What years did Jim Otten play?

Jim Otten played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1981.

Was Jim Otten a pitcher?

Yes. Jim Otten pitched in the major leagues, recording 1 wins and 75 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Jim Otten hit?

Jim Otten hit 0 career home runs with 1 hits.

What was Jim Otten's career batting average?

Jim Otten batted .143 over his career, with 1 hits in 7 at bats.

What was Jim Otten's career ERA?

Jim Otten finished with a 5.46 career ERA, going 1-6 with 75 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Jim Otten have?

Jim Otten recorded 75 career strikeouts.

Jim Otten

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1974-1981)

Jim Otten was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1981 for the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 8 seasons. Across 64 career appearances, he went 1-6 with a 5.46 ERA and 75 strikeouts.

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 12, 2026

W–L 1–6

ERA 5.46

WHIP 1.83

SO 75

Pitcher PIV -259.0

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'2" / 195 lb
Born: 7/1/1951 in Lewistown, MT, USA
MLB Debut: 1974-07-31
Last Game: 1981-09-30

Full name: James Edward Otten

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Career Pitching Statistics

Jim Otten — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
1	6	64	5	0	0	0	118.2	150	72	7	67	75	5.46	-259.0

Career ERA 5.46 vs. league average 3.66 across their career seasons — 49.1% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Otten — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1974	CHA	AL	0	1	5	1	16.1	22	10	12	11	5.51	3.63 (-52%)	3.4
1975	CHA	AL	0	0	2	0	5.1	4	4	7	3	6.75	—	0.0
1976	CHA	AL	0	0	2	0	6.0	9	3	2	3	4.50	—	0.0
1980	SLN	NL	0	5	31	4	55.1	71	34	26	38	5.53	3.84 (-44%)	335.9
1981	SLN	NL	1	0	24	0	35.2	44	21	20	20	5.30	3.58 (-48%)	-598.3
Career · 5 seasons			1	6	64	5	118.2	150	72	67	75	5.46	—	-259

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 Otten — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
64	7	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.143	.143	.143	.286	0

Career AVG .143 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 44.7% below league average.

Career OBP .143 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 55.9% below league average.

Career SLG .143 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 61.7% below league average.

Career OPS .286 vs. league average .697 across their career seasons — 59.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Otten — Season-by-Season Batting
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	H	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1974	CHA	AL	5	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1975	CHA	AL	2	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1976	CHA	AL	2	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1980	SLN	NL	31	5	1	1	.200	—	—	—	—	0.0
1981	SLN	NL	24	2	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 5 seasons			64	7	1	1	.143	—	—	—	—	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 (128 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Otten — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	33	1	0	0	0	0	.000
Away	31	6	0	1	0	0	.167

Pitching — Home / Away

Jim Otten — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	33	63.0	78	47	39	39	6.71
Away	31	55.2	72	25	28	36	4.04

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jim Otten — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB
1981-09-30	STL	PHI	L	0
1981-09-24	STL	PHI	L	1
1981-09-23	STL	PHI	L	0
1981-09-18	STL	NYN	L	0
1981-06-07	STL	SDP	L	0
1981-06-02	STL	WSN	L	0
1981-05-30	STL	PHI	L	0
1981-05-27	STL	WSN	L	0
1981-05-25	STL	WSN	L	0
1981-05-22	STL	NYN	L	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Jim Otten — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1981-09-30	STL	PHI	—	1.0	2	2	2	3	0	0
1981-09-24	STL	PHI	—	3.1	6	3	3	0	0	1
1981-09-23	STL	PHI	—	1.0	1	0	0	2	1	0
1981-09-18	STL	NYN	—	1.1	4	4	4	1	1	0
1981-06-07	STL	SDP	—	2.0	1	0	0	2	1	0
1981-06-02	STL	WSN	—	3.0	3	1	1	0	2	0
1981-05-30	STL	PHI	—	2.1	1	0	0	0	2	0
1981-05-27	STL	WSN	—	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0
1981-05-25	STL	WSN	—	1.1	1	0	0	0	0	0
1981-05-22	STL	NYN	—	2.0	2	3	1	2	1	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Otten — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	64	5	0	17	1	2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Otten — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	A	E	DP
1974	CHA	P	5	1	2	0	0
1975	CHA	P	2	0	1	0	0
1976	CHA	P	2	0	0	0	0
1980	SLN	P	31	4	11	0	2
1981	SLN	P	24	0	3	1	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Otten — Career Games by Position
Position	Games
Pitcher	64

College History

Jim Otten — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
Arizona State University	Tempe	AZ	1972, 1973
Mesa Community College	Mesa	AZ	1970, 1971

Jim Otten: the record in brief

The profile opens with Jim Otten's first major league game on July 31, 1974; the last one listed came on September 30, 1981. The team column moves through the Chicago White Sox (1974 to 1976) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1980 to 1981). Born on July 1, 1951, in Lewistown, MT, USA, Otten is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 195 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. The given name on file is James Edward Otten.

Across 64 games (5 starts), Otten recorded 1 win against 6 losses with a 5.46 ERA. Also on Otten's record: 75 strikeouts. Against a 3.66 league ERA for the same seasons, the 5.46 mark was 49.1% worse. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 5.30 in 1981, when the league's was 3.58.

Every defensive appearance on record for Otten, 64 games, came at pitcher. Fielding on the mound produced 0 putouts and 17 assists against 1 errors.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Otten

What years did Jim Otten play?: Jim Otten played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1981.
Was Jim Otten a pitcher?: Yes. Jim Otten pitched in the major leagues, recording 1 wins and 75 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Jim Otten hit?: Jim Otten hit 0 career home runs with 1 hits.
What was Jim Otten's career batting average?: Jim Otten batted .143 over his career, with 1 hits in 7 at bats.
What was Jim Otten's career ERA?: Jim Otten finished with a 5.46 career ERA, going 1-6 with 75 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Jim Otten have?: Jim Otten recorded 75 career strikeouts.