John Kelly

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1879-1884)

John Kelly was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1879 to 1884 for 5 teams, including the Cleveland Blues, a span of 6 seasons. In 122 career games, he hit .226 with 106 hits, 1 home runs, and 5 RBI.

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

AVG .226
HR 1
RBI 5
H 106
OPS .524
PIV -957
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 185 lb
Born
3/3/1859 in Paterson, NJ, USA
Died
4/13/1908 in Paterson, NJ, USA
MLB Debut
1879-06-07
Last Game
1884-10-19

Full name: John Francis Kelly

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Career Batting Statistics

John Kelly — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
122 469 48 106 17 3 1 5 0 10 26 .226 .242 .281 .524 -957

Career AVG .226 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 9.2% below league average.

Career OBP .242 vs. league average .279 across their career seasons — 13.3% below league average.

Career SLG .281 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 15.3% below league average.

Career OPS .524 vs. league average .612 across their career seasons — 14.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Kelly — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1879 CL2 NL 1 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 — — — — 0.0
1882 CL2 NL 30 104 6 14 2 0 0 5 0 1 24 .135 .248 (-46%) .275 (-48%) .329 (-53%) .605 (-51%) -699.8
1883 BL2 AA 48 202 18 46 9 2 0 0 0 3 0 .228 .257 (-11%) .285 (-16%) .345 (-15%) .631 (-16%) -457.6
1883 PHI NL 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — -457.6
1884 CNU UA 38 142 23 40 5 1 1 0 0 6 0 .282 .243 (+16%) .278 (+11%) .327 (+8%) .606 (+9%) 200.7
1884 WSU UA 4 14 1 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .357 — — — — 200.7
Career · 6 seasons 122 469 48 106 17 3 1 5 0 10 26 .226 — — — — -1,214

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.

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

John Kelly — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 7 0 0 1
C 109 0 518 137 133 8
OF 17 0 27 4 9 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

John Kelly — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1879 CL2 1B 1 0 7 0 0 1
1879 CL2 C 1 0 4 0 3 0
1882 CL2 C 30 0 113 35 37 2
1883 BL2 C 38 0 169 35 50 3
1883 BL2 OF 13 0 19 3 8 0
1883 PHI OF 1 0 1 1 0 0
1884 CNU C 37 0 210 60 42 3
1884 CNU OF 2 0 6 0 1 0
1884 WSU C 3 0 22 7 1 0
1884 WSU OF 1 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

John Kelly — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Catcher 109
First Base 1
Center Field 3
Right Field 14

John Kelly: the record in brief

John Kelly played a first major league game on June 7, 1879 and a last one on October 19, 1884. Kelly played for the Cleveland Blues (1879 through 1882), the Baltimore Orioles (1883), the Philadelphia Quakers (1883), the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds (1884), and the Washington Nationals (1884). Listed as a catcher, Kelly threw and hit right-handed. The recorded size is 6'0" and 185 pounds. Kelly was born on March 3, 1859, in Paterson, NJ, USA. Kelly's death is recorded on April 13, 1908, in Paterson, NJ, USA. John Kelly was the playing name; the full given name is John Francis.

Kelly finished with 106 hits from 469 at bats in 122 games, which works out to .226, plus 1 home run and 5 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .242 and the slugging percentage .281, for an OPS of .524. Over the seasons Kelly played, league hitters batted .249; the .226 career figure is 9.2% below that. The hits column peaks at 46, in 1883. 1884 was the strongest of the full seasons by average: .282 against a league .243, a 16% edge.

Frequently Asked Questions about John Kelly

What years did John Kelly play?
John Kelly played in Major League Baseball from 1879 to 1884.
Was John Kelly a pitcher?
No. John Kelly was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did John Kelly hit?
John Kelly hit 1 career home run with 106 hits.
What teams did John Kelly play for?
John Kelly played for 5 teams: the Cleveland Blues (1879, 1882), the Baltimore Orioles (1883), the Philadelphia Quakers (1883), the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds (1884), and the Washington Nationals (1884).
What were John Kelly's career stats?
In 122 games, John Kelly had 106 hits, 1 home runs, 5 RBI, and 48 runs, with a .226 batting average.
What position did John Kelly play?
John Kelly played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was John Kelly and how much did he weigh?
John Kelly was listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds.
How many home runs did John Kelly hit each season?
John Kelly's home runs by season: 0 in 1879, 0 in 1882, 0 in 1883, and 1 in 1884. His most in one season was 1, in 1884.
What was John Kelly's career batting average?
John Kelly batted .226 over his career, with 106 hits in 469 at bats.
How many RBI did John Kelly have?
John Kelly drove in 5 runs in his career.
Is John Kelly in the Hall of Fame?
No. John Kelly has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.