George Kelly

First Baseman · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1915-1932)

George Kelly was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1932 for 5 teams, including the New York Giants, a span of 18 seasons. In 1,622 career games, he hit .297 with 1,778 hits, 148 home runs, and 1,020 RBI. George Kelly was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 9,050.

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

⭐ Hall of Fame 1973
AVG .297
HR 148
RBI 1,020
H 1,778
OPS .794
PIV 9,050
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 190 lb
Born
9/10/1895 in San Francisco, CA, USA
Died
10/13/1984 in Burlingame, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1915-08-18
Last Game
1932-07-26
Hall of Fame
Inducted 1973 (BBWAA)

Full name: George Lange Kelly

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Career Batting Statistics

George Kelly — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,622 5,993 819 1,778 337 76 148 1,020 65 386 694 .297 .342 .452 .794 9,050

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 .794 vs. league average .721 across their career seasons — +10.2% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

George Kelly Stats, Bio & Career Records
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 .158 — — — — 0.0
1916 NY1 NL 49 76 4 12 2 1 0 3 1 6 24 .158 .248 (-36%) .314 (-30%) .326 (-36%) .640 (-33%) -366.3
1917 NY1 NL 11 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 — — — — 0.0
1917 PIT NL 8 23 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 9 .087 — — — — 0.0
1919 NY1 NL 32 107 12 31 6 2 1 14 1 3 15 .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 .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 .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 .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 .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 .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 .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 .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 .270 .282 (-4%) .344 (-11%) .392 (+14%) .736 (+2%) -9.9
1928 CIN NL 116 402 46 119 33 7 3 58 2 28 35 .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 .293 .289 (+1%) .353 (-6%) .415 (+3%) .769 (-1%) -258.2
1930 CIN NL 51 188 18 54 10 1 5 35 1 7 20 .287 .293 (-2%) .354 (-12%) .429 (avg) .784 (-5%) -200.7
1930 CHN NL 39 166 22 55 6 1 3 19 0 7 16 .331 .293 (+13%) .354 (+2%) .429 (+1%) .784 (+1%) -200.7
1932 BRO NL 64 202 23 49 9 1 4 22 0 22 27 .243 .275 (-12%) .335 (-5%) .391 (-9%) .726 (-7%) -220.6
Career · 18 seasons 1,622 5,993 819 1,778 337 76 148 1,020 65 386 694 .297 — — — — 8,800

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.

Career Pitching Statistics

George Kelly — 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 0.0

Career ERA 0.00 vs. league average 2.69 across their career seasons — 100.0% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

George Kelly — 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 · 1 season 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 5.0 4 0 1 2 0.00 — 0

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

George Kelly — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
26 101 11 25 2 0 1 11 5 23 .248

Playoff Batting by Year

George Kelly — 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 .290
1923 WS NY1 6 22 1 4 0 0 0 1 1 2 .182
1922 WS NY1 5 18 0 5 0 0 0 2 0 3 .278
1921 WS NY1 8 30 3 7 1 0 0 4 3 10 .233

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1624 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

George Kelly — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home819291538585970507.295
Away804308143291878524.298

Pitching — Home / Away

George Kelly — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Away15.040120.00

Last 10 Games — Batting

George Kelly — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1932-07-26 BROSTLW 100000000
1932-07-26 BROSTLW 422200201
1932-07-24 BROPHIW 401000000
1932-07-23 BROPHIL 401000000
1932-07-23 BROPHIL 411001100
1932-07-20 BROSTLL 100000001
1932-07-19 BROSTLL 100000000
1932-07-17 BROSTLL 100000000
1932-07-15 BROCHCL 100000000
1932-07-13 BROCHCW 100000000

Last 1 Games — Pitching

George Kelly — Last 1 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1917-10-03 NY1PHI W 5.0400120

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

George Kelly — 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

George Kelly — 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 Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

George Kelly Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 1
First Base 1373
Second Base 145
Third Base 2
Left Field 26
Center Field 16
Right Field 19

Awards & Honors

George Kelly — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1926 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

George Kelly — 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

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

George Kelly (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Travis Jackson HOF
    .291 avg, 135 HR
  2. 77
    Bill White
    .286 avg, 202 HR
  3. 76
    Pinky Whitney
    .295 avg, 93 HR
  4. 75
    Ken Keltner
    .276 avg, 163 HR
  5. 75
    Daniel Murphy
    .296 avg, 138 HR
  6. 73
    Marty McManus
    .289 avg, 120 HR

Compare George Kelly

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Kelly's closest peers by position and era.

vs Honus Wagner
vs Dan Brouthers
vs Cap Anson
vs Roger Connor
vs Hank Greenberg
vs George Sisler

Browse all MLB player comparisons →

George Kelly: the record in brief

George Kelly's major league career runs from a debut on August 18, 1915 to a final game on July 26, 1932. The season rows list, in order, the New York Giants (1915 to 1926), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1917), the Cincinnati Reds (1927 through 1930), the Chicago Cubs (1930), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1932). Kelly played primarily as a first baseman and threw and hit right-handed. Born on September 10, 1895, in San Francisco, CA, USA, Kelly was listed at 6'4" and 190 pounds. Kelly died on October 13, 1984, in Burlingame, CA, USA. The bio lists the given name George Lange.

Kelly collected 1,778 hits in 5,993 at bats across 1,622 games, good for a .297 batting average, along with 148 home runs, 1,020 runs batted in, and 65 stolen bases. Kelly got on base at a .342 rate and slugged .452 (.794 OPS). Over the seasons Kelly played, league hitters batted .276; the .297 career figure is 7.3% above that.

Frequently Asked Questions about George Kelly

What years did George Kelly play?
George Kelly played in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1932.
Was George Kelly a pitcher?
No. George Kelly was a position player (First Baseman), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
How many home runs did George Kelly hit?
George Kelly hit 148 career home runs with 1,778 hits.
Is George Kelly in the Hall of Fame?
Yes. George Kelly was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.
What teams did George Kelly play for?
George Kelly played for 5 teams: the New York Giants (1915–1917, 1919–1926), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1917), the Cincinnati Reds (1927–1930), the Chicago Cubs (1930), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1932).
Did George Kelly win an MVP award?
No. George Kelly did not win the MVP award.
What were George Kelly's career stats?
In 1,622 games, George Kelly had 1,778 hits, 148 home runs, 1,020 RBI, 819 runs, and 65 stolen bases, with a .297 batting average.
What position did George Kelly play?
George Kelly played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was George Kelly and how much did he weigh?
George Kelly was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 190 pounds.
How many home runs did George Kelly hit each season?
George Kelly's home runs by season: 1 in 1915, 0 in 1916, 0 in 1917, 1 in 1919, 11 in 1920, 23 in 1921, 17 in 1922, 16 in 1923, 21 in 1924, 20 in 1925, 13 in 1926, 5 in 1927, 3 in 1928, 5 in 1929, 8 in 1930, and 4 in 1932. His most in one season was 23, in 1921.
What was George Kelly's career batting average?
George Kelly batted .297 over his career, with 1,778 hits in 5,993 at bats.
How many RBI did George Kelly have?
George Kelly drove in 1,020 runs in his career.
What was George Kelly's career ERA?
George Kelly finished with a 0.00 career ERA, going 1-0 with 2 strikeouts.