Jim Lemon
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1950-1963)
Jim Lemon was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1963 for 5 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 14 seasons. In 1,010 career games, he hit .262 with 901 hits, 164 home runs, and 529 RBI. Jim Lemon was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 7,489.
- 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
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'4" / 200 lb
- Died
- 5/14/2006 in Brandon, MS, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1950-08-20
- Last Game
- 1963-09-29
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: James Robert Lemon
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,010 | 3,445 | 446 | 901 | 121 | 35 | 164 | 529 | 13 | 363 | 787 | .262 | .332 | .460 | .792 | 7,489 |
Career AVG .262 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .332 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .460 vs. league average .392 across their career seasons — +17.3% above league average.
Career OPS .792 vs. league average .720 across their career seasons — +10.0% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | CLE | AL | 12 | 34 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 12 | .176 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1953 | CLE | AL | 16 | 46 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 15 | .174 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1954 | WS1 | AL | 37 | 128 | 12 | 30 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 34 | .234 | .261 (-10%) | .333 (-15%) | .390 (-12%) | .723 (-13%) | -304.0 |
| 1955 | WS1 | AL | 10 | 25 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1956 | WS1 | AL | 146 | 538 | 77 | 146 | 21 | 11 | 27 | 96 | 2 | 65 | 138 | .271 | .258 (+5%) | .331 (+5%) | .397 (+26%) | .728 (+17%) | 1720.8 |
| 1957 | WS1 | AL | 137 | 518 | 58 | 147 | 23 | 6 | 17 | 64 | 1 | 49 | 94 | .284 | .257 (+10%) | .323 (+7%) | .391 (+15%) | .715 (+11%) | 1104.6 |
| 1958 | WS1 | AL | 142 | 501 | 65 | 123 | 15 | 9 | 26 | 75 | 2 | 50 | 120 | .246 | .257 (-5%) | .324 (-3%) | .394 (+18%) | .719 (+9%) | 736.4 |
| 1959 | WS1 | AL | 147 | 531 | 73 | 148 | 18 | 3 | 33 | 100 | 5 | 46 | 99 | .279 | .256 (+9%) | .323 (+3%) | .392 (+30%) | .715 (+18%) | 1761.0 |
| 1960 | WS1 | AL | 148 | 528 | 81 | 142 | 10 | 1 | 38 | 100 | 2 | 67 | 114 | .269 | .255 (+5%) | .323 (+9%) | .387 (+31%) | .711 (+21%) | 2267.6 |
| 1961 | MIN | AL | 129 | 423 | 57 | 109 | 26 | 1 | 14 | 52 | 1 | 44 | 98 | .258 | .258 (avg) | .328 (avg) | .399 (+6%) | .727 (+3%) | 242.2 |
| 1962 | MIN | AL | 12 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .176 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | MIN | AL | 7 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .118 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | PHI | NL | 31 | 59 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 18 | .271 | .246 (+10%) | .308 (+14%) | .371 (+9%) | .680 (+12%) | 0.0 |
| 1963 | CHA | AL | 36 | 80 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 32 | .200 | .246 (-19%) | .308 (-1%) | .371 (-29%) | .680 (-17%) | 0.0 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 1,010 | 3,445 | 446 | 901 | 121 | 35 | 164 | 529 | 13 | 363 | 787 | .262 | — | — | — | — | 7,529 | ||
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 (1010 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 507 | 1730 | 252 | 470 | 100 | 285 | .272 |
| Away | 503 | 1715 | 194 | 431 | 64 | 245 | .251 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-09-29 | CHW | TEX | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1963-09-24 | CHW | BAL | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1963-09-18 | CHW | BOS | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963-09-11 | CHW | BAL | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1963-09-08 | CHW | MIN | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1963-09-07 | CHW | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-06 | CHW | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-01 | CHW | MIN | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1963-08-31 | CHW | MIN | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1963-08-25 | CHW | NYY | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 30 | 26 | 168 | 11 | 8 | 18 |
| OF | 901 | 865 | 1631 | 47 | 68 | 12 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | CLE | OF | 10 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 1953 | CLE | 1B | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1953 | CLE | OF | 11 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1954 | WS1 | OF | 33 | 32 | 58 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1955 | WS1 | OF | 6 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1956 | WS1 | OF | 141 | 141 | 301 | 11 | 12 | 6 |
| 1957 | WS1 | 1B | 3 | 3 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 1957 | WS1 | OF | 131 | 130 | 227 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| 1958 | WS1 | OF | 137 | 134 | 255 | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| 1959 | WS1 | OF | 142 | 140 | 281 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| 1960 | WS1 | OF | 145 | 141 | 251 | 11 | 11 | 1 |
| 1961 | MIN | OF | 120 | 119 | 182 | 7 | 12 | 0 |
| 1962 | MIN | OF | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963 | MIN | OF | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963 | PHI | OF | 18 | 16 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963 | CHA | 1B | 25 | 23 | 136 | 7 | 3 | 18 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 30 |
| Left Field | 452 |
| Right Field | 454 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 10th | 36.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1959 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 25th | 4.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jim Lemon (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jim Lemon: the record in brief
Jim Lemon played a first major league game on August 20, 1950 and a last one on September 29, 1963. The season rows list, in order, the Cleveland Indians (1950 through 1953), the Washington Senators (1954 to 1960), the Minnesota Twins (1961 to 1963), the Philadelphia Phillies (1963), and the Chicago White Sox (1963). At 6 feet, 4 inches and 200 pounds, Lemon is listed as an outfielder. Lemon both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Lemon was born on March 23, 1928, in Covington, VA, USA. Lemon died on May 14, 2006, in Brandon, MS, USA. Lemon's full given name, per the bio, is James Robert Lemon.
Lemon finished with 901 hits from 3,445 at bats in 1,010 games, which works out to .262, plus 164 homers and 529 runs batted in. Lemon's career OPS of .792 combines a .332 on-base mark with .460 slugging. Against a .258 league average for those years, Lemon's .262 average was near the norm.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Lemon
- What years did Jim Lemon play?
- Jim Lemon played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1963.
- Was Jim Lemon a pitcher?
- No. Jim Lemon was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Jim Lemon hit?
- Jim Lemon hit 164 career home runs with 901 hits.
- What teams did Jim Lemon play for?
- Jim Lemon played for 4 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1950, 1953), the Minnesota Twins (1954–1963), the Philadelphia Phillies (1963), and the Chicago White Sox (1963).
- Did Jim Lemon win an MVP award?
- No. Jim Lemon did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Jim Lemon win?
- Jim Lemon was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Jim Lemon's career stats?
- In 1,010 games, Jim Lemon had 901 hits, 164 home runs, 529 RBI, 446 runs, and 13 stolen bases, with a .262 batting average.
- What position did Jim Lemon play?
- Jim Lemon played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jim Lemon and how much did he weigh?
- Jim Lemon was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 200 pounds.
- How many home runs did Jim Lemon hit each season?
- Jim Lemon's home runs by season: 1 in 1950, 1 in 1953, 2 in 1954, 1 in 1955, 27 in 1956, 17 in 1957, 26 in 1958, 33 in 1959, 38 in 1960, 14 in 1961, 1 in 1962, and 3 in 1963. His most in one season was 38, in 1960.
- What was Jim Lemon's career batting average?
- Jim Lemon batted .262 over his career, with 901 hits in 3,445 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jim Lemon have?
- Jim Lemon drove in 529 runs in his career.
- Is Jim Lemon in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jim Lemon has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Jim Lemon make?
- Jim Lemon was selected to 1 All-Star Game.