George Kell
| Birthdate | 8/23/1922 |
| Death Date | 3/24/2009 |
| Debut Year | 1943 |
| Year of Induction | 1983 |
| Teams | Athletics, Orioles, Red Sox, Tigers, White Sox |
| Positions | First Base, Third Base |
A 10-time All Star and ’49 batting champion, George Kell struck out only 287 times in 6,702 at bats. He also announced for the Tigers for 37 years.
Leave a commentIn the collection:
The 1949 batting champ, George Kell played 15 years for five different teams
The 1949 batting champ, George Kell played 15 years for five different teams
A lifelong baseball man, George Kell spent 15 years as a big league player and announced another 37 years for the Tigers. The third baseman broke in with Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics in 1943. After parts of four seasons spanning 313 games, he was traded to the Tigers for Barney McCosky.
In Detroit Kell found his baseball home.
Kell manned the hot corner for the next 7 years in the Motor City. He made six-straight All Star teams from 1947-1952.
The zenith of Kell’s career came in 1949, ’50, and ’51. In those three years he hit .334 with a .404 on-base percentage while averaging 196 hits and 101 runs scored per season. The 1949 batting champ, Kell led the AL in both hits and doubles in ’50 and ’51.
The Tigers traded him to the Red Sox in June of 1952. From ’52 until the end of his career in 1957 he played for the Tigers, Red Sox, White Sox, and Orioles. When he retired Kell had 2,054 hits and a .306 lifetime average.
Kell was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983.
During that time he must have plenty of contracts to play and announce. Shown here is an endorsement contract with less than favorable terms. Kell agrees to have his signature appear on souvenir baseballs with stamped autographs. Kell is set to receive one cent per ball sold.
On May 23, 1954 George Kell was traded for the second time in less than two years
On May 23, 1954 George Kell was traded for the second time in less than two years
When George Kell was traded for the second time in a little under two years, it changed his point of view. Acquired by the Red Sox in June of ’52, Kell was flipped to Chicago in May of ’54.
He wrote about it in his autobiography, Hello Everybody, I’m George Kell.
“It was a totally different feeling in 1954 when the Red Sox traded me to the White Sox. More than anything else, I felt like I was being used. That trade took something out of me. I had lost something. That deal got me to thinking about retiring.”
The image above shows the document that consummated Kell’s trade to Chicago on May 23, 1954 for Grady Hatton and $100,000. It is signed at the bottom left by White Sox GM Frank Lane. Former Hall of Fame shortstop then-Boston GM Joe Cronin signed for the Red Sox.
Despite his misgivings, Kell performed well in the Windy City, hitting .303 in parts of three seasons with the Sox.
From there Kell was shipped to the Orioles in a six-player deal. In Baltimore he mentored a young Brooks Robinson.
Toward the end of his career, Kell mentored a young Brooks Robinson in Baltimore
Toward the end of his career, Kell mentored a young Brooks Robinson in Baltimore
George Kell had a long and distinguished career. The final season and a half of his 15-year big league career was spent with the Orioles. Baltimore acquired the third baseman as a stopgap. Waiting in the wings to fill the position was future Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson.
In the collection is this handwritten letter written by Kell with content devoted to Brooks Robinson.
Kell writes of knowing of Robinson since Brooks’ teen years in their shared native state of Arkansas. Kell goes on, “…when I came home in the winter people would tell me that they saw a kid playing American Legion Ball that was from Little Rock who would take my job some day. Well as fate would have it that’s just about what happened.” Kell was traded to the Orioles to fill in at third until Robinson was ready to take the position full time.
Kell goes on to praise Robinson, “You could talk about Brooks all day but he possessed three things you must have, he could hit, he could field – the best ever – and he was a class act. No one I know has ever said a bad word or could about Brooks.” Kell then signs the bottom of the letter.
Arkansas natives Brooks Robinson and George Kell both reached the Hall
Arkansas natives Brooks Robinson and George Kell both reached the Hall
A nice companion piece to the previous handwritten letter from George Kell about Brooks Robinson, this photo depicts and is autographed by the pair of Hall of Fame third basemen.
Though they were teammates for parts of two seasons in Baltimore, Kell is shown in his more familiar Detroit Tiger uniform representing the team for which he played seven years. Robinson spent all 23 years in the bigs with Baltimore.
The picture was likely taken at an Old Timers game.
Third base is the least-represented defensive position in the Hall
Third base is the least-represented defensive position in the Hall
The most underrepresented position in the Hall of Fame is third base. Only 12 men who claim it as their primary position have been inducted.
Beyond Kell and Brooks Robinson the other ten are Scott Rolen, Mike Schmidt, George Brett, Ron Santo, Wade Boggs, Jimmy Collins, Frank “Home Run” Baker, Pie Traynor, Freddie Lindstrom, and Eddie Mathews.
Kell’s .306 lifetime batting average ranks fifth among HoF third baseman just behind Baker’s mark of .307.
Shown here is Kell’s 1955 Bowman baseball cards with a strong autograph in the center of the card.
George Kell's final year in the big leagues came in 1957 with the Orioles
George Kell's final year in the big leagues came in 1957 with the Orioles
Shown here is a 1958 Topps card signed by Hall of Famer George Kell. This would be Kell’s last baseball card as a player.
It shows Kell with the Baltimore Orioles in his final All Star season of 1957. Kell closed out his career mentoring Brooks Robinson to take over the hot corner. Over the course of his 15-year career, Kell amassed 2,054 hits and a .306 career average.
After leaving the game as a player, Kell embarked on an announcing career that lasted from 1958-1996.
Kell tallied 7529 official plate appearance with a K-ratio of 3.8 percent. Dale Mitchell (same era) had a K-ratio of 2.7 percent. Both were obviously tougher than nails to strike out.