Jim Jeffries
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Jim Jeffries was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for 4 teams, including the Indianapolis ABCs. Across 158 career appearances, he went 50-51 with a 3.86 ERA and 347 strikeouts. He also batted .216 with 1 home runs. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 2434.6.
- 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
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Died
- 11/28/1938 in Pulaski, TN, USA
Full name: James Courtney Jeffries
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | ABC | WES | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 28.0 | 27 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 1.93 | 2.90 (+33%) | 186.7 |
| 1916 | ABC | WES | 4 | 4 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 72.1 | 65 | 20 | 19 | 32 | 2.49 | 2.78 (+11%) | 33.6 |
| 1917 | ABC | WES | 4 | 3 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 86.2 | 66 | 24 | 30 | 40 | 2.49 | 2.69 (+7%) | 11.0 |
| 1918 | ABC | WES | 8 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 86.0 | 80 | 40 | 31 | 26 | 4.19 | 2.83 (-48%) | -347.4 |
| 1920 | ABC | NNL | 4 | 8 | 24 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 123.1 | 119 | 63 | 42 | 46 | 4.60 | 3.45 (-33%) | 395.1 |
| 1921 | ABC | NNL | 11 | 9 | 34 | 22 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 198.2 | 191 | 76 | 68 | 82 | 3.44 | 4.02 (+14%) | 697.1 |
| 1922 | ABC | NNL | 18 | 12 | 35 | 20 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 195.1 | 191 | 81 | 59 | 82 | 3.73 | 4.18 (+11%) | 2013.8 |
| 1923 | ABC | NNL | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 7.50 | — | 0.0 |
| 1924 | HBG | ECL | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | 26 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 10.50 | 4.13 (-154%) | -823.7 |
| 1924 | BBS | ECL | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21.1 | 21 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 3.80 | 4.13 (+8%) | -133.8 |
| 1925 | BBS | ECL | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 | 26 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 11.77 | 4.55 (-159%) | 259.4 |
| 1928 | BBB | NNL | 0 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 42.0 | 47 | 24 | 17 | 8 | 5.14 | 4.13 (-24%) | 143.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 50 | 51 | 158 | 104 | 58 | 8 | 8 | 884.2 | 871 | 379 | 291 | 347 | 3.86 | — | 2,435 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 298 | 728 | 67 | 157 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 63 | 14 | 68 | 6 | .216 | .287 | .249 | .536 | -1,797 |
Career AVG .216 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — 20.3% below league average.
Career OBP .287 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 13.9% below league average.
Career SLG .249 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 32.3% below league average.
Career OPS .536 vs. league average .701 across their career seasons — 23.6% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | ABC | WES | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1915 | ABC | WES | 34 | 99 | 8 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 13 | 0 | .172 | .250 (-31%) | .318 (-10%) | .332 (-45%) | .651 (-28%) | -346.2 |
| 1916 | ABC | WES | 28 | 73 | 10 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | .301 | .248 (+21%) | .314 (+15%) | .326 (+17%) | .640 (+16%) | 189.5 |
| 1917 | ABC | WES | 31 | 70 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | .171 | .248 (-31%) | .312 (-21%) | .323 (-43%) | .635 (-32%) | -302.8 |
| 1918 | ABC | WES | 18 | 37 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .270 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1920 | ABC | NNL | 51 | 135 | 13 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 21 | 0 | .170 | .271 (-37%) | .331 (-14%) | .363 (-49%) | .694 (-32%) | -600.8 |
| 1921 | ABC | NNL | 53 | 130 | 10 | 38 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 2 | .292 | .286 (+2%) | .344 (+2%) | .395 (-16%) | .739 (-8%) | -131.6 |
| 1922 | ABC | NNL | 37 | 82 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .183 | .285 (-36%) | .345 (-39%) | .397 (-51%) | .743 (-45%) | -605.0 |
| 1923 | ABC | NNL | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1924 | HBG | ECL | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1924 | BBS | ECL | 9 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1925 | BBS | ECL | 10 | 30 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .233 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | BBB | NNL | 20 | 36 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .194 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 298 | 728 | 67 | 157 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 63 | 14 | 68 | 6 | .216 | — | — | — | — | -1,797 | ||
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
Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .500 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1 | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
Last 1 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921-05-09 | IN4 | CB1 | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 1 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921-05-09 | IN4 | CB1 | W | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 142 | 49 | 152 | 26 | 14 | 3 |
| P | 158 | 67 | 49 | 266 | 19 | 13 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | ABC | OF | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1915 | ABC | OF | 30 | 0 | 35 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| 1915 | ABC | P | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| 1916 | ABC | OF | 16 | 0 | 24 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 1916 | ABC | P | 11 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 1 | 3 |
| 1917 | ABC | OF | 18 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1917 | ABC | P | 15 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 3 | 0 |
| 1918 | ABC | OF | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918 | ABC | P | 16 | 0 | 8 | 24 | 1 | 3 |
| 1920 | ABC | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920 | ABC | OF | 34 | 28 | 37 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 1920 | ABC | P | 24 | 11 | 4 | 39 | 3 | 0 |
| 1921 | ABC | OF | 18 | 14 | 21 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| 1921 | ABC | P | 34 | 22 | 16 | 62 | 3 | 3 |
| 1922 | ABC | OF | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922 | ABC | P | 35 | 20 | 10 | 53 | 1 | 3 |
| 1923 | ABC | OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923 | ABC | P | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924 | HBG | P | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 1924 | BBS | OF | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1924 | BBS | P | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 1925 | BBS | OF | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | BBS | P | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928 | BBB | OF | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1928 | BBB | P | 9 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 158 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 25 |
| Center Field | 31 |
| Right Field | 86 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jim Jeffries: the record in brief
Jim Jeffries's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1914 to 1928. Jeffries played for the Indianapolis ABCs (1914 through 1923), the Harrisburg Giants (1924), the Baltimore Black Sox (1924 to 1925), and the Birmingham Black Barons (1928). Jeffries played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw left-handed. Jeffries was born on May 18, 1893, in Louisville, KY, USA. Jeffries's death is recorded on November 28, 1938, in Pulaski, TN, USA. Jeffries's full given name, per the bio, is James Courtney Jeffries.
Across 158 games (104 starts), Jeffries recorded 50 wins against 51 losses with a 3.86 ERA. Jeffries had 347 strikeouts, 58 complete games, and 8 shutouts. The league ERA over Jeffries's seasons was 3.65, so the 3.86 figure ran 5.7% worse than average. No season topped the 18 wins of 1922. Jeffries struck out 82 batters in 1921, a career high. 1921 was Jeffries's sharpest full season, a 3.44 ERA against the league's 4.02.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Jeffries
- Was Jim Jeffries a pitcher?
- Yes. Jim Jeffries pitched in the major leagues, recording 50 wins and 347 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Jim Jeffries hit?
- Jim Jeffries hit 1 career home run with 157 hits.
- What teams did Jim Jeffries play for?
- Jim Jeffries played for 4 teams: the Indianapolis ABCs (1914–1918, 1920–1923), the Harrisburg Giants (1924), the Baltimore Black Sox (1924–1925), and the Birmingham Black Barons (1928).
- What were Jim Jeffries's career stats?
- In 158 games, Jim Jeffries went 50-51 with a 3.86 ERA, 347 strikeouts, 884.2 innings pitched, and 8 saves. At the plate he had 157 hits and 1 home runs.
- What position did Jim Jeffries play?
- Jim Jeffries played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- What was Jim Jeffries's career ERA?
- Jim Jeffries finished with a 3.86 career ERA, going 50-51 with 347 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Jim Jeffries have?
- Jim Jeffries recorded 347 career strikeouts.
- Is Jim Jeffries in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jim Jeffries has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.