Jim Essian

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1973-1984)

Jim Essian was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1984 for 5 teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 12 seasons. In 710 career games, he hit .244 with 453 hits, 33 home runs, and 207 RBI.

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 .244
HR 33
RBI 207
H 453
OPS .673
PIV -956
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 195 lb
Born
1/2/1951 in Detroit, MI, USA
MLB Debut
1973-09-15
Last Game
1984-09-30

Full name: James Sarkis Essian

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Career Batting Statistics

Jim Essian — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
710 1,855 194 453 85 3 33 207 9 231 171 .244 .327 .347 .673 -956

Career AVG .244 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 6.1% below league average.

Career OBP .327 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .347 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 9.3% below league average.

Career OPS .673 vs. league average .707 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Essian 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
1973 PHI NL 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 PHI NL 17 20 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 .100 — — — — 0.0
1975 PHI NL 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
1976 CHA AL 78 199 20 49 7 0 0 21 2 23 28 .246 .255 (-4%) .320 (+2%) .360 (-22%) .681 (-11%) -256.1
1977 CHA AL 114 322 50 88 18 2 10 44 1 52 35 .273 .264 (+3%) .329 (+14%) .401 (+8%) .730 (+11%) 816.0
1978 OAK AL 126 278 21 62 9 1 3 26 2 44 22 .223 .257 (-14%) .323 (+1%) .378 (-22%) .702 (-12%) -393.3
1979 OAK AL 98 313 34 76 16 0 8 40 0 25 29 .243 .265 (-9%) .329 (-11%) .397 (-7%) .727 (-8%) -508.4
1980 OAK AL 87 285 19 66 11 0 5 29 1 30 18 .232 .264 (-12%) .326 (-8%) .387 (-17%) .714 (-13%) -539.6
1981 CHA AL 27 52 6 16 3 0 0 5 0 4 5 .308 .255 (+20%) .320 (+12%) .368 (-1%) .688 (+5%) 49.0
1982 SEA AL 48 153 14 42 8 0 3 20 2 11 7 .275 .261 (+5%) .324 (+1%) .388 (-1%) .712 (avg) 11.0
1983 CLE AL 48 93 11 19 4 0 2 11 0 16 8 .204 .260 (-22%) .324 (-3%) .389 (-20%) .714 (-12%) -157.4
1984 OAK AL 63 136 17 32 9 0 2 10 1 23 17 .235 .259 (-9%) .322 (+8%) .384 (-10%) .707 (-2%) 23.3
Career · 12 seasons 710 1,855 194 453 85 3 33 207 9 231 171 .244 — — — — -956

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 (710 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Essian — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home36190810621022104.231
Away3499478824311103.257

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jim Essian — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1984-09-30 OAKKCRW 000000010
1984-09-24 OAKTEXW 101000100
1984-09-23 OAKKCRW 310000010
1984-09-22 OAKKCRL 200000002
1984-09-19 OAKTEXW 301000100
1984-09-14 OAKCLEL 000000000
1984-09-09 OAKCLEL 210000010
1984-09-08 OAKCLEW 511100002
1984-09-07 OAKCLEL 200000001
1984-09-06 OAKCHWL 301000101

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Essian — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 11 7 63 3 0 6
2B 1 0 1 0 0 0
3B 18 10 16 23 3 3
C 642 524 2834 377 52 51
OF 4 3 2 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Essian — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1973 PHI C 1 0 0 0 0 0
1974 PHI 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1974 PHI 3B 1 0 0 1 0 1
1974 PHI C 15 5 37 3 1 1
1975 PHI C 2 0 1 1 0 0
1976 CHA 1B 2 0 1 0 0 0
1976 CHA 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1976 CHA C 77 64 319 53 10 10
1977 CHA 3B 2 0 1 0 0 0
1977 CHA C 111 104 592 62 9 8
1978 OAK 1B 3 3 20 1 0 2
1978 OAK 2B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1978 OAK C 119 84 431 78 10 12
1979 OAK 1B 4 4 35 2 0 4
1979 OAK 3B 10 10 15 20 1 2
1979 OAK C 70 66 348 57 8 5
1979 OAK OF 4 3 2 0 0 0
1980 OAK 1B 1 0 6 0 0 0
1980 OAK C 68 66 333 46 5 5
1981 CHA 3B 2 0 0 0 1 0
1981 CHA C 25 17 92 9 1 0
1982 SEA C 48 43 282 26 2 1
1983 CLE 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1983 CLE C 47 31 170 14 2 3
1984 OAK 3B 1 0 0 2 1 0
1984 OAK C 59 44 229 28 4 6

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Essian Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 642
First Base 11
Second Base 1
Third Base 18
Left Field 4
Designated Hitter 16

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Bob Stinson
    .250 avg, 33 HR
  2. 93
    Joe Ginsberg
    .241 avg, 20 HR
  3. 92
    Hal Wagner
    .248 avg, 15 HR
  4. 91
    Hobie Landrith
    .233 avg, 34 HR
  5. 91
    Jake Early
    .241 avg, 32 HR
  6. 91
    Ryan Hanigan
    .251 avg, 30 HR

Jim Essian: the record in brief

September 15, 1973 and September 30, 1984 bracket Jim Essian's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Essian's seasons break down as the Philadelphia Phillies (1973 through 1975), the Chicago White Sox (1976 through 1981), the Oakland Athletics (1978 through 1984), the Seattle Mariners (1982), and the Cleveland Indians (1983). At 6'2" and 195 pounds, Essian is listed as a catcher. The bio says Essian batted and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is January 2, 1951, in Detroit, MI, USA. The given name on file is James Sarkis Essian.

Essian's career batting table shows 710 games, 1,855 at bats and 453 hits, a .244 average, adding 33 home runs and 207 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .327 and the slugging percentage .347, for an OPS of .673. Essian's .244 average ran 6.1% below the .260 that the league posted over the same seasons. Essian's most home runs in a season came in 1977, when the total reached 10 for the Chicago White Sox. Essian collected a career-high 88 hits in 1977.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Essian

What years did Jim Essian play?
Jim Essian played in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1984.
Was Jim Essian a pitcher?
No. Jim Essian was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Jim Essian hit?
Jim Essian hit 33 career home runs with 453 hits.
What teams did Jim Essian play for?
Jim Essian played for 5 teams: the Philadelphia Phillies (1973–1975), the Chicago White Sox (1976–1977, 1981), the Oakland Athletics (1978–1980, 1984), the Seattle Mariners (1982), and the Cleveland Indians (1983).
What were Jim Essian's career stats?
In 710 games, Jim Essian had 453 hits, 33 home runs, 207 RBI, 194 runs, and 9 stolen bases, with a .244 batting average.
What position did Jim Essian play?
Jim Essian played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim Essian and how much did he weigh?
Jim Essian was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 195 pounds.
How many home runs did Jim Essian hit each season?
Jim Essian's home runs by season: 0 in 1973, 0 in 1974, 0 in 1975, 0 in 1976, 10 in 1977, 3 in 1978, 8 in 1979, 5 in 1980, 0 in 1981, 3 in 1982, 2 in 1983, and 2 in 1984. His most in one season was 10, in 1977.
What was Jim Essian's career batting average?
Jim Essian batted .244 over his career, with 453 hits in 1,855 at bats.
How many RBI did Jim Essian have?
Jim Essian drove in 207 runs in his career.
Is Jim Essian in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jim Essian has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.