Jim Whitney, baseball player, 1881-1890

Jim Whitney

Born: 11/10/1857 in Conklin, NY, USA

Died: 5/21/1891 in Binghamton, NY, USA

MLB Debut: 1881-05-02 | Final Game: 1890-07-16

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 172 lbs

Full name: James Evans Whitney

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Biography

Jim Whitney, born in 1857, was a notable pitcher who played professional baseball from 1881 until his retirement in 1890. Throughout his career, he was recognized for his durability and skill on the mound, finishing with a record of 191 wins and 204 losses. Whitney recorded an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.97, a testament to his effectiveness in an era that was transitioning from the deadball era to a more offense-oriented game. His ability to strike out batters was notable, as he amassed a total of 1,571 strikeouts, along with two saves, highlighting his role not just as a starter but also in high-leverage situations. Whitney's career unfolded during a time when baseball was evolving, with pitchers beginning to face challenges from more aggressive batting. His contributions to the game were significant, as he represented a generation of players who laid the groundwork for future pitching strategies and styles. While his win-loss record may not reflect a dominant era, his ERA indicates a pitcher who consistently performed well in a competitive landscape. Jim Whitney's legacy endures as a representative of early baseball, illustrating the hard work and dedication required to succeed on the mound during the late 19th century.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
191 204 413 396 377 26 2 3496.3 3598 1154 79 411 1571 2.97 0

Career ERA 2.97 vs. league average 3.41 across their career seasons — 13.0% 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
1881 BSN NL 31 33 66 63 57 6 0 552.3 548 152 90 162 2.48 2.77 (+11%) 698.7
1882 BSN NL 24 21 49 48 46 3 0 420.0 404 123 41 180 2.64 2.80 (+6%) 5899.1
1883 BSN NL 37 21 62 56 54 1 2 514.0 492 128 35 345 2.24 3.22 (+30%) 13334.4
1884 BSN NL 23 14 38 37 35 6 0 336.0 272 78 27 270 2.09 3.11 (+33%) 6679.4
1885 BSN NL 18 32 51 50 50 2 0 441.3 503 146 37 200 2.98 3.03 (+2%) 4799.7
1886 KCN NL 12 32 46 44 42 3 0 393.0 465 196 55 167 4.49 3.37 (-33%) 4310.8
1887 WS8 NL 24 21 47 47 46 2 0 404.7 430 145 42 146 3.22 4.17 (+23%) 7467.8
1888 WS8 NL 18 21 39 39 37 3 0 325.0 317 110 54 79 3.05 2.95 (-3%) -117.0
1889 IN3 NL 2 7 9 8 7 0 0 70.0 106 53 19 16 6.81 3.93 (-73%) -460.4
1890 PH4 AA 2 2 6 4 3 0 0 40.0 61 23 11 6 5.17 3.88 (-33%) 42.7

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
550 2144 316 559 113 39 18 280 20 161 211 0.261 0.313 0.375 0.688 3040.8

Career AVG .261 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .313 vs. league average .306 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .375 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — +10.1% above league average.

Career OPS 0.688 vs. league average 0.646 across their career seasons — +6.4% above 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
1881 BSN NL 75 282 37 72 17 3 0 32 0 19 18 0.255 .260 (-2%) .290 (+4%) .338 (avg) .628 (+2%) 117.5
1882 BSN NL 61 251 49 81 18 7 5 48 0 24 13 0.323 .248 (+30%) .275 (+38%) .329 (+55%) .605 (+47%) 1835.5
1883 BSN NL 96 409 78 115 27 10 5 57 0 25 29 0.281 .257 (+9%) .285 (+13%) .345 (+25%) .631 (+20%) 1312.6
1884 BSN NL 66 270 41 70 17 5 3 40 0 16 38 0.259 .243 (+7%) .278 (+8%) .327 (+20%) .606 (+14%) 559.2
1885 BSN NL 72 290 35 68 8 4 0 36 0 17 24 0.234 .244 (-4%) .287 (-4%) .325 (-11%) .613 (-8%) -329.7
1886 KCN NL 67 247 25 59 13 3 2 23 5 29 39 0.239 .246 (-3%) .302 (+5%) .331 (+2%) .634 (+4%) 204.3
1887 WS8 NL 54 201 29 53 9 6 2 22 10 18 24 0.264 .270 (-3%) .331 (-2%) .373 (+6%) .705 (+2%) 44.6
1888 WS8 NL 42 141 13 24 0 0 1 17 3 7 20 0.170 .238 (-29%) .290 (-28%) .319 (-40%) .610 (-34%) -703.3
1889 IN3 NL 10 32 6 12 4 1 0 4 2 5 6 0.375 — — — — 0.0
1890 PH4 AA 7 21 3 5 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0.238 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 31 0 229 4 21 6
3B 2 0 2 4 3 0
OF 130 0 138 20 35 1
P 413 0 123 769 99 23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1881 BSN 1B 2 0 15 0 1 0
1881 BSN OF 15 0 6 1 3 0
1881 BSN P 66 0 19 99 28 3
1882 BSN 1B 6 0 39 0 3 0
1882 BSN OF 9 0 5 0 3 0
1882 BSN P 49 0 13 88 13 3
1883 BSN 1B 2 0 22 0 2 2
1883 BSN OF 40 0 55 7 16 0
1883 BSN P 62 0 12 93 9 2
1884 BSN 1B 15 0 108 1 9 1
1884 BSN 3B 1 0 1 1 0 0
1884 BSN OF 15 0 18 0 1 0
1884 BSN P 38 0 8 78 0 2
1885 BSN 1B 5 0 37 3 6 3
1885 BSN OF 17 0 31 2 4 0
1885 BSN P 51 0 18 128 16 1
1886 KCN 3B 1 0 1 3 3 0
1886 KCN OF 22 0 18 9 5 1
1886 KCN P 46 0 20 107 10 5
1887 WS8 OF 7 0 3 1 2 0
1887 WS8 P 47 0 13 92 11 5
1888 WS8 1B 1 0 8 0 0 0
1888 WS8 OF 3 0 1 0 1 0
1888 WS8 P 39 0 15 67 11 2
1889 IN3 OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1889 IN3 P 9 0 4 9 0 0
1890 PH4 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1890 PH4 P 6 0 1 8 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 413
First Base 31
Third Base 2
Left Field 5
Center Field 74
Right Field 52