A native of Chicago, Melillo reached the majors in 1926 with the Browns, spending nine and a half years with them before moving to the Boston Red Sox (1935–37). Basically a line-drive hitter, he enjoyed a good year in 1929 ending with a .296 batting average in 141 games, hitting for the cycle on May 23. His most productive season came in 1931, when he hit .306 with five home runs, 88 runs, 189 hits, 34 doubles and 11 triples, all career numbers, while adding 75 runs batted in, a significant offensive contribution for a middle infielder of his era.\n', '

Listed at 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm) tall and 150 pounds (68 kg; 11 st), he batted and threw right-handed. A fine defensive second baseman, in 1930 Melillo handled 971 chances without committing an error (17 fewer that Nap Lajoie\'s 1908 MLB record). In 1933, he hit .292 with a career-high 79 RBI and posted a .991 fielding average that stood for more than 10 years.\n', '

In a 12-season career, Melillo was a .260 hitter (1,316-for-5,063) with 22 home runs and 548 RBI in 1,377 games, including 590 runs, 210 doubles, 64 triples, and 69 stolen bases.\n', '

Return to Ski Melillo Autograph Profile