Jim Kelly
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1914-1918)
Jim Kelly was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1914 to 1918 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Pittsburgh Rebels, and the Boston Braves, a span of 5 seasons. In 215 career games, he hit .297 with 212 hits, 4 home runs, and 57 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,652.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 180 lb
- Died
- 4/10/1961 in Kingsport, TN, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1914-04-24
- Last Game
- 1918-09-02
Full name: James Robert Kelly
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 215 | 714 | 91 | 212 | 15 | 22 | 4 | 57 | 42 | 46 | 58 | .297 | .343 | .396 | .739 | 1,652 |
Career AVG .297 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — +17.2% above league average.
Career OBP .343 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — +7.1% above league average.
Career SLG .396 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — +18.8% above league average.
Career OPS .739 vs. league average .654 across their career seasons — +13.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | PIT | NL | 32 | 44 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .227 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1915 | PTF | FL | 148 | 524 | 68 | 154 | 12 | 17 | 4 | 50 | 38 | 35 | 46 | .294 | .250 (+17%) | .318 (+7%) | .332 (+22%) | .651 (+14%) | 1233.8 |
| 1918 | BSN | NL | 35 | 146 | 19 | 48 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 9 | .329 | .255 (+29%) | .318 (+18%) | .326 (+20%) | .645 (+19%) | 417.8 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 215 | 714 | 91 | 212 | 15 | 22 | 4 | 57 | 42 | 46 | 58 | .297 | — | — | — | — | 1,652 | ||
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 (215 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 112 | 357 | 49 | 105 | 1 | 32 | .294 |
| Away | 103 | 360 | 42 | 106 | 3 | 24 | .294 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918-09-02 | BSN | NY1 | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-09-02 | BSN | NY1 | L | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-31 | BSN | PHI | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-31 | BSN | PHI | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1918-08-30 | BSN | PHI | W | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1918-08-30 | BSN | PHI | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1918-08-25 | BSN | CIN | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1918-08-25 | BSN | CIN | W | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1918-08-24 | BSN | CIN | L | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-23 | BSN | PIT | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 50 |
| Center Field | 4 |
| Right Field | 141 |
Jim Kelly: the record in brief
Jim Kelly's major league career runs from a debut on April 24, 1914 to a final game on September 2, 1918. Kelly played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1914), the Pittsburgh Rebels (1915), and the Boston Braves (1918). Kelly played primarily as an outfielder and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on February 1, 1884, in Bloomfield, NJ, USA and a listed size of 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds. The bio records the death on April 10, 1961, in Kingsport, TN, USA. The given name on file is James Robert Kelly.
Kelly's career batting table shows 215 games, 714 at bats and 212 hits, a .297 average; the totals also include 4 home runs, 57 runs batted in, and 42 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .343 and .396 give Kelly a career OPS of .739. Measured against the leagues Kelly played in, the .297 career average compares with a .253 league average over the same seasons, 17.2% above the league.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Kelly
- What years did Jim Kelly play?
- Jim Kelly played in Major League Baseball from 1914 to 1918.
- Was Jim Kelly a pitcher?
- No. Jim Kelly was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Jim Kelly hit?
- Jim Kelly hit 4 career home runs with 212 hits.
- What teams did Jim Kelly play for?
- Jim Kelly played for 3 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1914), the Pittsburgh Rebels (1915), and the Boston Braves (1918).
- What were Jim Kelly's career stats?
- In 215 games, Jim Kelly had 212 hits, 4 home runs, 57 RBI, 91 runs, and 42 stolen bases, with a .297 batting average.
- What position did Jim Kelly play?
- Jim Kelly played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jim Kelly and how much did he weigh?
- Jim Kelly was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 180 pounds.
- How many home runs did Jim Kelly hit each season?
- Jim Kelly's home runs by season: 0 in 1914, 4 in 1915, and 0 in 1918. His most in one season was 4, in 1915.
- What was Jim Kelly's career batting average?
- Jim Kelly batted .297 over his career, with 212 hits in 714 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jim Kelly have?
- Jim Kelly drove in 57 runs in his career.
- Is Jim Kelly in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jim Kelly has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.