Jim Devlin

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1873-1877)

Jim Devlin was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1873 to 1877 for the Philadelphia Whites, the Chicago White Stockings, and the Louisville Grays, a span of 5 seasons. Across 157 career appearances, he went 72-76 with a 1.90 ERA and 286 strikeouts. He also batted .287 with 1 home runs. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,244.

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 72–76
ERA 1.90
WHIP 1.09
SO 286
Pitcher PIV 6684.4
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 175 lb
Born
6/6/1849 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
Died
10/10/1883 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1873-04-21
Last Game
1877-10-06

Full name: James Alexander Devlin

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Career Pitching Statistics

Jim Devlin — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
72 76 157 153 151 9 0 1405.0 1,437 296 7 90 286 1.90 6684.4

Career ERA 1.90 vs. league average 2.39 across their career seasons — 20.5% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Devlin — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1875 CH2 7 16 28 24 24 0 0 224.0 254 48 12 23 1.93 2.23 (+13%) 184.2
1876 LS1 NL 30 35 68 68 66 5 0 622.0 566 108 37 122 1.56 2.31 (+32%) 3967.5
1877 LS1 NL 35 25 61 61 61 4 0 559.0 617 140 41 141 2.25 2.81 (+20%) 2532.7
Career · 3 seasons 72 76 157 153 151 9 0 1,405.0 1,437 296 90 286 1.90 — 6,684

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 Devlin — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
266 1,186 180 340 46 14 1 131 8 16 55 .287 .296 .352 .648 1,244

Career AVG .287 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — +6.6% above league average.

Career OBP .296 vs. league average .280 across their career seasons — +5.7% above league average.

Career SLG .352 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — +6.9% above league average.

Career OPS .648 vs. league average .609 across their career seasons — +6.3% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Devlin — 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
1873 PH2 23 99 18 24 4 4 0 10 0 2 4 .242 .290 (-17%) .304 (-15%) .357 (+2%) .661 (-6%) -118.6
1874 CH2 45 203 26 58 5 0 0 26 2 2 9 .286 .273 (+4%) .282 (+4%) .333 (-7%) .615 (-2%) -28.5
1875 CH2 69 318 60 92 17 6 0 40 6 4 4 .289 .253 (+14%) .260 (+14%) .309 (+23%) .570 (+19%) 816.9
1876 LS1 NL 68 298 38 94 14 1 0 28 0 1 11 .315 .265 (+19%) .277 (+15%) .320 (+15%) .598 (+15%) 644.6
1877 LS1 NL 61 268 38 72 6 3 1 27 0 7 27 .269 .271 (-1%) .289 (-1%) .337 (-4%) .626 (-2%) -70.2
Career · 5 seasons 266 1,186 180 340 46 14 1 131 8 16 55 .287 — — — — 1,244

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.

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Devlin — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 79 23 846 19 62 26
3B 11 3 13 17 20 1
OF 23 16 22 3 7 2
P 157 0 89 262 30 7
SS 4 0 4 6 6 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Devlin — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1873 PH2 1B 12 0 118 4 8 9
1873 PH2 3B 6 0 8 11 11 1
1873 PH2 OF 2 0 1 1 0 0
1873 PH2 SS 4 0 4 6 6 0
1874 CH2 1B 24 23 248 3 19 5
1874 CH2 3B 5 3 5 6 9 0
1874 CH2 OF 17 16 20 2 7 2
1875 CH2 1B 42 0 472 11 34 11
1875 CH2 OF 4 0 1 0 0 0
1875 CH2 P 28 0 15 52 11 1
1876 LS1 1B 1 0 8 1 1 1
1876 LS1 P 68 0 44 100 9 4
1877 LS1 P 61 0 30 110 10 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Devlin — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 157
First Base 79
Third Base 11
Shortstop 4
Center Field 3
Right Field 20

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Terry Larkin
    89-80, 2.43 ERA
  2. 74
    Fred Goldsmith
    112-68, 2.73 ERA
  3. 72
    Harry McCormick
    41-58, 2.66 ERA
  4. 66
    Roy Patterson
    81-72, 2.75 ERA
  5. 61
    Charlie Sweeney
    64-52, 2.87 ERA
  6. 58
    Sam Weaver
    68-80, 3.21 ERA

Jim Devlin: the record in brief

Jim Devlin's major league career runs from a debut on April 21, 1873 to a final game on October 6, 1877. The season rows list, in order, the Philadelphia Whites (1873), the Chicago White Stockings (1874 to 1875), and the Louisville Grays (1876 through 1877). At 5 feet, 11 inches and 175 pounds, Devlin is listed as a pitcher. The bio says Devlin batted and threw right-handed. Devlin was born on June 6, 1849, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. The bio records the death on October 10, 1883, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Jim Devlin was the playing name; the full given name is James Alexander.

Devlin pitched in 157 games, starting 153, and finished with a 72-76 record and 1.90 ERA. The totals include 286 strikeouts, 151 complete games, and 9 shutouts. That 1.90 ERA compares with a 2.39 league average across the same seasons, 20.5% better. The best win total was 35, in 1877.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Devlin

What years did Jim Devlin play?
Jim Devlin played in Major League Baseball from 1873 to 1877.
Was Jim Devlin a pitcher?
Yes. Jim Devlin pitched in the major leagues, recording 72 wins and 286 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Jim Devlin hit?
Jim Devlin hit 1 career home runs with 340 hits.
What was Jim Devlin's career batting average?
Jim Devlin batted .287 over his career, with 340 hits in 1,186 at bats.
How many RBI did Jim Devlin have?
Jim Devlin drove in 131 runs in his career.
What was Jim Devlin's career ERA?
Jim Devlin finished with a 1.90 career ERA, going 72-76 with 286 strikeouts.