Jim Piersall

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1950-1967)

Jim Piersall was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1967 for 6 teams, including the Boston Red Sox, a span of 18 seasons. In 1,734 career games, he hit .272 with 1,604 hits, 104 home runs, and 591 RBI. Jim Piersall was a 2-time All-Star and a 2-time Gold Glove. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,003.

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 .272
HR 104
RBI 591
H 1,604
OPS .718
PIV 1,003
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 175 lb
Born
11/14/1929 in Waterbury, CT, USA
Died
6/3/2017 in Wheaton, IL, USA
MLB Debut
1950-09-07
Last Game
1967-05-01
Awards
2× All-Star · 2× Gold Glove

Full name: James Anthony Piersall

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Career Batting Statistics

Jim Piersall — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,734 5,890 811 1,604 256 52 104 591 115 524 583 .272 .332 .386 .718 1,003

Career AVG .272 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — +7.0% above league average.

Career OBP .332 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .386 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .718 vs. league average .708 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Piersall Stats, Bio & Career Records
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 BOS AL 6 7 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 .286 — — — — 0.0
1952 BOS AL 56 161 28 43 8 0 1 16 3 28 26 .267 .252 (+6%) .326 (+16%) .369 (-9%) .696 (+3%) 184.0
1953 BOS AL 151 585 76 159 21 9 3 52 11 41 52 .272 .264 (+3%) .335 (-2%) .397 (-11%) .733 (-7%) -650.3
1954 BOS AL 133 474 77 135 24 2 8 38 5 36 42 .285 .261 (+9%) .333 (+1%) .390 (+1%) .723 (+1%) 110.7
1955 BOS AL 149 515 68 146 25 5 13 62 6 67 52 .283 .258 (+10%) .332 (+10%) .393 (+8%) .726 (+9%) 1027.4
1956 BOS AL 155 601 91 176 40 6 14 87 7 58 48 .293 .258 (+13%) .331 (+6%) .397 (+13%) .728 (+10%) 1038.4
1957 BOS AL 151 609 103 159 27 5 19 63 14 62 54 .261 .257 (+1%) .323 (+2%) .391 (+6%) .715 (+4%) 532.6
1958 BOS AL 130 417 55 99 13 5 8 48 12 42 43 .237 .257 (-8%) .324 (-7%) .394 (-11%) .719 (-9%) -640.3
1959 CLE AL 100 317 42 78 13 2 4 30 6 25 31 .246 .256 (-4%) .323 (-6%) .392 (-14%) .715 (-10%) -525.6
1960 CLE AL 138 486 70 137 12 4 18 66 18 24 38 .282 .255 (+10%) .323 (-3%) .387 (+12%) .711 (+5%) 327.4
1961 CLE AL 121 484 81 156 26 7 6 40 8 43 46 .322 .258 (+25%) .328 (+15%) .399 (+11%) .727 (+13%) 1229.2
1962 WS2 AL 135 471 38 115 20 4 4 31 12 39 53 .244 .257 (-5%) .326 (-8%) .393 (-16%) .719 (-12%) -924.9
1963 WS2 AL 29 94 9 23 1 0 1 5 4 6 11 .245 .246 (-1%) .308 (-8%) .371 (-23%) .680 (-16%) -229.7
1963 NYN NL 40 124 13 24 4 1 1 10 1 10 14 .194 .246 (-21%) .308 (-19%) .371 (-28%) .680 (-24%) -229.7
1963 LAA AL 20 52 4 16 1 0 0 4 0 5 5 .308 .246 (+25%) .308 (+19%) .371 (-12%) .680 (+2%) -229.7
1964 LAA AL 87 255 28 80 11 0 2 13 5 16 32 .314 .250 (+25%) .312 (+13%) .377 (+1%) .690 (+6%) 308.0
1965 CAL AL 53 112 10 30 5 2 2 12 2 5 15 .268 .245 (+9%) .310 (-2%) .371 (+8%) .682 (+4%) 37.1
1966 CAL AL 75 123 14 26 5 0 0 14 1 13 19 .211 .248 (-15%) .309 (-9%) .376 (-33%) .685 (-22%) -395.4
1967 CAL AL 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 19 seasons 1,734 5,890 811 1,604 256 52 104 591 115 524 583 .272 — — — — 969

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 (1734 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Piersall — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home893298743883556319.280
Away841290337476948271.265

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jim Piersall — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1967-05-01 LAABOSL 100000001
1967-04-23 LAACLEW 000000000
1967-04-21 LAACLEW 100000001
1967-04-16 LAABALW 000000000
1967-04-12 LAADETL 100000000
1966-10-02 LAACLEW 000000000
1966-10-01 LAACLEL 100000000
1966-09-22 LAADETL 200000000
1966-09-21 LAADETL 000000000
1966-09-17 LAABOSL 101000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Piersall — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 2 0 0 2 1 0
OF 1614 1302 3851 95 39 21
SS 30 0 41 75 9 13

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Piersall — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1950 BOS OF 2 0 9 0 0 0
1952 BOS 3B 1 0 0 1 1 0
1952 BOS OF 22 0 38 3 0 0
1952 BOS SS 30 0 41 75 9 13
1953 BOS OF 151 0 352 15 5 7
1954 BOS OF 126 112 249 10 4 2
1955 BOS OF 147 144 425 7 3 2
1956 BOS OF 155 155 455 10 4 1
1957 BOS OF 151 147 397 12 4 0
1958 BOS OF 125 112 314 8 5 2
1959 CLE 3B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1959 CLE OF 91 77 216 3 4 2
1960 CLE OF 134 122 355 5 3 0
1961 CLE OF 120 119 328 9 3 3
1962 WS2 OF 132 123 308 5 1 0
1963 WS2 OF 25 22 65 0 0 0
1963 NYN OF 38 34 65 3 0 0
1963 LAA OF 18 14 28 0 0 0
1964 LAA OF 72 65 115 2 0 2
1965 CAL OF 41 25 62 0 1 0
1966 CAL OF 63 31 69 3 2 0
1967 CAL OF 1 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Piersall Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Third Base 2
Shortstop 30
Left Field 114
Center Field 1212
Right Field 306

Awards & Honors

Jim Piersall — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1961 Gold Glove OF
1958 Gold Glove CF

Award Voting History

Jim Piersall — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1961 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 10.0 280 0
1960 Most Valuable Player AL 28th 2.0 336 0
1957 Most Valuable Player AL 22th 2.0 336 0
1956 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 28.0 336 0
1953 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 56.0 336 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 Piersall (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Dave Philley
    .270 avg, 84 HR
  2. 89
    Al Cowens
    .270 avg, 108 HR
  3. 88
    Dave Martinez
    .276 avg, 91 HR
  4. 87
    Jay Johnstone
    .267 avg, 102 HR
  5. 84
    Mark Kotsay
    .276 avg, 127 HR
  6. 82
    Tito Francona
    .272 avg, 125 HR

Jim Piersall: the record in brief

According to the bio, Jim Piersall debuted on September 7, 1950 and played a final game on May 1, 1967. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Red Sox (1950 through 1958), the Cleveland Indians (1959 to 1961), the Washington Senators (1962 to 1963), the New York Mets (1963), the Los Angeles Angels (1963 to 1964), and the California Angels (1965 through 1967). Piersall played primarily as an outfielder and batted and threw right-handed. Born on November 14, 1929, in Waterbury, CT, USA, Piersall was listed at 6-foot-0 and 175 pounds. The bio records the death on June 3, 2017, in Wheaton, IL, USA. The given name on file is James Anthony Piersall.

Piersall collected 1,604 hits in 5,890 at bats across 1,734 games, good for a .272 batting average, adding 104 home runs, 591 RBI, and 115 stolen bases. Piersall got on base at a .332 rate and slugged .386 (.718 OPS).

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Piersall

What years did Jim Piersall play?
Jim Piersall played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1967.
Was Jim Piersall a pitcher?
No. Jim Piersall was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Jim Piersall hit?
Jim Piersall hit 104 career home runs with 1,604 hits.
What teams did Jim Piersall play for?
Jim Piersall played for 5 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1950, 1952–1958), the Cleveland Indians (1959–1961), the Washington Senators (1962–1963), the New York Mets (1963), and the California Angels (1963–1967).
Did Jim Piersall win an MVP award?
No. Jim Piersall did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Jim Piersall win?
Jim Piersall won 2 Gold Gloves (1958 and 1961). He was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
What were Jim Piersall's career stats?
In 1,734 games, Jim Piersall had 1,604 hits, 104 home runs, 591 RBI, 811 runs, and 115 stolen bases, with a .272 batting average.
What position did Jim Piersall play?
Jim Piersall played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim Piersall and how much did he weigh?
Jim Piersall was listed at 6 feet and 175 pounds.
How many home runs did Jim Piersall hit each season?
Jim Piersall's home runs by season: 0 in 1950, 1 in 1952, 3 in 1953, 8 in 1954, 13 in 1955, 14 in 1956, 19 in 1957, 8 in 1958, 4 in 1959, 18 in 1960, 6 in 1961, 4 in 1962, 2 in 1963, 2 in 1964, 2 in 1965, 0 in 1966, and 0 in 1967. His most in one season was 19, in 1957.
What was Jim Piersall's career batting average?
Jim Piersall batted .272 over his career, with 1,604 hits in 5,890 at bats.
How many RBI did Jim Piersall have?
Jim Piersall drove in 591 runs in his career.
Is Jim Piersall in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jim Piersall has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Jim Piersall make?
Jim Piersall was selected to 2 All-Star Games.