Jimmie Lyons
Left Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Jimmie Lyons was a left fielder who played in Major League Baseball for 10 teams, including the Chicago Leland Giants. In 440 career games, he hit .296 with 474 hits, 22 home runs, and 226 RBI. He also pitched in 14 games, going 2-6 with a 5.84 ERA. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,764.
- 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
- Left Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'6" / 160 lb
- Died
- 2/8/1961 in Chicago, IL, USA
Full name: James Henry Lyons
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 440 | 1,602 | 310 | 474 | 60 | 28 | 22 | 226 | 150 | 154 | 13 | .296 | .359 | .409 | .768 | 2,764 |
Career AVG .296 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — +11.1% above league average.
Career OBP .359 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — +8.7% above league average.
Career SLG .409 vs. league average .359 across their career seasons — +14.2% above league average.
Career OPS .768 vs. league average .689 across their career seasons — +11.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 | LEL | WES | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1911 | SLG | WES | 18 | 69 | 16 | 23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 0 | .333 | .266 (+25%) | .336 (+17%) | .356 (+30%) | .693 (+24%) | 249.9 |
| 1911 | NLG | EAS | 5 | 22 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .318 | — | — | — | — | 249.9 |
| 1912 | SLG | WES | 25 | 97 | 9 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .258 | .268 (-4%) | .335 (-8%) | .358 (-14%) | .694 (-11%) | -162.4 |
| 1913 | FLP | WES | 2 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1914 | BRG | EAS | 31 | 116 | 20 | 32 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 0 | .276 | .255 (+8%) | .322 (+3%) | .339 (+12%) | .661 (+8%) | 124.3 |
| 1915 | SLG | WES | 18 | 68 | 11 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 0 | .324 | .250 (+29%) | .318 (+21%) | .332 (+33%) | .651 (+27%) | 279.6 |
| 1916 | SLG | WES | 33 | 128 | 22 | 37 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 0 | .289 | .248 (+16%) | .314 (+14%) | .326 (+29%) | .640 (+22%) | 434.8 |
| 1917 | ABC | WES | 5 | 24 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .292 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1918 | ABC | WES | 41 | 162 | 33 | 44 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 20 | 8 | 16 | 0 | .272 | .255 (+6%) | .318 (+7%) | .326 (+21%) | .645 (+14%) | 327.9 |
| 1920 | DS | NNL | 49 | 187 | 54 | 72 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 41 | 21 | 21 | 0 | .385 | .271 (+42%) | .331 (+36%) | .363 (+71%) | .694 (+54%) | 1692.8 |
| 1921 | CAG | NNL | 70 | 238 | 53 | 74 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 35 | 30 | 29 | 6 | .311 | .286 (+9%) | .344 (+12%) | .395 (+8%) | .739 (+10%) | 521.7 |
| 1922 | CAG | NNL | 70 | 269 | 40 | 71 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 29 | 25 | 21 | 7 | .264 | .285 (-8%) | .345 (-8%) | .397 (-16%) | .743 (-12%) | -541.8 |
| 1923 | CAG | NNL | 66 | 200 | 39 | 54 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 12 | 20 | 0 | .270 | .282 (-5%) | .344 (-2%) | .390 (-8%) | .734 (-5%) | -162.5 |
| 1924 | CAG | NNL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1924 | WP | ECL | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1932 | LVB | NSL | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1932 | CAG | NSL | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 18 seasons | 440 | 1,602 | 310 | 474 | 60 | 28 | 22 | 226 | 150 | 154 | 13 | .296 | — | — | — | — | 3,014 | ||
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 | LEL | WES | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5.00 | 2.55 (-96%) | 0.0 |
| 1911 | SLG | WES | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 10.12 | — | 0.0 |
| 1912 | SLG | WES | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 11.37 | — | 0.0 |
| 1915 | SLG | WES | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3.38 | — | 0.0 |
| 1916 | SLG | WES | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.1 | 25 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 4.03 | 2.78 (-45%) | -98.7 |
| 1918 | ABC | WES | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 16.20 | — | 0.0 |
| 1920 | DS | NNL | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 4.05 | 3.45 (-18%) | -224.1 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 2 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 77.0 | 104 | 50 | 36 | 36 | 5.84 | — | -323 | ||
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 | 8 | 23 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .174 |
Last 8 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921-07-10 | CAG | SLG | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1921-07-10 | CAG | SLG | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1921-06-20 | CAG | CG1 | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1921-06-19 | CAG | CG1 | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1921-06-13 | CAG | IN4 | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921-05-09 | CAG | KCM | W | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921-05-08 | CAG | KCM | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921-05-07 | CAG | KCM | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 5 | 3 | 37 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 437 | 243 | 730 | 73 | 56 | 13 |
| P | 14 | 1 | 3 | 21 | 4 | 1 |
| PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 | LEL | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1911 | SLG | OF | 17 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 1911 | SLG | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1911 | NLG | OF | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1912 | SLG | OF | 25 | 0 | 27 | 8 | 8 | 2 |
| 1912 | SLG | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913 | FLP | OF | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914 | BRG | OF | 31 | 0 | 45 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1915 | SLG | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915 | SLG | OF | 19 | 0 | 27 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 1915 | SLG | P | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1916 | SLG | OF | 32 | 0 | 67 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 1916 | SLG | P | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1917 | ABC | 1B | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1917 | ABC | OF | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918 | ABC | OF | 45 | 0 | 81 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 1918 | ABC | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920 | DS | 1B | 3 | 3 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1920 | DS | OF | 48 | 45 | 97 | 14 | 6 | 0 |
| 1920 | DS | P | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 1921 | CAG | OF | 76 | 70 | 111 | 15 | 4 | 3 |
| 1922 | CAG | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922 | CAG | OF | 70 | 68 | 149 | 13 | 5 | 2 |
| 1923 | CAG | OF | 58 | 57 | 85 | 4 | 11 | 2 |
| 1924 | CAG | OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1924 | WP | OF | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1932 | LVB | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1932 | CAG | PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 14 |
| First Base | 5 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 257 |
| Center Field | 110 |
| Right Field | 70 |
Jimmie Lyons: the record in brief
The season rows for Jimmie Lyons begin in 1909. The team column moves through the Chicago Leland Giants (1909), the St. Louis Giants (1911 to 1916), the New York Lincoln Giants (1911), the French Lick Plutos (1913), the Brooklyn Royal Giants (1914), the Indianapolis ABCs (1917 to 1918), the Detroit Stars (1920), and the Chicago American Giants (1921 through 1932), among other clubs in the table. Lyons played primarily as a left fielder and threw and hit left-handed. Born on October 10, 1889, in Indianapolis, IN, USA, Lyons was listed at 5'6" and 160 pounds. Lyons's death is recorded on February 8, 1961, in Chicago, IL, USA. Lyons's full given name, per the bio, is James Henry Lyons.
Lyons finished with 474 hits from 1,602 at bats in 440 games, which works out to .296, adding 22 homers, 226 RBI, and 150 stolen bases. Lyons's career OPS of .768 combines a .359 on-base mark with .409 slugging.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jimmie Lyons
- Was Jimmie Lyons a pitcher?
- Both. Jimmie Lyons pitched in 14 games, going 2-6 with a 5.84 ERA, but spent most of his career as a Left Fielder.
- How many home runs did Jimmie Lyons hit?
- Jimmie Lyons hit 22 career home runs with 474 hits.
- What was Jimmie Lyons's career batting average?
- Jimmie Lyons batted .296 over his career, with 474 hits in 1,602 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jimmie Lyons have?
- Jimmie Lyons drove in 226 runs in his career.
- What was Jimmie Lyons's career ERA?
- Jimmie Lyons finished with a 5.84 career ERA, going 2-6 with 36 strikeouts.
- Is Jimmie Lyons in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jimmie Lyons has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.