Jim Elam
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Jim Elam was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Newark Eagles. Across 9 career appearances, he went 1-1 with a 6.39 ERA and 11 strikeouts. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 165 lb
- Died
- 2/4/1961 in Richmond, VA, USA
Full name: James Thomas Elam
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | NE | NN2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31.0 | 46 | 22 | 21 | 11 | 6.39 | 3.50 (-82%) | -690.1 |
| Career · 1 season | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31.0 | 46 | 22 | 21 | 11 | 6.39 | — | -690 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .417 | .462 | .500 | .962 | 0 |
Career AVG .417 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — +62.8% above league average.
Career OBP .462 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — +42.0% above league average.
Career SLG .500 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — +44.4% above league average.
Career OPS .962 vs. league average .671 across their career seasons — +43.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | NE | NN2 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .417 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 9 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .417 | — | — | — | — | 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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (28 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Away | 9 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | .417 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 5 | 11.0 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 4.91 |
| Away | 9 | 43.0 | 40 | 6 | 17 | 5 | 1.26 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943-08-19 | NW2 | PH5 | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-08-07 | NW2 | HOM | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-08-05 | NW2 | HOM | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-08-03 | NW2 | HOM | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-07-18 | NW2 | NY5 | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-07-16 | NW2 | NY5 | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-07-04 | NW2 | HOM | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1943-07-01 | NW2 | HOM | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-06-19 | NW2 | HSL | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-06-10 | NW2 | PH5 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943-08-19 | NW2 | PH5 | — | 6.0 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-08-07 | NW2 | HOM | — | 1.2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-08-05 | NW2 | HOM | — | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-08-03 | NW2 | HOM | W | 8.0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-07-18 | NW2 | NY5 | — | 2.0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1943-07-16 | NW2 | NY5 | — | 1.0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-07-04 | NW2 | HOM | — | 5.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-07-01 | NW2 | HOM | — | 7.0 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1943-06-19 | NW2 | HSL | L | 5.0 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-06-10 | NW2 | PH5 | L | 8.1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 9 |
| First Base | 1 |
Jim Elam: the record in brief
The season rows for Jim Elam begin in 1943. Elam spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Newark Eagles. The bio lists Elam's primary position as pitcher. Height and weight on file: 6 feet, 1 inch and 165 pounds. Elam was born on June 6, 1920, in Midlothian, VA, USA. Elam died on February 4, 1961, in Richmond, VA, USA. Jim Elam was the playing name; the full given name is James Thomas.
Elam went 1-1 with a 6.39 ERA in 9 games, 6 of them starts. The same table counts 11 strikeouts. The league ERA over Elam's seasons was 3.50, so the 6.39 figure ran 82.4% worse than average. Elam's only pitching season is 1943: 9 games, 11 strikeouts.
The Negro Leagues section records 5 hits in 14 at bats for Elam, a .357 average. Pitching in the Negro Leagues, Elam went 3-3 with a 0.75 ERA. Those Negro Leagues figures come from surviving box scores and are shown in their own table, apart from the season rows.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Elam
- Was Jim Elam a pitcher?
- Yes. Jim Elam pitched in the major leagues, recording 1 wins and 11 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Jim Elam hit?
- Jim Elam hit 0 career home runs with 5 hits.
- What teams did Jim Elam play for?
- Jim Elam played for one team, the Newark Eagles (1943).
- What were Jim Elam's career stats?
- In 9 games, Jim Elam went 1-1 with a 6.39 ERA, 11 strikeouts, and 31.0 innings pitched.
- What position did Jim Elam play?
- Jim Elam played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jim Elam and how much did he weigh?
- Jim Elam was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 165 pounds.
- What was Jim Elam's career ERA?
- Jim Elam finished with a 6.39 career ERA, going 1-1 with 11 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Jim Elam have?
- Jim Elam recorded 11 career strikeouts.
- Is Jim Elam in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jim Elam has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.