Jim Merritt, baseball player, 1965-1975

Jim Merritt

Born: 12/9/1943 in Altadena, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1965-08-02 | Final Game: 1975-05-23

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: James Joseph Merritt

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Biography

Jim Merritt, born in 1943, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1965 until his retirement in 1975. Making his Major League debut in the mid-1960s, Merritt played during a transformative era in baseball, witnessing the shift from the deadball era to a more offensive-minded game. Over his decade-long career, he compiled a record of 81 wins and 86 losses, with a respectable earned run average (ERA) of 3.65. Known for his durability and competitive spirit, Merritt recorded a total of 932 strikeouts and notched 7 saves, showcasing his ability both as a starter and a reliever. Merritt's standout season came when he was selected for the All-Star Game, an honor that underscored his talent and contributions to the teams he played for, including the Cincinnati Reds and the Minnesota Twins. Despite facing challenges in a highly competitive league, he established himself as a reliable presence on the mound. His career not only reflected the evolution of pitching strategies in the early 1970s but also highlighted the importance of versatility in a pitcher’s role, making Jim Merritt a noteworthy figure in the annals of baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
81 86 297 192 56 9 7 1483.0 1468 602 160 322 932 3.65 0

Career ERA 3.65 vs. league average 3.52 across their career seasons — near 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
1965 MIN AL 5 4 16 9 1 0 2 76.7 68 27 20 61 3.17 3.50 (+9%) -145.8
1966 MIN AL 7 14 31 18 5 1 3 144.0 112 54 33 124 3.38 3.52 (+4%) 1727.2
1967 MIN AL 13 7 37 28 11 4 0 227.7 196 64 30 161 2.53 3.30 (+23%) 2932.0
1968 MIN AL 12 16 38 34 11 1 1 238.3 207 86 52 181 3.25 2.98 (-9%) 1423.3
1969 CIN NL 17 9 42 36 8 1 0 251.0 269 122 61 144 4.37 3.61 (-21%) -1625.7
1970 CIN NL 20 12 35 35 12 1 0 234.0 248 106 53 136 4.08 3.89 (-5%) 3377.8
1971 CIN NL 1 11 28 11 0 0 0 107.0 115 52 31 38 4.37 3.47 (-26%) -2532.6
1972 CIN NL 1 0 4 1 0 0 0 8.0 13 4 2 4 4.50 — 0.0
1973 TEX AL 5 13 35 19 8 1 1 160.0 191 72 34 65 4.05 3.75 (-8%) -520.2
1974 TEX AL 0 0 26 1 0 0 0 32.7 46 15 6 18 4.13 3.63 (-14%) 334.0
1975 TEX AL 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 3.7 3 0 0 0 0.00 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
298 397 21 56 8 1 4 20 0 28 178 0.141 0.198 0.196 0.395 -1981.6

Career AVG .141 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 43.5% below league average.

Career OBP .198 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — 37.4% below league average.

Career SLG .196 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 46.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.395 vs. league average 0.685 across their career seasons — 42.4% 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
1965 MIN AL 16 22 1 3 0 0 0 3 0 2 14 0.136 — — — — 0.0
1966 MIN AL 31 39 2 4 1 0 0 1 0 4 16 0.103 — — — — 0.0
1967 MIN AL 37 74 4 10 3 0 0 2 0 7 33 0.135 .242 (-44%) .306 (-32%) .357 (-51%) .663 (-42%) -482.1
1968 MIN AL 38 71 1 10 2 0 0 1 0 5 22 0.141 .236 (-40%) .298 (-34%) .340 (-50%) .638 (-43%) -456.9
1969 CIN NL 42 77 6 11 1 0 1 5 0 5 37 0.143 .248 (-42%) .320 (-40%) .369 (-47%) .689 (-44%) -587.4
1970 CIN NL 35 83 7 14 0 0 3 6 0 4 42 0.169 .253 (-34%) .325 (-36%) .385 (-28%) .711 (-32%) -455.2
1971 CIN NL 29 29 0 4 1 1 0 2 0 1 14 0.138 — — — — 0.0
1972 CIN NL 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1973 TEX AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 TEX AL 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 TEX AL 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1970 NLCS CIN 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000
1970 WS CIN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1965 WS MIN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 1 4 2 0 10.3 8 6 1 3 5.23

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1970 NLCS CIN 1 0 1 1 0 5.3 3 1 0 2 1.69
1970 WS CIN 0 1 1 1 0 1.7 3 4 1 0 21.60
1965 WS MIN 0 0 2 0 0 3.3 2 1 0 1 2.70

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 297 192 45 203 13 8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1965 MIN P 16 9 2 13 1 1
1966 MIN P 31 18 7 20 0 0
1967 MIN P 37 28 4 32 3 1
1968 MIN P 38 34 7 38 0 2
1969 CIN P 42 36 7 33 1 1
1970 CIN P 35 35 5 30 2 1
1971 CIN P 28 11 5 10 1 1
1972 CIN P 4 1 0 1 0 0
1973 TEX P 35 19 7 22 2 1
1974 TEX P 26 1 1 4 3 0
1975 TEX P 5 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 297

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1970 TSN All-Star LHP

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1970 Cy Young Award NL 4th 8.0 120 0
1970 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 8.0 336 0