Joe Kelley

Who was Joe Kelley?

Joseph James Kelley was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who starred in the outfield of the Baltimore Orioles teams of the 1890s. Making up the nucleus of the Orioles along with John McGraw, Willie Keeler, and Hughie Jennings, Kelley received the nickname "Kingpin of the Orioles".

In his MLB career, Kelley played in the National League for the Boston Beaneaters, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, and Brooklyn Superbas, before he jumped to the upstart American League to play for the Baltimore Orioles. He returned to the NL with Cincinnati Reds and Boston Doves. Kelley served as player-manager of the Reds and Doves. After extending his career in the minor leagues, he coached the Brooklyn Robins, and scouted for the New York Yankees.

Kelley was regarded as an excellent batter, a good base runner, and a great leader. Over his seventeen season MLB career, Kelley had a .317 batting average, and batted over .300 in eleven consecutive seasons. Kelley stole a career-high 87 bases in the 1896 season, which led MLB. He finished in the league's top ten in categories such as batting average, home runs, runs batted in, and stolen bases numerous times.