Joe Kelley - Legacy

Legacy

"Joe had no prominent weakness. He was fast on the bases, could hit the ball hard and was as graceful an outfielder as one would care to see. He covered an immense amount of ground and had that necessary faculty, so prominent in Speaker and others, of being able to place himself where the batter would be likely to hit the ball."

As a player, Kelley had 11 consecutive .300-plus seasons during his MLB career. Kelley was also known as a good base runner and stole a career-high 87 bases in 1896. He retired with a career .317 batting, .402 OBP, 65 home runs, 1,421 runs, 1,194 RBI and 443 stolen bases in 1,853 career games. His 194 triples ranks him ninth all-time. Kelley tied Fred Carroll's MLB record with nine hits in a doubleheader, which he presently shares with eight other players.

Additionally, he was known as a great leader. He compiled a 338–321 win–loss record as a MLB manager.

Kelley was considered by the Veterans Committee for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964, but was not selected. He was voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1971.