Jim Lillie, baseball player, 1883-1886

Jim Lillie

Born: 7/27/1861 in New Haven, CT, USA

Died: 11/9/1890 in Kansas City, MO, USA

MLB Debut: 1883-05-17 | Final Game: 1886-10-11

Bats: R

Full name: James J. Lillie

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Biography

Jim Lillie was a professional baseball player born in 1861, who played in the Major Leagues from 1883 until 1886. His career spanned the early years of professional baseball, a time when the game was still evolving in terms of rules and style, transitioning from the rough-and-tumble days of the deadball era to a more structured format. Lillie appeared in 390 games as a position player, contributing significantly to his teams with a total of 332 hits, 134 RBIs, and 6 home runs, while maintaining a batting average of .219. Lillie was known for his versatility on the field, showcasing his skills not only at the plate but also on the bases, as evidenced by his 13 stolen bases throughout his career. Despite the challenges of playing in a burgeoning league, he made a name for himself during his time with various teams. Although his offensive numbers might not stand out by modern standards, Lillie's contributions were part of the fabric of the game during its formative years, helping to lay the groundwork for future generations of players. His legacy reflects the determination and grit characteristic of baseball's early players, who played under vastly different conditions than today’s athletes.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 2 6 1 0 0 0 31.0 46 16 0 8 8 4.65 0

Career ERA 4.65 vs. league average 3.21 across their career seasons — 44.5% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1883 BFN NL 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 12.0 16 4 2 4 3.00 3.22 (+7%) 39.1
1884 BFN NL 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 13.0 22 9 5 4 6.23 3.11 (-100%) -229.5
1886 KCN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 6.0 8 3 1 0 4.50 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
390 1518 179 332 41 11 6 134 13 23 221 0.219 0.230 0.272 0.502 -5047.2

Career AVG .219 vs. league average .247 across their career seasons — 11.4% below league average.

Career OBP .230 vs. league average .288 across their career seasons — 20.0% below league average.

Career SLG .272 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 17.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.502 vs. league average 0.619 across their career seasons — 18.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1883 BFN NL 50 201 25 47 7 3 1 29 0 1 31 0.234 .257 (-9%) .285 (-17%) .345 (-9%) .631 (-13%) -424.5
1884 BFN NL 114 471 68 105 12 5 3 53 0 5 71 0.223 .243 (-8%) .278 (-17%) .327 (-12%) .606 (-14%) -1198.0
1885 BFN NL 112 430 49 107 13 3 2 30 0 6 39 0.249 .244 (+2%) .287 (-10%) .325 (-6%) .613 (-8%) -637.9
1886 KCN NL 114 416 37 73 9 0 0 22 13 11 80 0.175 .246 (-29%) .302 (-35%) .331 (-41%) .634 (-38%) -2786.8

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 8 1 0 0
2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
3B 1 0 3 0 2 0
C 2 0 8 3 4 0
OF 387 0 645 102 119 16
P 6 0 0 9 0 1
SS 4 0 5 7 2 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1883 BFN 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1883 BFN 3B 1 0 3 0 2 0
1883 BFN C 2 0 8 3 4 0
1883 BFN OF 47 0 73 8 16 2
1883 BFN P 3 0 0 2 0 1
1883 BFN SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1884 BFN OF 114 0 190 41 40 7
1884 BFN P 2 0 0 5 0 0
1885 BFN 1B 1 0 8 1 0 0
1885 BFN OF 112 0 183 23 33 4
1885 BFN SS 3 0 5 7 2 1
1886 KCN OF 114 0 199 30 30 3
1886 KCN P 1 0 0 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 6
Catcher 2
First Base 1
Second Base 1
Third Base 1
Shortstop 4
Left Field 147
Center Field 38
Right Field 204