Charlie Keller
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| Charlie Keller | ||
|---|---|---|
Runs batted in | 760 | |
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
Charles Ernest Keller (September 12, 1916 – May 23, 1990) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball from 1939 through 1952 for the New York Yankees (1939–1943, 1945–1949, 1952) and Detroit Tigers (1950–1951). A native of Middletown, Maryland, he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. His ability to hit massive fly balls and home runs earned him the nickname "King Kong".[1]
Career
A splendid all-round athlete at the
Through much of his career, Keller was a feared slugger and a competent fielder. In his rookie season he hit .334 with 11 home runs and 83 RBI in 111 games. Keller hit three homers and batted .438 as the Yankees swept four games from the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.
In his second MLB season, Keller hit .286 with 21 home runs, 93 RBI, 18 doubles and a career-high 15 triples. His most productive season came in 1941, when he hit .298 and posted career-highs in home runs (33) and RBI (122), while also hitting 10 triples and 24 doubles, making it his first 30–20–10 season. In 1942, he scored over 100 runs and walked over 100 times for the third straight season, slashing .292/.417/.513/.930, while also stealing a career-high 14 bases.
Following service with the United States Merchant Marine in 1944 and 1945, Keller returned as a regular with the Yankees for the 1946 season. He collected 30 home runs, 29 doubles, and 10 triples, the second of his two 30–20–10 seasons.
Keller played part-time from 1947 to 1949 while troubled by a ruptured
Legacy
In a 13-season career, Keller was a .286 hitter with 189 home runs and 760 RBI in 1,170 games. A five-time
His adjusted
Following his retirement as a player, Keller founded Yankeeland Farm
Keller was elected to the Frederick County and Maryland Sports Hall of Fame, the Kingston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, the International League Hall of Fame and the University of Maryland Hall of Fame.[4] A younger brother, Hal, had only a brief big-league career as a catcher but was a long-time front-office executive.
Charlie Keller died at his Frederick, Maryland, farm at the age of 73.[5]
References
- ^ Charlie Keller at the SABR Baseball Biography Project , by Nelson 'Chip' Greene, Retrieved August 13, 2023.
- ^ "Career Leaders & Records for Adjusted OPS+".
- ^ "Yankeelandfarms.com". Archived from the original on 2016-10-22. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
- ^ http://seamheads.com/2010/05/01/remembering-charlie-king-kong-keller/
- ^ Charlie Keller ex-Yankee dies
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Charlie Keller Biography at Baseball Biography
- The Deadball Era
- Vintage Card Traders Archived 2006-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
- Charlie Keller at Find a Grave
