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 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.

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 September 9, 2026

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	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1954	CHN	NL	11	38	2	7	0	1	1	7	.184	—	—	—	—	0.0
1955	CHN	NL	5	10	0	0	0	0	1	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1956	CHN	NL	1	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1957	CHN	NL	47	89	3	16	2	4	4	17	.180	.257 (-30%)	.323 (-31%)	.391 (-48%)	.715 (-40%)	-560.1
Career · 4 seasons			64	141	5	24	2	5	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
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	38	88	4	16	0	3	.182
Away	26	53	1	8	0	2	.151

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jim Fanning — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	RBI	SO
1957-09-29	CHC	STL	W	0	0	0	0	0
1957-09-28	CHC	STL	W	2	0	0	0	1
1957-09-27	CHC	STL	W	0	0	0	0	0
1957-09-25	CHC	CIN	W	0	0	0	0	0
1957-09-24	CHC	CIN	L	3	0	1	0	2
1957-09-22	CHC	ATL	L	4	0	0	0	1
1957-09-21	CHC	ATL	L	3	0	2	0	0
1957-09-20	CHC	ATL	L	3	0	1	0	0
1957-09-18	CHC	PHI	W	4	0	0	0	0
1957-09-17	CHC	PHI	W	3	1	1	1	1

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

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 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.