Jim Gleeson

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1936-1942)

Jim Gleeson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1942 for the Cleveland Guardians, the Chicago Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 7 seasons. In 392 career games, he hit .263 with 336 hits, 16 home runs, and 154 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,022.

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 .263
HR 16
RBI 154
H 336
OPS .741
PIV 1,022
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 191 lb
Born
3/5/1912 in Kansas City, MO, USA
Died
5/1/1996 in Kansas City, MO, USA
MLB Debut
1936-04-25
Last Game
1942-05-05

Full name: James Joseph Gleeson

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Career Batting Statistics

Jim Gleeson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
392 1,277 195 336 77 19 16 154 20 158 147 .263 .350 .391 .741 1,022

Career AVG .263 vs. league average .268 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .350 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .391 vs. league average .381 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .741 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Gleeson — 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
1936 CLE AL 41 139 26 36 9 2 4 12 2 18 17 .259 .283 (-9%) .349 (-2%) .404 (+9%) .753 (+4%) 82.7
1939 CHN NL 111 332 43 74 19 6 4 45 7 39 46 .223 .274 (-19%) .342 (-10%) .393 (-10%) .735 (-10%) -574.2
1940 CHN NL 129 485 76 152 39 11 5 61 4 54 52 .313 .267 (+17%) .335 (+16%) .387 (+21%) .722 (+19%) 1837.0
1941 CIN NL 102 301 47 70 10 0 3 34 7 45 30 .233 .262 (-11%) .332 (+2%) .373 (-21%) .705 (-10%) -323.3
1942 CIN NL 9 20 3 4 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 .200 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 392 1,277 195 336 77 19 16 154 20 158 147 .263 — — — — 1,022

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 (392 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Gleeson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home202627100159468.254
Away190650931771286.272

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jim Gleeson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1942-05-05 CINNY1W 200000011
1942-05-04 CINNY1W 422000200
1942-05-03 CINNY1L 411000000
1942-05-02 CINPHIW 300000001
1942-04-27 CINCHCL 100000000
1942-04-25 CINCHCL 100000000
1942-04-22 CINSTLL 100000000
1942-04-17 CINCHCL 401000000
1942-04-16 CINPITW 000000010
1941-09-28 CINPITL 401000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Gleeson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 336 0 675 22 20 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Gleeson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1936 CLE OF 33 0 67 1 3 0
1939 CHN OF 91 0 175 5 8 1
1940 CHN OF 123 0 273 14 5 3
1941 CIN OF 84 0 153 1 3 0
1942 CIN OF 5 0 7 1 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Gleeson — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Left Field 70
Center Field 108
Right Field 165

College History

Jim Gleeson — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Rockhurst University Kansas City MO 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Jeff DaVanon
    .259 avg, 33 HR
  2. 96
    Lew Ford
    .268 avg, 35 HR
  3. 93
    Herm McFarland
    .266 avg, 13 HR
  4. 93
    Clint Hurdle
    .259 avg, 32 HR
  5. 92
    Eric Tipton
    .270 avg, 22 HR
  6. 91
    Guy Zinn
    .269 avg, 15 HR

Jim Gleeson: the record in brief

Jim Gleeson played a first major league game on April 25, 1936 and a last one on May 5, 1942. Club by club, the record runs the Cleveland Indians (1936), the Chicago Cubs (1939 to 1940), and the Cincinnati Reds (1941 to 1942). Gleeson is listed as an outfielder at 191 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The bio says Gleeson switch-hit and threw right-handed. Gleeson was born on March 5, 1912, in Kansas City, MO, USA. Gleeson died on May 1, 1996, in Kansas City, MO, USA. On the record, Jim Gleeson was born James Joseph Gleeson.

Across 392 games at the plate, Gleeson's career line reads 336 hits in 1,277 at bats for a .263 average, plus 16 homers, 154 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. Gleeson's career OPS of .741 combines a .350 on-base mark with .391 slugging. Gleeson hit .263 while the league hit .268 over the same span, a figure close to average. 1940 produced Gleeson's most hits, 152 of them for the Chicago Cubs.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Gleeson

What years did Jim Gleeson play?
Jim Gleeson played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1942.
Was Jim Gleeson a pitcher?
No. Jim Gleeson was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Jim Gleeson hit?
Jim Gleeson hit 16 career home runs with 336 hits.
What teams did Jim Gleeson play for?
Jim Gleeson played for 3 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1936), the Chicago Cubs (1939–1940), and the Cincinnati Reds (1941–1942).
What were Jim Gleeson's career stats?
In 392 games, Jim Gleeson had 336 hits, 16 home runs, 154 RBI, 195 runs, and 20 stolen bases, with a .263 batting average.
What position did Jim Gleeson play?
Jim Gleeson played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim Gleeson and how much did he weigh?
Jim Gleeson was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 191 pounds.
How many home runs did Jim Gleeson hit each season?
Jim Gleeson's home runs by season: 4 in 1936, 4 in 1939, 5 in 1940, 3 in 1941, and 0 in 1942. His most in one season was 5, in 1940.
What was Jim Gleeson's career batting average?
Jim Gleeson batted .263 over his career, with 336 hits in 1,277 at bats.
How many RBI did Jim Gleeson have?
Jim Gleeson drove in 154 runs in his career.
Is Jim Gleeson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jim Gleeson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.