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Alexander Raymond Kellner
Kansas City Athletics
Pitcher
Born: August 26, 1924, Tucson, AZ
Signed: Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1941 season
Major League Teams: Philadelphia Athletics 1948-1954; Kansas City Athletics 1955-1958; Cincinnati Reds 1958; St. Louis Cardinals 1959
Died: May 3, 1996, Tucson, AZ (age 71)
Lefty Alex Kellner signed with the Reds at the age of 17, but had to pause his baseball career after just one professional season when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Citing exhaustion, Kellner didn't report back to Reds upon his discharge in 1946 and the club released him. He'd eventually sign with the Athletics, enjoying a career year in 1949 when he was named to the American League All-Star team and he'd go on to win 20 games. He became the first Athletics pitcher with 20 wins since Lefty Grove accomplished the feat in 1933, and he was second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Browns' slugger Roy Sievers (#75). Kellner would enjoy successful seasons over the next decade, but he never quite replicated his performance from that 1949 season. He'd lose 20 games in 1950 and was a member of the Athletics' starting pitching rotation during their final years in Philadelphia and their first several years in Kansas City.
Kellner eclipsed the 200-inning mark five times during his career. He was a solid defender, leading all American League pitchers with a 1.000 fielding percentage in both 1952 and 1954. Kellner was also a decent hitter, sporting a lifetime .215 average with four home runs. In 321 career games pitched, Kellner was 101-112 with a 4.41 ERA and 816 strikeouts over 1,849 1/3 innings pitched.
Building the Set
January 18, 2003 in Plymouth Meeting, PA - Card #237
In January 2003, I added seven cards to our set, purchased at a baseball card show held inside the Plymouth Meeting Mall. I paid $45 for the seven cards, which included this Kellner card. My Topps set building had stalled out somewhat in 2003 as I had switched over to become primarily a Phillies collector, and I was also spending my disposable income trying to put together the early Topps Heritage sets. This was the first of only 18 cards we added to our set in 2003, but we did cross the threshold of needing less than 100 cards to complete the set late in the year.
The Card / Athletics Team Set
Kellner had signed exclusively with Bowman, and this card marks his return to Topps for the first time since 1952. The first half of his uniform number 22 is visible in the action shot here. Credit again goes to the Topps artist for coming up with three panels' worth of material for the back of Kellner's card. With the Athletics entrenched within the second division for much of Kellner's tenure with the team, the first panel celebrates his .579 won-loss percentage after going 11-8 in 1955. The second panel highlights the team's emergence from the American League basement and the final panel is reserved for Kellner's 20-win season in 1949.
1956 Season
Kellner was the Athletics' opening day pitcher, his fourth and final opening day assignment, after earning the honor in 1952, 1953 and 1955. He suffered a left elbow tendon injury in May that seemingly affected him throughout the rest of the season. Kellner appeared in less than 100 innings of the first time since 1948, going 7-4 with a 4.32 ERA in 20 appearances, including 17 starts.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1949 Bowman #222
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5): 1952, 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1983 Topps 1952 Reprint Series #201
37 - Kellner non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/13/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
January 18, 2003 in Plymouth Meeting, PA - Card #237
In January 2003, I added seven cards to our set, purchased at a baseball card show held inside the Plymouth Meeting Mall. I paid $45 for the seven cards, which included this Kellner card. My Topps set building had stalled out somewhat in 2003 as I had switched over to become primarily a Phillies collector, and I was also spending my disposable income trying to put together the early Topps Heritage sets. This was the first of only 18 cards we added to our set in 2003, but we did cross the threshold of needing less than 100 cards to complete the set late in the year.
The Card / Athletics Team Set
Kellner had signed exclusively with Bowman, and this card marks his return to Topps for the first time since 1952. The first half of his uniform number 22 is visible in the action shot here. Credit again goes to the Topps artist for coming up with three panels' worth of material for the back of Kellner's card. With the Athletics entrenched within the second division for much of Kellner's tenure with the team, the first panel celebrates his .579 won-loss percentage after going 11-8 in 1955. The second panel highlights the team's emergence from the American League basement and the final panel is reserved for Kellner's 20-win season in 1949.
1956 Season
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First Mainstream Card: 1949 Bowman #222
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5): 1952, 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1983 Topps 1952 Reprint Series #201
37 - Kellner non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/13/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
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