Jim Fanning

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1954-1957)

Jim Fanning was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1957 for the Chicago Cubs, a span of 4 seasons. In 64 career games, he hit .170 with 24 hits and 5 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 .170
HR 0
RBI 5
H 24
OPS .394
PIV -560
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 180 lb
Born
9/14/1927 in Chicago, IL, USA
Died
4/25/2015 in London, ON, CAN
MLB Debut
1954-09-11
Last Game
1957-09-29

Full name: William James Fanning

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Career Batting Statistics

Jim Fanning — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
64 141 5 24 2 0 0 5 0 6 26 .170 .209 .184 .394 -560

Career AVG .170 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 34.2% below league average.

Career OBP .209 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 36.5% below league average.

Career SLG .184 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 53.1% below league average.

Career OPS .394 vs. league average .723 across their career seasons — 45.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Fanning — 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
1954 CHN NL 11 38 2 7 0 0 0 1 0 1 7 .184 — — — — 0.0
1955 CHN NL 5 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1956 CHN NL 1 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 — — — — 0.0
1957 CHN NL 47 89 3 16 2 0 0 4 0 4 17 .180 .257 (-30%) .323 (-31%) .391 (-48%) .715 (-40%) -560.1
Career · 4 seasons 64 141 5 24 2 0 0 5 0 6 26 .170 — — — — -560

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 (64 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Fanning — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home388841603.182
Away26531802.151

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jim Fanning — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1957-09-29 CHCSTLW 000000000
1957-09-28 CHCSTLW 200000001
1957-09-27 CHCSTLW 000000000
1957-09-25 CHCCINW 000000000
1957-09-24 CHCCINL 301000002
1957-09-22 CHCATLL 400000001
1957-09-21 CHCATLL 302000000
1957-09-20 CHCATLL 301000000
1957-09-18 CHCPHIW 400000000
1957-09-17 CHCPHIW 311000101

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Fanning — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 52 38 213 25 5 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Fanning — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1954 CHN C 11 11 40 6 0 0
1955 CHN C 5 4 30 2 0 0
1956 CHN C 1 1 5 3 2 1
1957 CHN C 35 22 138 14 3 4

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Fanning — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Catcher 52

College History

Jim Fanning — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Buena Vista University Storm Lake IA 1948, 1949, 1950

Jim Fanning: the record in brief

Jim Fanning played a first major league game on September 11, 1954 and a last one on September 29, 1957. Every season row on the page belongs to the Chicago Cubs, from 1954 through 1957. Fanning is listed as a catcher at 5 feet, 11 inches and 180 pounds. Fanning batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Fanning was born on September 14, 1927, in Chicago, IL, USA. Fanning died on April 25, 2015, in London, ON, CAN. Fanning's full given name, per the bio, is William James Fanning.

In 64 games and 141 at bats, Fanning batted .170 with 24 hits, along with 5 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .209 clip and slugging .184, Fanning finished with a .394 OPS. Set against a .259 league average for the same years, Fanning's .170 average sits 34.2% below it. The highest hit total in a season was 16, in 1957. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .180 in 1957, did not top the league's .257.

Every defensive appearance on record for Fanning, 52 games, came at catcher. Behind the plate, Fanning's fielding totals are 213 putouts, 25 assists and 5 errors.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Fanning

What years did Jim Fanning play?
Jim Fanning played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1957.
Was Jim Fanning a pitcher?
No. Jim Fanning was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Jim Fanning hit?
Jim Fanning hit 0 career home runs with 24 hits.
What teams did Jim Fanning play for?
Jim Fanning played for one team, the Chicago Cubs (1954–1957).
What were Jim Fanning's career stats?
In 64 games, Jim Fanning had 24 hits, 5 RBI, and 5 runs, with a .170 batting average.
What position did Jim Fanning play?
Jim Fanning played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim Fanning and how much did he weigh?
Jim Fanning was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 180 pounds.
What was Jim Fanning's career batting average?
Jim Fanning batted .170 over his career, with 24 hits in 141 at bats.
How many RBI did Jim Fanning have?
Jim Fanning drove in 5 runs in his career.
Is Jim Fanning in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jim Fanning has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.