What years did Jim Merritt play?

Jim Merritt played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1975.

Was Jim Merritt a pitcher?

Yes. Jim Merritt pitched in the major leagues, recording 81 wins and 932 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Jim Merritt hit?

Jim Merritt hit 4 career home runs with 56 hits.

What teams did Jim Merritt play for?

Jim Merritt played for 3 teams: the Minnesota Twins (1965–1968), the Cincinnati Reds (1969–1972), and the Texas Rangers (1973–1975).

Did Jim Merritt win a Cy Young Award?

No. Jim Merritt did not win the Cy Young Award.

What awards did Jim Merritt win?

Jim Merritt was selected to 1 All-Star Game.

What were Jim Merritt's career stats?

In 297 games, Jim Merritt went 81-86 with a 3.65 ERA, 932 strikeouts, 1,483.0 innings pitched, and 7 saves. At the plate he had 56 hits and 4 home runs.

What position did Jim Merritt play?

Jim Merritt played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Jim Merritt and how much did he weigh?

Jim Merritt was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 175 pounds.

What was Jim Merritt's career ERA?

Jim Merritt finished with a 3.65 career ERA, going 81-86 with 932 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Jim Merritt have?

Jim Merritt recorded 932 career strikeouts.

Is Jim Merritt in the Hall of Fame?

No. Jim Merritt has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

How many All-Star Games did Jim Merritt make?

Jim Merritt was selected to 1 All-Star Game.

Jim Merritt

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1965-1975)

Jim Merritt was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1975 for the Minnesota Twins, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Texas Rangers, a span of 11 seasons. Across 297 career appearances, he went 81-86 with a 3.65 ERA and 932 strikeouts. He also batted .141 with 4 home runs. Jim Merritt was an All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 5123.4.

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 October 17, 2026

W–L 81–86

ERA 3.65

WHIP 1.21

SO 932

Pitcher PIV 5123.4

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: L / L
Height / Weight: 6'3" / 175 lb
Born: 12/9/1943 in Altadena, CA, USA
MLB Debut: 1965-08-02
Last Game: 1975-05-23
Awards: All-Star

Full name: James Joseph Merritt

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Career Pitching Statistics

Jim Merritt — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
81	86	297	192	56	9	7	1483.0	1,468	602	160	322	932	3.65	5123.4

Career ERA 3.65 vs. league average 3.52 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Merritt Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1965	MIN	AL	5	4	16	9	1	0	2	76.2	68	27	20	61	3.17	3.50 (+9%)	-143.6
1966	MIN	AL	7	14	31	18	5	1	3	144.0	112	54	33	124	3.38	3.52 (+4%)	1727.2
1967	MIN	AL	13	7	37	28	11	4	0	227.2	196	64	30	161	2.53	3.30 (+23%)	2932.0
1968	MIN	AL	12	16	38	34	11	1	1	238.1	207	86	52	181	3.25	2.98 (-9%)	1423.3
1969	CIN	NL	17	9	42	36	8	1	0	251.0	269	122	61	144	4.37	3.61 (-21%)	-1545.8
1970	CIN	NL	20	12	35	35	12	1	0	234.0	248	106	53	136	4.08	3.89 (-5%)	3377.8
1971	CIN	NL	1	11	28	11	0	0	0	107.0	115	52	31	38	4.37	3.47 (-26%)	-2478.0
1972	CIN	NL	1	0	4	1	0	0	0	8.0	13	4	2	4	4.50	—	0.0
1973	TEX	AL	5	13	35	19	8	1	1	160.0	191	72	34	65	4.05	3.75 (-8%)	-503.6
1974	TEX	AL	0	0	26	1	0	0	0	32.2	46	15	6	18	4.13	3.63 (-14%)	334.0
1975	TEX	AL	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	3.2	3	0	0	0	0.00	—	0.0
Career · 11 seasons			81	86	297	192	56	9	7	1,483.0	1,468	602	322	932	3.65	—	5,123

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

Jim Merritt — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
298	397	21	56	8	1	4	20	0	28	178	.141	.198	.196	.395	-1,851

Career AVG .141 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 43.5% below league average.

Career OBP .198 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — 37.4% below league average.

Career SLG .196 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 46.6% below league average.

Career OPS .395 vs. league average .685 across their career seasons — 42.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Merritt Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1965	MIN	AL	16	22	1	3	0	0	0	3	2	14	.136	—	—	—	—	0.0
1966	MIN	AL	31	39	2	4	1	0	0	1	4	16	.103	—	—	—	—	0.0
1967	MIN	AL	37	74	4	10	3	0	0	2	7	33	.135	.242 (-44%)	.306 (-32%)	.357 (-51%)	.663 (-42%)	-451.1
1968	MIN	AL	38	71	1	10	2	0	0	1	5	22	.141	.236 (-40%)	.298 (-34%)	.340 (-50%)	.638 (-43%)	-426.9
1969	CIN	NL	42	77	6	11	1	0	1	5	5	37	.143	.248 (-42%)	.320 (-40%)	.369 (-47%)	.689 (-44%)	-545.0
1970	CIN	NL	35	83	7	14	0	0	3	6	4	42	.169	.253 (-34%)	.325 (-36%)	.385 (-28%)	.711 (-32%)	-427.5
1971	CIN	NL	29	29	0	4	1	1	0	2	1	14	.138	—	—	—	—	0.0
1972	CIN	NL	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1973	TEX	AL	35	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1974	TEX	AL	26	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1975	TEX	AL	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 11 seasons			298	397	21	56	8	1	4	20	28	178	.141	—	—	—	—	-1,851

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Jim Merritt — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
4	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Jim Merritt — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	SO	AVG
1970	NLCS	CIN	1	2	2	.000
1970	WS	CIN	1	1	1	.000
1965	WS	MIN	2	0	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Jim Merritt — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1	1	4	2	0	10.1	8	6	1	3	5.23

Playoff Pitching by Year

Jim Merritt — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1970	NLCS	CIN	1	0	1	1	5.1	3	1	0	2	1.69
1970	WS	CIN	0	1	1	1	1.2	3	4	1	0	21.60
1965	WS	MIN	0	0	2	0	3.1	2	1	0	1	2.70

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (595 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Merritt — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	151	188	14	32	1	8	.170
Away	147	209	7	24	3	12	.115

Pitching — Home / Away

Jim Merritt — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	151	738.1	741	303	150	446	3.69
Away	146	744.2	727	299	172	486	3.61

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Jim Merritt — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	BB	SO
1975-05-23	TEX	NYY	—	2.0	2	1	0	0
1975-04-19	TEX	KCR	—	0.0	1	0	0	0
1975-04-16	TEX	CHW	—	1.0	0	0	0	0
1975-04-15	TEX	CHW	—	0.1	0	0	0	0
1975-04-12	TEX	OAK	—	0.1	0	0	0	0
1974-09-26	TEX	CHW	—	1.2	0	0	0	0
1974-09-26	TEX	CHW	—	1.2	2	0	1	1
1974-09-21	TEX	KCR	—	0.2	1	1	0	0
1974-09-21	TEX	KCR	—	3.2	4	0	0	3
1974-09-09	TEX	LAA	—	2.0	1	0	0	1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Merritt — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	297	192	45	203	13	8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Merritt — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1965	MIN	P	16	9	2	13	1	1
1966	MIN	P	31	18	7	20	0	0
1967	MIN	P	37	28	4	32	3	1
1968	MIN	P	38	34	7	38	0	2
1969	CIN	P	42	36	7	33	1	1
1970	CIN	P	35	35	5	30	2	1
1971	CIN	P	28	11	5	10	1	1
1972	CIN	P	4	1	0	1	0	0
1973	TEX	P	35	19	7	22	2	1
1974	TEX	P	26	1	1	4	3	0
1975	TEX	P	5	0	0	0	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Merritt Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	297

Awards & Honors

Jim Merritt — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1970	TSN All-Star	LHP

Award Voting History

Jim Merritt — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1970	Cy Young Award	NL	4th	8.0	120	0
1970	Most Valuable Player	NL	21th	8.0	336	0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

Jim Merritt: the record in brief

The profile opens with Jim Merritt's first major league game on August 2, 1965; the last one listed came on May 23, 1975. The team column moves through the Minnesota Twins (1965 to 1968), the Cincinnati Reds (1969 through 1972), and the Texas Rangers (1973 through 1975). At 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds, Merritt is listed as a pitcher. Merritt threw and hit left-handed, per the bio block. Merritt was born on December 9, 1943, in Altadena, CA, USA. The given name on file is James Joseph Merritt.

Merritt pitched in 297 games, starting 192, and finished with a 81-86 record and 3.65 ERA. Also on Merritt's record: 932 strikeouts, 56 complete games, and 9 shutouts. Merritt's 3.65 ERA was close to the 3.52 league figure for those seasons. The best win total was 20, in 1970. Merritt struck out 181 batters in 1968, a career high. 1967 was Merritt's sharpest full season, a 2.53 ERA against the league's 3.30.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Merritt

What years did Jim Merritt play?: Jim Merritt played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1975.
Was Jim Merritt a pitcher?: Yes. Jim Merritt pitched in the major leagues, recording 81 wins and 932 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Jim Merritt hit?: Jim Merritt hit 4 career home runs with 56 hits.
What teams did Jim Merritt play for?: Jim Merritt played for 3 teams: the Minnesota Twins (1965–1968), the Cincinnati Reds (1969–1972), and the Texas Rangers (1973–1975).
Did Jim Merritt win a Cy Young Award?: No. Jim Merritt did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Jim Merritt win?: Jim Merritt was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Jim Merritt's career stats?: In 297 games, Jim Merritt went 81-86 with a 3.65 ERA, 932 strikeouts, 1,483.0 innings pitched, and 7 saves. At the plate he had 56 hits and 4 home runs.
What position did Jim Merritt play?: Jim Merritt played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim Merritt and how much did he weigh?: Jim Merritt was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 175 pounds.
What was Jim Merritt's career ERA?: Jim Merritt finished with a 3.65 career ERA, going 81-86 with 932 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Jim Merritt have?: Jim Merritt recorded 932 career strikeouts.
Is Jim Merritt in the Hall of Fame?: No. Jim Merritt has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Jim Merritt make?: Jim Merritt was selected to 1 All-Star Game.