Jim Willis

Born: 3/20/1927 in Doyline, LA, USA

MLB Debut: 1953-04-22 | Final Game: 1954-06-05

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

Full name: James Gladden Willis

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Biography

Jim Willis, born in 1927, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1953 to 1954. He made his mark in Major League Baseball during a time when the game was transitioning into the modern era, marked by the emergence of more powerful hitters and a shift in pitching strategies. Willis played in an era that followed the end of the deadball period, where pitching styles were evolving and teams increasingly relied on strong bullpen performances. Over the course of his brief career, Willis recorded a win-loss record of 2-2 and maintained a respectable earned run average (ERA) of 3.39. He struck out a total of 20 batters, showcasing his ability to handle a variety of hitters despite limited opportunities on the mound. Notably, he did not record any saves during his career, which reflected the different roles pitchers often occupied in the mid-20th century. Though his time in the league was short, Willis contributed to the rich tapestry of baseball history, representing the dedication and talent of pitchers from that era.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
71.0	69.0	5.0	14.0	1.0	0	0	2.0	0	0	0	0.203	0.203	0.217	0.420

Pitching

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA
39.0	0	0	20.0	15.0	0	0	0.0	201.0	111.0	39.0	12.0	0	0	1.95

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season	PA	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1930	6.0	6.0	0	1.0	0	0	0.167	0.167	0.167	0.334
1932	6.0	6.0	0	1.0	0	0	0.167	0.167	0.167	0.334
1933	8.0	8.0	1.0	1.0	0	0	0.125	0.125	0.125	0.250
1934	4.0	4.0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
1935	2.0	2.0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
1936	36.0	34.0	2.0	8.0	1.0	2.0	0.235	0.235	0.265	0.500
1937	6.0	6.0	2.0	3.0	0	0	0.500	0.500	0.500	1.000
1939	3.0	3.0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
1940	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season	W	GS	CG	H	R	ER	HR	ERA
1930	5.0	2.0	2.0	15.0	5.0	0	0	0.00
1932	3.0	3.0	2.0	33.0	19.0	0	5.0	0.00
1933	0	1.0	1.0	7.0	5.0	1.0	3.0	1.50
1934	2.0	3.0	3.0	24.0	12.0	1.0	1.0	0.38
1935	5.0	1.0	0	2.0	2.0	0	1.0	0.00
1936	19.0	9.0	7.0	92.0	42.0	30.0	2.0	3.12
1937	3.0	0	0	22.0	23.0	6.0	0	4.76
1939	2.0	0	0	6.0	3.0	1.0	0	2.46
1940	0	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
2	2	27	4	2	0	0	66.3	59	25	2	35	20	3.39	0

Career ERA 3.39 vs. league average 4.02 across their career seasons — 15.6% 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
1953	CHC	NL	2	1	13	3	2	0	0	43.3	37	15	17	15	3.12	4.14 (+25%)	-
1954	CHC	NL	0	1	14	1	0	0	0	23.0	22	10	18	5	3.91	3.90 (avg)	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
27	14	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	6	0.000	0.067	0.000	0.067	0.0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .067 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 80.1% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.067 vs. league average 0.728 across their career seasons — 90.8% 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
1953	CHC	NL	13	9	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	3	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1954	CHC	NL	14	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	27	1	4	20	0	1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1953	CHN	P	13	0	4	12	0	0
1954	CHN	P	14	1	0	8	0	1

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Pitcher	27

College History

School Name	City	State	Years Attended
Northwestern State University of Louisiana	Natchitoches	LA	1947, 1948, 1949