Ken Keltner

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1937-1950)

Ken Keltner was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1950 for the Cleveland Guardians and the Boston Red Sox, a span of 14 seasons. In 1,526 career games, he hit .276 with 1,570 hits, 163 home runs, and 852 RBI. Ken Keltner was a 7-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 10,190.

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 .276
HR 163
RBI 852
H 1,570
OPS .778
PIV 10,190
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 190 lb
Born
10/31/1916 in Milwaukee, WI, USA
Died
12/12/1991 in New Berlin, WI, USA
MLB Debut
1937-10-02
Last Game
1950-05-25
Awards
7× All-Star

Full name: Kenneth Frederick Keltner

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Career Batting Statistics

Ken Keltner — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,526 5,683 737 1,570 308 69 163 852 39 514 480 .276 .338 .441 .778 10,190

Career AVG .276 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .338 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .441 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — +17.1% above league average.

Career OPS .778 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — +9.4% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ken Keltner 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
1937 CLE AL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1938 CLE AL 149 576 86 159 31 9 26 113 4 33 75 .276 .272 (+1%) .341 (-7%) .392 (+26%) .734 (+11%) 999.3
1939 CLE AL 154 587 84 191 35 11 13 97 6 51 41 .325 .274 (+19%) .342 (+11%) .393 (+24%) .735 (+18%) 2115.2
1940 CLE AL 149 543 67 138 24 10 15 77 10 51 56 .254 .267 (-5%) .335 (-4%) .387 (+8%) .722 (+2%) 140.5
1941 CLE AL 149 581 83 156 31 13 23 84 2 51 56 .269 .262 (+2%) .332 (-1%) .373 (+30%) .705 (+15%) 1529.5
1942 CLE AL 152 624 72 179 34 4 6 78 4 20 36 .287 .253 (+13%) .323 (-3%) .349 (+10%) .672 (+3%) 133.2
1943 CLE AL 110 427 47 111 31 3 4 39 2 36 20 .260 .255 (+2%) .324 (-2%) .346 (+8%) .671 (+3%) 135.1
1944 CLE AL 149 573 74 169 41 9 13 91 4 53 29 .295 .261 (+13%) .325 (+9%) .357 (+30%) .683 (+20%) 2079.2
1946 CLE AL 116 398 47 96 17 1 13 45 0 30 38 .241 .256 (-6%) .328 (-11%) .358 (+8%) .687 (-1%) -154.9
1947 CLE AL 151 541 49 139 29 3 11 76 5 59 45 .257 .262 (-2%) .336 (-2%) .376 (+2%) .712 (avg) -12.0
1948 CLE AL 153 558 91 166 24 4 31 119 2 89 52 .297 .263 (+13%) .340 (+16%) .379 (+38%) .719 (+27%) 3273.2
1949 CLE AL 80 246 35 57 9 2 8 30 0 38 26 .232 .262 (-12%) .343 (-3%) .384 (avg) .727 (-2%) -48.7
1950 BOS AL 13 28 2 9 2 0 0 2 0 3 6 .321 — — — — 0.0
Career · 13 seasons 1,526 5,683 737 1,570 308 69 163 852 39 514 480 .276 — — — — 10,190

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

Ken Keltner — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 21 3 2 0 0 0 0 2 3 .095

Playoff Batting by Year

Ken Keltner — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1948 WS CLE 6 21 3 2 0 0 0 0 2 3 .095

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1525 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Ken Keltner — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home767274934277264391.281
Away758293139379698456.272

Last 10 Games — Batting

Ken Keltner — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1950-05-25 BOSSLAW 100000000
1950-05-17 BOSDETL 400000001
1950-05-16 BOSDETW 401000002
1950-05-14 BOSMINL 402100002
1950-05-14 BOSMINW 402000100
1950-05-13 BOSMINW 201000020
1950-05-12 BOSMINW 301000100
1950-05-11 BOSDETL 301100000
1950-05-11 BOSDETL 010000010
1950-04-30 BOSPHAW 000000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Ken Keltner — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
3B 1500 0 1576 3070 171 306

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ken Keltner — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1937 CLE 3B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1938 CLE 3B 149 0 141 271 19 19
1939 CLE 3B 154 0 187 297 13 40
1940 CLE 3B 148 0 170 277 22 27
1941 CLE 3B 149 0 181 346 16 36
1942 CLE 3B 151 0 166 353 30 38
1943 CLE 3B 107 0 113 228 11 24
1944 CLE 3B 149 0 168 369 18 37
1946 CLE 3B 112 0 112 195 11 18
1947 CLE 3B 150 0 156 266 12 29
1948 CLE 3B 153 0 123 312 14 27
1949 CLE 3B 69 0 51 145 4 11
1950 BOS 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1950 BOS 3B 8 0 8 10 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ken Keltner Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 1
Third Base 1501

Awards & Honors

Ken Keltner — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1944 Baseball Magazine All-Star 3B
1942 Baseball Magazine All-Star 3B

Award Voting History

Ken Keltner — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1948 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 18.0 336 0
1943 Most Valuable Player AL 31th 2.0 336 0
1942 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 15.0 336 0
1939 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 26.0 336 0
1938 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 16.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Ken Keltner (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Travis Jackson HOF
    .291 avg, 135 HR
  2. 97
    George McQuinn
    .276 avg, 135 HR
  3. 95
    Jorge Orta
    .278 avg, 130 HR
  4. 94
    Joe Randa
    .284 avg, 123 HR
  5. 93
    Richie Hebner
    .276 avg, 203 HR
  6. 91
    Bill Skowron
    .282 avg, 211 HR

Compare Ken Keltner

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

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vs Manny Machado
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Ken Keltner: the record in brief

Ken Keltner's major league career runs from a debut on October 2, 1937 to a final game on May 25, 1950. Keltner played for the Cleveland Indians (1937 through 1949) and the Boston Red Sox (1950). Born on October 31, 1916, in Milwaukee, WI, USA, Keltner is listed as a third baseman and threw and hit right-handed. Keltner's listed size is 6'0" and 190 pounds. Keltner's death is recorded on December 12, 1991, in New Berlin, WI, USA. Ken Keltner was the playing name; the full given name is Kenneth Frederick.

Across 1,526 games at the plate, Keltner's career line reads 1,570 hits in 5,683 at bats for a .276 average, along with 163 home runs, 852 RBI, and 39 stolen bases. Keltner's career OPS of .778 combines a .338 on-base mark with .441 slugging. Keltner hit .276 while the league hit .264 over the same span, a figure close to average.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Keltner

What years did Ken Keltner play?
Ken Keltner played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1950.
Was Ken Keltner a pitcher?
No. Ken Keltner was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Ken Keltner hit?
Ken Keltner hit 163 career home runs with 1570 hits.
What was Ken Keltner's career batting average?
Ken Keltner batted .276 over his career, with 1,570 hits in 5,683 at bats.
How many RBI did Ken Keltner have?
Ken Keltner drove in 852 runs in his career.
Is Ken Keltner in the Hall of Fame?
No. Ken Keltner has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.