Jim Busby

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1950-1962)

Jim Busby was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1962 for 6 teams, including the Chicago White Sox, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,352 career games, he hit .262 with 1,113 hits, 48 home runs, and 438 RBI. Jim Busby was an All-Star.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .262
HR 48
RBI 438
H 1,113
OPS .665
PIV -4,569
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 175 lb
Born
1/8/1927 in Kenedy, TX, USA
Died
7/8/1996 in Augusta, GA, USA
MLB Debut
1950-04-23
Last Game
1962-07-08
Awards
All-Star

Full name: James Franklin Busby

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Batting Statistics

Jim Busby — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,352 4,250 541 1,113 162 35 48 438 97 310 439 .262 .314 .350 .665 -4,569

Career AVG .262 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .314 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .350 vs. league average .392 across their career seasons — 10.6% below league average.

Career OPS .665 vs. league average .722 across their career seasons — 7.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Busby (b. 1927) 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
1950 CHA AL 18 48 5 10 0 0 0 4 0 1 5 .208 — — — — 0.0
1951 CHA AL 143 477 59 135 15 2 5 68 26 40 46 .283 .260 (+8%) .336 (+2%) .385 (-8%) .721 (-3%) -211.8
1952 CHA AL 16 39 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 .128 — — — — 0.0
1952 WS1 AL 129 512 58 125 24 4 2 47 5 22 48 .244 .252 (-3%) .326 (-14%) .369 (-14%) .696 (-14%) 0.0
1953 WS1 AL 150 586 68 183 28 7 6 82 13 38 45 .312 .264 (+18%) .335 (+7%) .397 (+4%) .733 (+5%) 611.5
1954 WS1 AL 155 628 83 187 22 7 7 80 17 43 56 .298 .261 (+14%) .333 (+3%) .390 (avg) .723 (+1%) 70.3
1955 WS1 AL 47 191 23 44 6 2 6 14 5 13 22 .230 .258 (-11%) .332 (-16%) .393 (-4%) .726 (-10%) -333.6
1955 CHA AL 99 337 38 82 13 4 1 27 7 25 37 .243 .258 (-6%) .332 (-11%) .393 (-20%) .726 (-16%) -333.6
1956 CLE AL 135 494 72 116 17 3 12 50 8 43 47 .235 .258 (-9%) .331 (-9%) .397 (-11%) .728 (-10%) -791.8
1957 CLE AL 30 74 9 14 2 1 2 4 0 1 8 .189 .257 (-27%) .323 (-38%) .391 (-17%) .715 (-27%) -335.6
1957 BAL AL 86 288 31 72 10 1 3 19 6 23 36 .250 .257 (-3%) .323 (-6%) .391 (-17%) .715 (-12%) -335.6
1958 BAL AL 113 215 32 51 7 2 3 19 6 24 37 .237 .257 (-8%) .324 (-2%) .394 (-16%) .719 (-10%) -291.9
1959 BOS AL 61 102 16 23 8 0 1 5 0 5 18 .225 .256 (-12%) .323 (-18%) .392 (-15%) .715 (-16%) -287.4
1960 BOS AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1960 BAL AL 79 159 25 41 7 1 0 12 2 20 14 .258 .255 (+1%) .323 (+5%) .387 (-19%) .711 (-8%) 0.0
1961 BAL AL 75 89 15 23 3 1 0 6 2 8 10 .258 .258 (avg) .328 (-4%) .399 (-21%) .727 (-13%) -186.3
1962 HOU NL 15 11 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 .182 — — — — 0.0
Career · 17 seasons 1,352 4,250 541 1,113 162 35 48 438 97 310 439 .262 — — — — -2,426

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.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1352 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Busby — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home669204726453712188.262
Away683220427957636248.261

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jim Busby — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1962-07-08 HOUCINL 010000000
1962-07-04 HOUPITL 000000000
1962-06-29 HOUCINL 100000001
1962-06-26 HOUPHIL 000000000
1962-06-23 HOUNYNL 100000000
1962-06-20 HOUSFGW 100000001
1962-06-16 HOULADW 300000001
1962-06-12 HOUNYNW 010000000
1962-06-11 HOUNYNL 301000010
1962-06-10 HOULADL 010000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Busby — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
C 1 0 0 0 0 0
OF 1280 655 3284 68 42 16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Busby — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1950 CHA OF 12 0 25 2 1 1
1951 CHA OF 139 0 360 16 7 4
1952 CHA OF 16 0 42 0 0 0
1952 WS1 OF 128 0 430 4 3 0
1953 WS1 OF 150 0 482 15 6 4
1954 WS1 OF 155 155 491 6 6 1
1955 WS1 OF 47 47 132 1 1 0
1955 CHA OF 99 89 243 6 4 3
1956 CLE OF 133 122 344 3 4 0
1957 CLE OF 26 19 44 1 1 1
1957 BAL OF 85 77 233 8 4 1
1958 BAL 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1958 BAL OF 103 54 196 1 1 0
1959 BOS OF 34 19 49 1 1 0
1960 BOS OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1960 BAL OF 71 45 133 2 2 1
1961 BAL OF 71 26 76 2 1 0
1962 HOU C 1 0 0 0 0 0
1962 HOU OF 10 2 4 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Busby (b. 1927) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 2
Third Base 1
Left Field 11
Center Field 1265
Right Field 3

College History

Jim Busby — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Texas Christian University Fort Worth TX 1947, 1948

Award Voting History

Jim Busby — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1954 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 7.0 336 0
1951 Most Valuable Player AL 30th 2.0 336 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 Busby (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bob Kennedy
    .254 avg, 63 HR
  2. 96
    Ken Berry
    .255 avg, 58 HR
  3. 89
    George Metkovich
    .261 avg, 47 HR
  4. 88
    Jim Wohlford
    .260 avg, 21 HR
  5. 88
    Billy Hatcher
    .264 avg, 54 HR
  6. 86
    Russ Snyder
    .271 avg, 42 HR

Jim Busby: the record in brief

Jim Busby's major league career runs from a debut on April 23, 1950 to a final game on July 8, 1962. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago White Sox (1950 to 1955), the Washington Senators (1952 through 1955), the Cleveland Indians (1956 through 1957), the Baltimore Orioles (1957 through 1961), the Boston Red Sox (1959 through 1960), and the Houston Colt .45's (1962). Busby, born on January 8, 1927, in Kenedy, TX, USA, is listed as an outfielder and both batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 6'1" and 175 pounds. Busby died on July 8, 1996, in Augusta, GA, USA. Busby's full given name, per the bio, is James Franklin Busby.

Busby collected 1,113 hits in 4,250 at bats across 1,352 games, good for a .262 batting average; the totals also include 48 homers, 438 RBI, and 97 stolen bases. Busby got on base at a .314 rate and slugged .350 (.665 OPS). Busby hit .262 while the league hit .259 over the same span, a figure close to average. By OPS the gap is 7.9% below league average (.665 against .722).

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Busby

What years did Jim Busby play?
Jim Busby played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1962.
Was Jim Busby a pitcher?
No. Jim Busby was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Jim Busby hit?
Jim Busby hit 48 career home runs with 1,113 hits.
What teams did Jim Busby play for?
Jim Busby played for 6 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1950–1952, 1955), the Washington Senators (1952–1955), the Cleveland Indians (1956–1957), the Baltimore Orioles (1957–1958, 1960–1961), the Boston Red Sox (1959–1960), and the Houston Colt .45's (1962).
Did Jim Busby win an MVP award?
No. Jim Busby did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Jim Busby win?
Jim Busby was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Jim Busby's career stats?
In 1,352 games, Jim Busby had 1,113 hits, 48 home runs, 438 RBI, 541 runs, and 97 stolen bases, with a .262 batting average.
What position did Jim Busby play?
Jim Busby played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim Busby and how much did he weigh?
Jim Busby was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 175 pounds.
How many home runs did Jim Busby hit each season?
Jim Busby's home runs by season: 0 in 1950, 5 in 1951, 2 in 1952, 6 in 1953, 7 in 1954, 7 in 1955, 12 in 1956, 5 in 1957, 3 in 1958, 1 in 1959, 0 in 1960, 0 in 1961, and 0 in 1962. His most in one season was 12, in 1956.
What was Jim Busby's career batting average?
Jim Busby batted .262 over his career, with 1,113 hits in 4,250 at bats.
How many RBI did Jim Busby have?
Jim Busby drove in 438 runs in his career.
Is Jim Busby in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jim Busby has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Jim Busby make?
Jim Busby was selected to 1 All-Star Game.