Career
He played one season in the majors with the 1899 Louisville Colonels. He then forged a 30-year career as a manager in the minor leagues and became a legendary figure in the "Twin Cities" of Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Born in Templeton, Massachusetts, Kelley played only one season in the Major Leagues, with the 1899 Louisville Colonels of the National League.
A right-handed hitter and thrower, he appeared in 76 games that season, and he batted.241 with three home runs and had 33 runs batted in.
At the end of the season, the Netherlands shrunk from 12 to eight teams and the Colonels were disbanded. Many Louisville players were acquired by the surviving Pittsburgh Pirates, but Kelley returned to the minors.
Apart from 4½ seasons, Kelley managed in the Twin Cities through 1931. Kelley first managed the Minneapolis Millers for one season (1906).
At the close of the 1923 season, he purchased the Millers and became their manager.
After a sixth-place finish in "31, he retired to the club presidency, operating the Millers until he sold them to the New York Giants in 1946. His over-all record in his 30 years as a minor league was 2,390 wins and 2,102 losses for a.532 winning percentage. Kelley died at the age of 79 in Minneapolis, and is interred at Lakewood Cemetery.