 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1949 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 3B |
| 1949 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1948 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 3B |
| 1947 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 3B |
| 1947 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1946 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 3B |
| 1946 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 26th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1951 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 15th | 30.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1950 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 4th | 127.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1949 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 8th | 80.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1948 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 16th | 14.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1947 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 5th | 132.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1946 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 16th | 12.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1944 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 22th | 6.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
George Kell (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare George Kell
George Kell: the record in brief
September 28, 1943 and September 14, 1957 bracket George Kell's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Philadelphia Athletics (1943 through 1946), the Detroit Tigers (1946 to 1952), the Boston Red Sox (1952 through 1954), the Chicago White Sox (1954 to 1956), and the Baltimore Orioles (1956 through 1957). At 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, Kell is listed as a third baseman. Kell batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is August 23, 1922, in Swifton, AR, USA. Kell's death is recorded on March 24, 2009, in Swifton, AR, USA. On the record, George Kell was born George Clyde Kell.
Across 1,795 games at the plate, Kell's career line reads 2,054 hits in 6,702 at bats for a .306 average, along with 78 home runs, 870 runs batted in, and 51 stolen bases. Kell got on base at a .367 rate and slugged .414 (.781 OPS).
Frequently Asked Questions about George Kell
- What years did George Kell play?
- George Kell played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1957.
- Was George Kell a pitcher?
- No. George Kell was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did George Kell hit?
- George Kell hit 78 career home runs with 2054 hits.
- Is George Kell in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. George Kell was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
- What was George Kell's career batting average?
- George Kell batted .306 over his career, with 2,054 hits in 6,702 at bats.
- How many RBI did George Kell have?
- George Kell drove in 870 runs in his career.