Charlie Keller Stats & Facts

 

 

Charlie Keller

Position: Leftfielder
Bats: Left  •  Throws: Right
5-10, 185lb (178cm, 83kg)
Born: September 12, 1916 in Middletown, MD
Died: May 23, 1990 in Frederick, MD
Buried: Christ Reformed Cemetery, Middletown, MD
High School: Frederick HS (Frederick, MD)
School: University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Debut: April 22, 1939 (8,638th in major league history)
vs. WSH 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: September 14, 1952
vs. CLE 0 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: Charles Ernest Keller
Nicknames: King Kong
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject
Relatives: Brother of Hal Keller

 

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1939

Ted Williams
Mickey Vernon
Bob Elliott
Bob Kennedy
Early Wynn
Hal Newhouser
Dizzy Trout
Fred Hutchinson
Johnny Hopp

 

All-Time Teammate Team

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Notable Events and Chronology

 

Biography

Charlie Keller’s black, bushy brows and muscular body inspired his alliterative nickname. The talent-laden Yankees kept the lefthanded slugger in Newark (International League) the season after he was the league batting champion and TSN Minor League Player of the Year for 1937. A place was made for him in 1939, and he hit .334 with the first of six Yankee pennant winners for which he would play. He was a five-time All-Star and reached highs of 33 HR and 122 RBI in 1941. He led the AL in walks with 106 in both 1940 and 1943. Keller ‘s career was interrupted for maritime service in WWII. He had chronic back problems which eventually relegated him to pinch hitting, and he led the league in that department (9-for-38) in 1951, his final full season. Keller coached for the Yankees before retiring to rural Maryland to run a horse farm. His brother Hal caught briefly for the Senators and spent over 20 years as a front-office man for the Senators, Rangers, and Mariners. His son, Charlie Jr., led the Eastern League in hitting with a .349 average before being sidelined by the same congenital back problem that had plagued his father.

 

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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts

Played For
New York Yankees (1939-1949)
Detroit Tigers (1950-1951)
New York Yankees (1952)

Post-Season Appearances
1939 World Series
1941 World Series
1942 World Series
1943 World Series

Description
Though Keller was known for his great physical strength, he was a skilled all-around athlete. He could run very well, for example. In 1943, in a 60-yard dash prior to a game against the Indians, Keller ran the distance in seven seconds flat, beating every runner, including teammate Snuffy Stirnweiss, who had stoled more than 70 bases the previous season.

Scouting Report
“The kid isn’t much of a catcher and never will be, but he certainly can hit that ball.” — former big leaguer Bill Bradley, scouting a young Kiner in the minors

 

Notes
On September 25, 1948, at Yankee Stadium, friends and fans of Keller held “Charlie Keller Day.” Keller had refused to allow the day, unless a scholarship fund was set up to benefit students to attend his alma mater, the University of Maryland.

All-Star Selections
1940 AL
1941 AL
1943 AL
1946 AL
1947 AL

 

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