Jim Brosnan

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1954-1963)

Jim Brosnan was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1963 for 4 teams, including the Chicago Cubs, a span of 10 seasons. Across 385 career appearances, he went 55-47 with a 3.54 ERA, 507 strikeouts, and 67 saves. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 4299.6.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 55–47
ERA 3.54
WHIP 1.33
SO 507
Pitcher PIV 4299.6
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 197 lb
Born
10/24/1929 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
Died
6/28/2014 in Park Ridge, IL, USA
MLB Debut
1954-04-15
Last Game
1963-09-21

Full name: James Patrick Brosnan

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Career Pitching Statistics

Jim Brosnan — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
55 47 385 47 7 2 67 831.1 790 327 80 312 507 3.54 4299.6

Career ERA 3.54 vs. league average 3.85 across their career seasons — 8.1% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Brosnan Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1954 CHN NL 1 0 18 0 0 0 0 33.1 44 35 18 17 9.45 3.90 (-142%) -2250.6
1956 CHN NL 5 9 30 10 1 1 1 95.0 95 40 45 51 3.79 3.96 (+4%) 39.3
1957 CHN NL 5 5 41 5 1 0 0 98.2 79 37 46 73 3.38 3.83 (+12%) -54.7
1958 CHN NL 3 4 8 8 2 0 0 51.2 41 18 29 24 3.14 3.86 (+19%) -160.8
1958 SLN NL 8 4 33 12 2 0 7 115.0 107 44 50 65 3.44 3.86 (+11%) 161.2
1959 SLN NL 1 3 20 1 0 0 2 33.0 34 18 15 18 4.91 3.90 (-26%) -802.2
1959 CIN NL 8 3 26 9 1 1 2 83.1 79 31 26 56 3.35 3.90 (+14%) 1054.0
1960 CIN NL 7 2 57 2 0 0 12 99.0 79 26 22 62 2.36 3.82 (+38%) 3414.8
1961 CIN NL 10 4 53 0 0 0 16 80.0 77 27 18 40 3.04 4.03 (+25%) 1300.8
1962 CIN NL 4 4 48 0 0 0 13 64.2 76 24 18 51 3.34 3.96 (+16%) 1432.0
1963 CIN NL 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 4.2 8 4 3 4 7.71 — 0.0
1963 CHA AL 3 8 45 0 0 0 14 73.0 71 23 22 46 2.84 3.46 (+18%) 165.8
Career · 12 seasons 55 47 385 47 7 2 67 831.1 790 327 312 507 3.54 — 4,300

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.

Career Batting Statistics

Jim Brosnan — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
385 177 10 27 10 1 1 9 0 7 54 .153 .185 .237 .422 0

Career AVG .153 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 40.5% below league average.

Career OBP .185 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 43.1% below league average.

Career SLG .237 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 39.2% below league average.

Career OPS .422 vs. league average .715 across their career seasons — 41.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Brosnan Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1954 CHN NL 18 8 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 .125 — — — — 0.0
1956 CHN NL 30 22 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 .182 — — — — 0.0
1957 CHN NL 41 20 2 5 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .250 — — — — 0.0
1958 CHN NL 8 19 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 6 .105 — — — — 0.0
1958 SLN NL 33 31 2 3 2 0 0 1 0 3 11 .097 — — — — 0.0
1959 SLN NL 20 7 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 .286 — — — — 0.0
1959 CIN NL 26 23 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 .043 — — — — 0.0
1960 CIN NL 57 15 1 3 2 0 1 4 0 1 6 .200 — — — — 0.0
1961 CIN NL 53 13 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 .154 — — — — 0.0
1962 CIN NL 48 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1963 CIN NL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1963 CHA AL 45 13 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .308 — — — — 0.0
Career · 12 seasons 385 177 10 27 10 1 1 9 0 7 54 .153 — — — — 0

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

Jim Brosnan — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Jim Brosnan — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1961 WS CIN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Jim Brosnan — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 3 0 0 6.0 9 5 4 5 7.50

Playoff Pitching by Year

Jim Brosnan — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1961 WS CIN 0 0 3 0 0 6.0 9 5 4 5 7.50

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (770 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Brosnan — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1957851016.128
Away1909951703.172

Pitching — Home / Away

Jim Brosnan — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home195424.14041611522593.41
Away190407.03851661602483.67

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jim Brosnan — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1963-09-21 CHWDETL 000000000
1963-09-18 CHWBOSW 000000000
1963-09-14 CHWTEXW 000000000
1963-09-08 CHWMINW 000000000
1963-09-06 CHWMINL 000000000
1963-09-04 CHWKC1L 000000000
1963-09-02 CHWLAAW 101000000
1963-09-02 CHWLAAL 000000000
1963-08-30 CHWMINL 000000000
1963-08-28 CHWCLEW 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Jim Brosnan — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1963-09-21 CHWDET L 2.0111011
1963-09-18 CHWBOS SV 1.0100000
1963-09-14 CHWTEX — 1.0211010
1963-09-08 CHWMIN W 1.0000000
1963-09-06 CHWMIN — 0.1211001
1963-09-04 CHWKC1 — 1.0311000
1963-09-02 CHWLAA — 3.0333200
1963-09-02 CHWLAA — 1.2200000
1963-08-30 CHWMIN L 2.0322112
1963-08-28 CHWCLE SV 1.0100000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Brosnan — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 385 47 59 146 8 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Brosnan — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1954 CHN P 18 0 3 10 1 2
1956 CHN P 30 10 8 11 0 0
1957 CHN P 41 5 4 19 1 1
1958 CHN P 8 8 4 12 0 2
1958 SLN P 33 12 8 18 1 1
1959 SLN P 20 1 4 8 0 1
1959 CIN P 26 9 5 15 1 2
1960 CIN P 57 2 7 14 0 2
1961 CIN P 53 0 9 18 3 0
1962 CIN P 48 0 4 8 1 0
1963 CIN P 6 0 0 3 0 0
1963 CHA P 45 0 3 10 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Brosnan Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 385

Award Voting History

Jim Brosnan — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1961 Most Valuable Player NL 20th 3.0 224 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Jim Brosnan (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ed Roebuck
    52-31, 3.35 ERA
  2. 97
    Marv Grissom
    47-45, 3.41 ERA
  3. 93
    Shigetoshi Hasegawa
    45-43, 3.70 ERA
  4. 92
    Don Elston
    49-54, 3.69 ERA
  5. 91
    Randy Moffitt
    43-52, 3.65 ERA
  6. 90
    Bob Grim
    61-41, 3.61 ERA

Jim Brosnan: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 15, 1954 and the final game on September 21, 1963, Jim Brosnan built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Chicago Cubs (1954 through 1958), the St. Louis Cardinals (1958 through 1959), the Cincinnati Redlegs (1959), the Cincinnati Reds (1960 to 1963), and the Chicago White Sox (1963). Brosnan is listed as a pitcher at 6 feet, 4 inches and 197 pounds. The bio says Brosnan batted and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is October 24, 1929, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. Brosnan died on June 28, 2014, in Park Ridge, IL, USA. On the record, Jim Brosnan was born James Patrick Brosnan.

Brosnan's career pitching line is 55 wins, 47 losses and a 3.54 ERA over 385 appearances. The totals include 507 strikeouts and 67 saves. That 3.54 ERA compares with a 3.85 league average across the same seasons, 8.1% better. Brosnan won 10 games in 1961, the most of any season listed.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Brosnan

What years did Jim Brosnan play?
Jim Brosnan played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1963.
Was Jim Brosnan a pitcher?
Yes. Jim Brosnan pitched in the major leagues, recording 55 wins and 507 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Jim Brosnan hit?
Jim Brosnan hit 1 career home run with 27 hits.
What teams did Jim Brosnan play for?
Jim Brosnan played for 4 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1954, 1956–1958), the St. Louis Cardinals (1958–1959), the Cincinnati Reds (1959–1963), and the Chicago White Sox (1963).
What were Jim Brosnan's career stats?
In 385 games, Jim Brosnan went 55-47 with a 3.54 ERA, 507 strikeouts, 831.1 innings pitched, and 67 saves.
What position did Jim Brosnan play?
Jim Brosnan played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim Brosnan and how much did he weigh?
Jim Brosnan was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 197 pounds.
What was Jim Brosnan's career ERA?
Jim Brosnan finished with a 3.54 career ERA, going 55-47 with 507 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Jim Brosnan have?
Jim Brosnan recorded 507 career strikeouts.
Is Jim Brosnan in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jim Brosnan has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.