King Kelly

King Kelly was not only one of the top players of his day, but he was also one of the most popular. He played in the late 1870s and 1880s, and during that time he was the biggest selling card in the sport. Kelly helped the Chicago White Stockings to five pennants and when he was sold to the Boston Beaneaters, fans were so upset that they refused to attend Chicago’s home opener that followed.

King Kelly career batting statistics for Major League, Minor League, and postseason baseball

Mike “King” Kelly was professional baseball’s first matinee idol: the first ballplayer to “author” an autobiography, the first to have a hit song written about him, and the first to have a successful acting career outside the game. A handsome man with a full mustache and a head of red hair, Kelly through his fame helped change professional baseball from a pleasant diversion into America’s most popular sport. At his peak Kelly earned the highest salary in the game. He spent every cent he made, and died almost penniless less than a year after he played his last professional game.

King Kelly baseball stats with batting stats, pitching stats and fielding stats, along with uniform numbers, salaries, quotes, career stats and biographical data presented by Baseball Almanac.

Career: 69 HR, .307 BA, 950 RBI, RF/C/3B, HOF in 1945, WhiteStockings/Beaneaters/... 1878-1893, b:R/t:R, 3x R Leader, born in NY 1857, died 1894

Michael Joseph "King" Kelly (December 31, 1857 – November 8, 1894), also commonly known as "$10,000 Kelly," was an American outfielder, catcher, and manager in various professional American baseball leagues including the National League, International Association, Players' League, and the American Association. He spent the majority of his 16-season playing career with the Chicago White Stockings and the Boston Beaneaters. Kelly was a player-manager three times in his career – in 1887 for the Beaneaters, in 1890 leading the Boston Reds to the pennant in the only season of the Players' League's existence, and in 1891 for the Cincinnati Kelly's Killers – before his retirement in 1893. He is also often credited with helping to popularize various strategies as a player such as the hit and run, the hook slide, and the catcher's practice of backing up first base.[1]