Jim Bottomley
First Baseman · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1922-1937)
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 180 lb
- Died
- 12/11/1959 in St. Louis, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1922-08-18
- Last Game
- 1937-09-16
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 1974 (BBWAA)
- Awards
- MVP
Full name: James Leroy Bottomley
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,991 | 7,471 | 1,177 | 2,313 | 465 | 151 | 219 | 1,422 | 58 | 664 | 591 | .310 | .369 | .500 | .869 | 25,340 |
Career AVG .310 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — +9.8% above league average.
Career OBP .369 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — +7.3% above league average.
Career SLG .500 vs. league average .398 across their career seasons — +25.8% above league average.
Career OPS .869 vs. league average .742 across their career seasons — +17.2% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 | SLN | NL | 37 | 151 | 29 | 49 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 35 | 3 | 6 | 13 | .325 | .285 (+14%) | .345 (+4%) | .397 (+37%) | .743 (+21%) | 488.3 |
| 1923 | SLN | NL | 134 | 523 | 79 | 194 | 34 | 14 | 8 | 94 | 4 | 45 | 44 | .371 | .282 (+31%) | .344 (+23%) | .390 (+37%) | .734 (+31%) | 3226.8 |
| 1924 | SLN | NL | 137 | 528 | 87 | 167 | 31 | 12 | 14 | 111 | 5 | 35 | 35 | .316 | .283 (+11%) | .345 (+5%) | .389 (+28%) | .734 (+17%) | 1674.6 |
| 1925 | SLN | NL | 153 | 619 | 92 | 227 | 44 | 12 | 21 | 128 | 3 | 47 | 36 | .367 | .288 (+27%) | .349 (+18%) | .407 (+42%) | .756 (+31%) | 3981.0 |
| 1926 | SLN | NL | 154 | 603 | 98 | 180 | 40 | 14 | 19 | 120 | 4 | 58 | 52 | .299 | .279 (+7%) | .345 (+5%) | .390 (+30%) | .735 (+18%) | 2122.1 |
| 1927 | SLN | NL | 152 | 574 | 95 | 174 | 31 | 15 | 19 | 124 | 8 | 74 | 49 | .303 | .282 (+7%) | .344 (+12%) | .392 (+30%) | .736 (+22%) | 2620.9 |
| 1928 | SLN | NL | 149 | 576 | 123 | 187 | 42 | 20 | 31 | 136 | 10 | 71 | 54 | .325 | .280 (+16%) | .342 (+17%) | .395 (+59%) | .737 (+40%) | 4587.0 |
| 1929 | SLN | NL | 146 | 560 | 108 | 176 | 31 | 12 | 29 | 137 | 3 | 70 | 54 | .314 | .289 (+9%) | .353 (+11%) | .415 (+37%) | .769 (+25%) | 2928.0 |
| 1930 | SLN | NL | 131 | 487 | 92 | 148 | 33 | 7 | 15 | 97 | 5 | 44 | 36 | .304 | .293 (+3%) | .354 (+4%) | .429 (+15%) | .784 (+10%) | 982.4 |
| 1931 | SLN | NL | 108 | 382 | 73 | 133 | 34 | 5 | 9 | 75 | 3 | 34 | 24 | .348 | .276 (+26%) | .338 (+19%) | .388 (+38%) | .726 (+29%) | 2089.9 |
| 1932 | SLN | NL | 91 | 311 | 45 | 92 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 48 | 2 | 25 | 32 | .296 | .275 (+8%) | .335 (+4%) | .391 (+21%) | .726 (+13%) | 733.6 |
| 1933 | CIN | NL | 145 | 549 | 57 | 137 | 23 | 9 | 13 | 83 | 3 | 42 | 28 | .250 | .270 (-8%) | .329 (-6%) | .377 (+5%) | .707 (avg) | -76.4 |
| 1934 | CIN | NL | 142 | 556 | 72 | 158 | 31 | 11 | 11 | 78 | 1 | 33 | 40 | .284 | .278 (+2%) | .340 (-5%) | .392 (+12%) | .733 (+4%) | 245.1 |
| 1935 | CIN | NL | 107 | 399 | 44 | 103 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 49 | 3 | 18 | 24 | .258 | .279 (-8%) | .342 (-14%) | .399 (-19%) | .742 (-17%) | -1127.1 |
| 1936 | SLA | AL | 140 | 544 | 72 | 162 | 39 | 11 | 12 | 95 | 0 | 44 | 55 | .298 | .283 (+5%) | .349 (+1%) | .404 (+18%) | .753 (+10%) | 978.3 |
| 1937 | SLA | AL | 65 | 109 | 11 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 18 | 15 | .239 | .276 (-14%) | .342 (+1%) | .398 (-17%) | .740 (-9%) | -114.4 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 1,991 | 7,471 | 1,177 | 2,313 | 465 | 151 | 219 | 1,422 | 58 | 664 | 591 | .310 | — | — | — | — | 25,340 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1991 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 991 | 3598 | 595 | 1154 | 103 | 697 | .321 |
| Away | 1000 | 3874 | 581 | 1158 | 116 | 738 | .299 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937-09-16 | SLA | PHA | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937-09-15 | SLA | PHA | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937-09-15 | SLA | PHA | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-09-14 | SLA | PHA | W | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1937-09-12 | SLA | CLE | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937-09-12 | SLA | CLE | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-09-11 | SLA | CLE | W | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1937-09-09 | SLA | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-09-06 | SLA | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937-09-05 | SLA | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1885 | 0 | 18337 | 814 | 223 | 1562 |
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 | SLN | 1B | 34 | 0 | 346 | 12 | 5 | 22 |
| 1923 | SLN | 1B | 130 | 0 | 1264 | 43 | 18 | 95 |
| 1924 | SLN | 1B | 133 | 0 | 1297 | 48 | 24 | 110 |
| 1924 | SLN | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | SLN | 1B | 153 | 0 | 1466 | 74 | 21 | 133 |
| 1926 | SLN | 1B | 154 | 0 | 1607 | 54 | 19 | 118 |
| 1927 | SLN | 1B | 152 | 0 | 1656 | 70 | 20 | 149 |
| 1928 | SLN | 1B | 148 | 0 | 1454 | 52 | 20 | 113 |
| 1929 | SLN | 1B | 145 | 0 | 1347 | 75 | 13 | 122 |
| 1930 | SLN | 1B | 124 | 0 | 1164 | 41 | 12 | 127 |
| 1931 | SLN | 1B | 93 | 0 | 897 | 43 | 12 | 95 |
| 1932 | SLN | 1B | 74 | 0 | 662 | 41 | 10 | 67 |
| 1933 | CIN | 1B | 145 | 0 | 1511 | 72 | 15 | 112 |
| 1934 | CIN | 1B | 139 | 0 | 1303 | 77 | 15 | 106 |
| 1935 | CIN | 1B | 97 | 0 | 934 | 53 | 8 | 74 |
| 1936 | SLA | 1B | 140 | 0 | 1250 | 47 | 10 | 103 |
| 1937 | SLA | 1B | 24 | 0 | 179 | 12 | 1 | 16 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1885 |
| Second Base | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 1B |
| 1928 | Most Valuable Player | |
| 1925 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 1B |
| 1925 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 17th | 6.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1931 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 15th | 8.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1928 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 1st | 76.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1927 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 13th | 6.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1925 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 7th | 28.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1924 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 17th | 4.0 | 80 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jim Bottomley (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Jim Bottomley
Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Bottomley
- What years did Jim Bottomley play?
- Jim Bottomley played in Major League Baseball from 1922 to 1937.
- Was Jim Bottomley a pitcher?
- No. Jim Bottomley was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Jim Bottomley hit?
- Jim Bottomley hit 219 career home runs with 2313 hits.
- Is Jim Bottomley in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Jim Bottomley was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.