George Kelly is a forgotten power hitter in the early days of the long game, and considering who was exploding around him, his ghosting is not surprising.
Playing mainly at First Base, Kelly was with New York in his first two years in the Majors (1915-16) before the Pittsburgh Pirates chose him off waivers. It was a brief stay in Western Pennsylvania, as the Giants claimed him back off waivers less than a month later.
The bouncing around ended for Kelly, who secured a regular role for the Giants in 1920 and excelled as the league leader in RBIs (94). The First Baseman led the NL in Home Runs the year after (23) and began a four-year streak of at least 100 Runs Batted In.
With crosstown rival Babe Ruth of the Yankees shattering the records for going deep, Kelly was not in that depth but did lead the Giants to World Series Titles in 1921 and 1922. He would later win the NL RBI Title in 1924 (136), where he had another 20-plus HR year, which he replicated the year after.
Kelly was traded to Cincinnati in 1927, leaving behind 123 Home Runs and 762 RBIs.
In 1973, Kelly was a Veterans Committee Selection for the Hall of Fame.
Comments powered by CComment