Jim Lentine

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1978-1980)

Jim Lentine was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1980 for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers, a span of 3 seasons. In 95 career games, he hit .263 with 54 hits, 1 home runs, and 20 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 152.

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 1
RBI 20
H 54
OPS .700
PIV 152
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 175 lb
Born
7/16/1954 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1978-09-03
Last Game
1980-10-05

Full name: James Matthew Lentine

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Career Batting Statistics

Jim Lentine — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
95 205 23 54 9 1 1 20 3 31 38 .263 .368 .332 .700 152

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

Career OBP .368 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — +12.7% above league average.

Career SLG .332 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 14.5% below league average.

Career OPS .700 vs. league average .715 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Lentine — 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
1978 SLN NL 8 11 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 .182 — — — — 0.0
1979 SLN NL 11 23 2 9 1 0 0 1 0 3 6 .391 — — — — 0.0
1980 SLN NL 9 10 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 .100 — — — — 0.0
1980 DET AL 67 161 19 42 8 1 1 17 2 28 30 .261 .264 (-1%) .326 (+16%) .387 (-12%) .714 (+1%) 0.0
Career · 4 seasons 95 205 23 54 9 1 1 20 3 31 38 .263 — — — — 0

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 (95 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Lentine — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home5294122707.287
Away431111127113.243

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jim Lentine — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1980-10-05 DETNYYL 100000010
1980-10-04 DETNYYW 422000101
1980-10-04 DETNYYL 301000101
1980-10-02 DETNYYL 201100011
1980-09-29 DETTORW 300000002
1980-09-28 DETNYYW 100000010
1980-09-27 DETNYYW 313000010
1980-09-21 DETCLEW 000000000
1980-09-20 DETCLEW 000000010
1980-09-17 DETBALL 201000120

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Lentine — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 72 48 118 6 4 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Lentine — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1978 SLN OF 3 3 4 0 0 0
1979 SLN OF 8 4 12 1 0 1
1980 SLN OF 6 1 4 0 0 0
1980 DET OF 55 40 98 5 4 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Lentine — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Left Field 50
Center Field 14
Right Field 11
Designated Hitter 9

College History

Jim Lentine — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Arizona State University Tempe AZ 1973, 1974
University of La Verne La Verne CA 1975

Jim Lentine: the record in brief

Jim Lentine's major league career runs from a debut on September 3, 1978 to a final game on October 5, 1980. By club, Lentine's seasons break down as the St. Louis Cardinals (1978 through 1980) and the Detroit Tigers (1980). Lentine played primarily as an outfielder and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on July 16, 1954, in Los Angeles, CA, USA and a listed size of 6 feet, 0 inches and 175 pounds. Jim Lentine was the playing name; the full given name is James Matthew.

Lentine collected 54 hits in 205 at bats across 95 games, good for a .263 batting average, adding 1 home run and 20 runs batted in. Lentine's career OPS of .700 combines a .368 on-base mark with .332 slugging. Against a .263 league average for those years, Lentine's .263 average was near the norm. No season topped the 42 hits of 1980. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .261 in 1980, did not top the league's .264.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Lentine

What years did Jim Lentine play?
Jim Lentine played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1980.
Was Jim Lentine a pitcher?
No. Jim Lentine was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Jim Lentine hit?
Jim Lentine hit 1 career home run with 54 hits.
What teams did Jim Lentine play for?
Jim Lentine played for 2 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1978–1980) and the Detroit Tigers (1980).
What were Jim Lentine's career stats?
In 95 games, Jim Lentine had 54 hits, 1 home runs, 20 RBI, 23 runs, and 3 stolen bases, with a .263 batting average.
What position did Jim Lentine play?
Jim Lentine played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim Lentine and how much did he weigh?
Jim Lentine was listed at 6 feet and 175 pounds.
How many home runs did Jim Lentine hit each season?
Jim Lentine's home runs by season: 0 in 1978, 0 in 1979, and 1 in 1980. His most in one season was 1, in 1980.
What was Jim Lentine's career batting average?
Jim Lentine batted .263 over his career, with 54 hits in 205 at bats.
How many RBI did Jim Lentine have?
Jim Lentine drove in 20 runs in his career.
Is Jim Lentine in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jim Lentine has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.