Jim Turner, baseball player, 1937-1945

Jim Turner

Born: 8/6/1903 in Antioch, TN, USA

Died: 11/29/1998 in Nashville, TN, USA

MLB Debut: 1937-04-30 | Final Game: 1945-09-13

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: James Riley Turner

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Biography

Jim Turner, born in 1903, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 1937 to 1945. Known for his exceptional control and durability on the mound, Turner finished his career with a record of 69-60 and an impressive Earned Run Average (ERA) of 3.22. Over his playing years, he struck out 329 batters and recorded 20 saves, showcasing his ability to both start games and contribute in high-leverage situations. His effectiveness earned him a selection to the All-Star Game, recognizing his status among the elite pitchers of his time. Turner played during a transitional period in baseball, where the sport was evolving from the deadball era into a more dynamic offensive landscape. Despite the challenges of competing against rival pitchers and the increasing popularity of the home run, Turner maintained a solid presence on the mound, exemplifying the strategic finesse that defined many pitchers of his generation. His contributions to the game were significant not only for his statistics but also for the way he influenced the art of pitching in a rapidly changing era of baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
69 60 231 119 69 8 20 1132.0 1123 405 67 283 329 3.22 0

Career ERA 3.22 vs. league average 3.93 across their career seasons — 18.1% better 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
1937 BSN NL 20 11 33 30 24 5 1 256.7 228 68 52 69 2.38 4.34 (+45%) 2758.8
1938 BSN NL 14 18 35 34 22 3 0 268.0 267 103 54 71 3.46 4.35 (+20%) 747.2
1939 BSN NL 4 11 25 22 9 0 0 157.7 181 75 51 50 4.28 4.28 (avg) -86.4
1940 CIN NL 14 7 24 23 11 0 0 187.0 187 60 32 53 2.89 4.21 (+31%) 3102.0
1941 CIN NL 6 4 23 10 3 0 0 113.0 120 39 24 34 3.11 3.94 (+21%) 1430.5
1942 CIN NL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 3.3 5 4 3 0 10.80 — 0.0
1942 NYY AL 1 1 5 0 0 0 1 7.0 4 1 1 2 1.29 — -
1943 NYY AL 3 0 18 0 0 0 1 43.3 44 17 13 15 3.53 3.50 (-1%) -
1944 NYY AL 4 4 35 0 0 0 7 41.7 42 16 22 13 3.46 3.57 (+3%) -
1945 NYY AL 3 4 30 0 0 0 10 54.3 45 22 31 22 3.64 3.67 (+1%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
238 399 32 87 16 1 1 22 0 8 39 0.218 0.241 0.271 0.512 -1394.0

Career AVG .218 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 17.7% below league average.

Career OBP .241 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 27.7% below league average.

Career SLG .271 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 27.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.512 vs. league average 0.706 across their career seasons — 27.5% 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
1937 BSN NL 39 96 10 24 3 0 0 7 0 2 7 0.250 .276 (-10%) .342 (-20%) .398 (-29%) .740 (-25%) -425.1
1938 BSN NL 35 96 5 22 4 0 0 5 0 3 14 0.229 .272 (-16%) .341 (-22%) .392 (-31%) .734 (-27%) -445.4
1939 BSN NL 25 55 5 13 1 0 1 6 0 1 4 0.236 .274 (-14%) .342 (-27%) .393 (-21%) .735 (-24%) -232.2
1940 CIN NL 25 75 7 18 5 1 0 2 0 0 3 0.240 .267 (-10%) .335 (-28%) .387 (-14%) .722 (-21%) -291.3
1941 CIN NL 23 41 2 6 2 0 0 2 0 1 5 0.146 — — — — 0.0
1942 CIN NL 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1942 NYY AL 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1943 NYY AL 18 13 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.077 — — — — 0.0
1944 NYY AL 35 10 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1945 NYY AL 30 11 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.091 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

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

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1942 WS NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1940 WS CIN 1 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
0 1 2 1 0 7.0 8 5 1 4 6.43

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1942 WS NYA 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 0 0 1 0 0.00
1940 WS CIN 0 1 1 1 0 6.0 8 5 0 4 7.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 231 0 55 269 12 18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1937 BSN P 33 0 12 59 4 3
1938 BSN P 35 0 17 72 0 4
1939 BSN P 25 0 8 38 2 3
1940 CIN P 24 0 8 35 1 1
1941 CIN P 23 0 0 33 1 4
1942 CIN P 3 0 2 1 0 0
1942 NYA P 5 0 0 3 0 1
1943 NYA P 18 0 3 8 1 0
1944 NYA P 35 0 2 6 2 0
1945 NYA P 30 0 3 14 1 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 231

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1938 Baseball Magazine All-Star P5
1937 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1937 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 30.0 80 0