William Kelly
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records
William Kelly was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball for the New York Black Yankees. In 19 career games, he hit .241 with 13 hits and 5 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- 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
- Catcher
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 54 | 8 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .241 | .305 | .296 | .601 | 0 |
Career AVG .241 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 7.8% below league average.
Career OBP .305 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 6.8% below league average.
Career SLG .296 vs. league average .356 across their career seasons — 16.8% below league average.
Career OPS .601 vs. league average .684 across their career seasons — 12.0% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | NBY | NN2 | 12 | 36 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1945 | NBY | NN2 | 7 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .278 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 19 | 54 | 8 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .241 | — | — | — | — | 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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (26 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .125 |
| Away | 22 | 60 | 12 | 18 | 0 | 2 | .300 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945-06-17 | NY5 | PH5 | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945-05-29 | NY5 | BLG | L | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945-05-24 | NY5 | PH5 | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-05-20 | NY5 | BLG | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-05-20 | NY5 | BLG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-05-13 | NY5 | HOM | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-05-13 | NY5 | HOM | L | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-05-12 | NY5 | HOM | W | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-05-06 | NY5 | HOM | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-09-04 | NY5 | PH5 | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 19 |
| First Base | 1 |
William Kelly: the record in brief
The season rows for William Kelly begin in 1944. Kelly spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the New York Black Yankees. Kelly played primarily as a catcher.
Kelly collected 13 hits in 54 at bats across 19 games, good for a .241 batting average; the totals also include 5 RBI. Reaching base at a .305 clip and slugging .296, Kelly finished with a .601 OPS. Kelly's .241 average ran 7.8% below the .261 that the league posted over the same seasons. In OPS terms, Kelly's .601 stands 12.0% below the league's .684. Kelly collected a career-high 8 hits in 1944.
Kelly's separate Negro Leagues table shows a .271 average on 19 hits. Negro Leagues totals are drawn from box-score research and sit in their own table on this page.
Kelly's game-by-game log, linked below the splits, holds 26 games from Retrosheet. In the last-games table, May 13, 1945 was Kelly's biggest day, 2 hits in 3 at bats.
By games played in the field, catcher leads with 19, followed by first base (1). Fielding behind the plate produced 75 putouts and 12 assists against 2 errors.
Frequently Asked Questions about William Kelly
- Was William Kelly a pitcher?
- No. William Kelly was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did William Kelly hit?
- William Kelly hit 0 career home runs with 13 hits.
- What teams did William Kelly play for?
- William Kelly played for one team, the New York Black Yankees (1944–1945).
- What were William Kelly's career stats?
- In 19 games, William Kelly had 13 hits, 5 RBI, 8 runs, and 1 stolen bases, with a .241 batting average.
- What position did William Kelly play?
- William Kelly played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- What was William Kelly's career batting average?
- William Kelly batted .241 over his career, with 13 hits in 54 at bats.
- How many RBI did William Kelly have?
- William Kelly drove in 5 runs in his career.
- Is William Kelly in the Hall of Fame?
- No. William Kelly has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.