WHY I THINK CHARLIE KELLER SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN
By- Damien
Charlie Keller was a great beyond the word hitter, an expert defensive leftfielder, and among the best performers in postseason history. He hit over .300 twice and won two fielding titles in leftfield. The primary purpose of each season is to win the World Series, and Keller helped the Yankees do that three times. On a great Yankees team that included Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Red Ruffing, Phil Rizzuto, Bill Dickey, and Joe Gordon, plus fireballing righthander Allie Reynolds, Charlie Keller proved his mettle. Keller started his career in 1939 by batting .334 with 11 home runs and 83 RBI’s in 111 games while leading the Yankees to the World Series title. In 1940 he hit .286 with 21 home runs, 93 RBI’s, and the most walks in the AL. He raised his batting average to .298 and his home run production to 33 in 1941 to help the Yankees win the World Series again. After batting .292 in 1942 with 26 homers and his second straight 100-RBI season to help the Yankees to the pennant, Keller hit .271 with 31 homers and led the AL in walks and OPS (.922) in 1943. After serving for the Merchant Marines in 1944 he came back with a purpose, hitting .301 and smacking ten homers in only 44 games in 1945. Keller hit .275 with 30 homers and 101 RBI’s in 1946 and drew 113 walks. He hit just .238 with 13 longballs in 45 games in 1947 but hit .267 in 83 games in 1948. Keller was traded to Detroit in 1950 after hitting “just” .250 in 60 games but didn’t disappoint, hitting .314 in 50 games. After hitting .258 in 54 games Keller went back to New York but only had one at bat before retiring. Charlie Keller was a complete, five tool player for most of his career. He is certainly deserving of a spot in the Hall of Fame.
LIFETIME STATISTICS
Games career: 1,170 season high: 152 in 1942
At Bats career: 3,790 season high: 544 in 1942
Hits career: 1,085 season high: 159 in 1942
Doubles career: 166 season high: 29 in 1946
Triples career: 72 season high: 15 in 1940
Home Runs career: 189 season high: 33 in 1941
Runs career: 725 season high: 106 in 1942
Runs Batted In career: 760 season high: 122 in 1941
Stolen Bases career: 45 season high: 14 in 1942
Walks career: 784 season high: 114 in 1942 led AL: 106 in 1940 and 1943
Strikeouts career: 499 season high: 101 in 1946 led AL: 101 in 1946
Batting Average career: .286 season high: .334 in 1939
On Base Percentage career: .410 season high: .447 in 1939
Slugging Percentage career: .518 season high: .580 in 1941
Total Bases career: 1,962 season high: 294 in 1941
Sacrifice Hits career: 20 season high: 11 in 1939
Fielding Percentage career: .980 season high: .994 in 1943 led AL LF: .985 in 1942, .993 in 1943
Double Plays career: 6 season high: 2 in 1940 and 1941 led AL LF: 2 in 1941
Putouts career: 2,235 season high: 338 in 1943 led AL LF: 325 in 1941, 310 in 1942, 286 in 1943, 290 in 1946
Assists career: 46 season high: 10 in 1942
DID YOU KNOW?
-brother of Hal Keller
-nicknamed “King Kong”
-was a five time all-star
-batted .306/.367/.611 with 18 runs scored, 22 hits, three doubles, two triples, five home runs, 18 RBI's, one stolen base, and seven walks in 19 career World Series games
-hit three home runs in one game on July 28, 1940
-hit three home runs each off of Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Ted Lyons, two each off of Hal Newhouser, Early Wynn, and Allie Reynolds, and one each off of Lefty Grove and Bob Lemon
-hit ten or more triples in a season four times and nine once
-owns a better career OPS (.928) than Hall of Fame teammates Bill Dickey (.868), Phil Rizzuto (.706), and Joe Gordon (.822)
-finished fifth in the 1941 AL MVP polls, 13th in 1943, 14th in 1942, 15th in 1946, and 22nd in 1939
-made over 300 putouts five times
-led the AL in homer percentage in 1943 (6.1)
-drove in over 100 runs in a season three times and over 80 six times
-scored over 100 runs three times, 98 once, 97 once, and over 80 six times
-led AL leftfielders in games in 1941, (137) 1942 (152), and 1943 (140)
-also played 144 games in rightfield and 164 as a pinch hitter
-ranks 34th in career on base percentage and 42nd in OPS
I think it was Lefty Gomez who said: "Keller wasn't scouted. He was trapped."
ReplyDeleteKeller's career was probably too short to receive serious hall of fame consideration, but he was certainly an incredible player when healthy. If his career had just gotten to 2000 games, he would be a no-doubt hall of famer.