All-Time Indians: Ken Keltner

Ken Keltner was a great player for the Tribe at a position that has not had many greats over the teams history (he is on the list of top 10 Indians third basemen). Keltner owned the hot corner during the Indians most successful season (1948) and the decade prior to that. For his career, he leads all Indians third basemen in games played, at bats, runs, hits, doubles, runs batted in, total bases and walks. He is second in both triples and home runs. He is even in the top ten of everyone in games, at bats, hits, doubles and runs batted in. He is in the top five all time in total bases.

Keltner wasn’t just a player who played at a mediocre player for a really long time either. Along with his seven all-star appearances, Ken was a doubles machine, hitting more than 20 in nine separate seasons and more than 30 in six seasons. His career high was 41 in 1944. In 1948, after two down seasons, Keltner came back to have his best year ever and power the Tribe to the World Series while playing next to player/manager Lou Boudreau. Ken Keltner has been enshrined in the Indians Hall of Fame (class of 1951), but was unable to get even one percent of the vote for the baseball Hall of Fame. He died in 1991 in his home state of Wisconsin.