Jim Russell

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1942-1951)

Jim Russell was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1951 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Boston Braves, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 10 seasons. In 1,035 career games, he hit .267 with 959 hits, 67 home runs, and 428 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 7,399.

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 .267
HR 67
RBI 428
H 959
OPS .760
PIV 7,399
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 181 lb
Born
10/1/1918 in Fayette City, PA, USA
Died
11/24/1987 in Orlando, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1942-09-12
Last Game
1951-10-01

Full name: James William Russell

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Career Batting Statistics

Jim Russell — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,035 3,595 554 959 175 51 67 428 59 503 427 .267 .360 .400 .760 7,399

Career AVG .267 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .360 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +8.1% above league average.

Career SLG .400 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — +8.5% above league average.

Career OPS .760 vs. league average .701 across their career seasons — +8.4% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Russell 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
1942 PIT NL 5 14 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 .071 — — — — 0.0
1943 PIT NL 146 533 79 138 19 11 4 44 12 77 67 .259 .255 (+1%) .324 (+9%) .346 (+3%) .671 (+6%) 764.8
1944 PIT NL 152 580 109 181 34 14 8 66 6 79 63 .312 .261 (+19%) .325 (+22%) .357 (+29%) .683 (+26%) 3091.4
1945 PIT NL 146 510 88 145 24 8 12 77 15 71 40 .284 .260 (+9%) .328 (+15%) .354 (+22%) .683 (+19%) 1976.6
1946 PIT NL 146 516 68 143 29 6 8 50 11 67 54 .277 .256 (+8%) .328 (+10%) .358 (+12%) .687 (+11%) 1221.3
1947 PIT NL 128 478 68 121 21 8 8 51 7 63 58 .253 .262 (-4%) .336 (+2%) .376 (+1%) .712 (+1%) 163.9
1948 BSN NL 89 322 44 85 18 1 9 54 4 46 31 .264 .263 (avg) .340 (+6%) .379 (+8%) .719 (+7%) 500.2
1949 BSN NL 130 415 57 96 22 1 8 54 3 64 68 .231 .262 (-12%) .343 (-2%) .384 (-10%) .727 (-6%) -339.1
1950 BRO NL 77 214 37 49 8 2 10 32 1 31 36 .229 .265 (-14%) .346 (-5%) .401 (+6%) .747 (+1%) 19.9
1951 BRO NL 16 13 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 6 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 10 seasons 1,035 3,595 554 959 175 51 67 428 59 503 427 .267 — — — — 7,399

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 (1034 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Russell — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home520172729849530223.287
Away514186725946237211.247

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jim Russell — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1951-09-30 BROPHIW 100000001
1951-09-25 BROBSNL 100000001
1951-09-25 BROBSNL 100000000
1951-09-22 BROPHIL 100000001
1951-09-21 BROPHIL 100000001
1951-09-19 BROSTLW 100000001
1951-09-17 BROCHCL 100000000
1951-09-15 BROPITL 100000000
1951-09-12 BROCINL 100000000
1951-09-09 BRONY1L 000000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Russell — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 11 0 81 2 1 9
OF 942 0 2255 67 45 18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Russell — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1942 PIT OF 3 0 12 0 0 0
1943 PIT 1B 6 0 38 0 0 3
1943 PIT OF 134 0 285 16 3 3
1944 PIT OF 149 0 345 20 5 7
1945 PIT OF 140 0 313 9 9 1
1946 PIT 1B 5 0 43 2 1 6
1946 PIT OF 134 0 308 7 11 1
1947 PIT OF 119 0 343 6 7 3
1948 BSN OF 84 0 246 3 2 0
1949 BSN OF 120 0 269 3 7 3
1950 BRO OF 55 0 131 3 1 0
1951 BRO OF 4 0 3 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Russell Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 11
Left Field 568
Center Field 355
Right Field 30

Award Voting History

Jim Russell — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1944 Most Valuable Player NL 29th 1.0 336 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 Russell (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Al Zarilla
    .276 avg, 61 HR
  2. 86
    Willie Crawford
    .268 avg, 86 HR
  3. 80
    Carlos May
    .274 avg, 90 HR
  4. 80
    Adam Eaton
    .276 avg, 66 HR
  5. 79
    Irv Noren
    .275 avg, 65 HR
  6. 77
    Steve Henderson
    .280 avg, 68 HR

Jim Russell: the record in brief

According to the bio, Jim Russell debuted on September 12, 1942 and played a final game on October 1, 1951. By club, Russell's seasons break down as the Pittsburgh Pirates (1942 through 1947), the Boston Braves (1948 through 1949), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1950 to 1951). At 6 feet, 1 inch and 181 pounds, Russell is listed as an outfielder. Russell batted from both sides and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Russell was born on October 1, 1918, in Fayette City, PA, USA. Russell died on November 24, 1987, in Orlando, FL, USA. Russell's full given name, per the bio, is James William Russell.

Russell collected 959 hits in 3,595 at bats across 1,035 games, good for a .267 batting average, plus 67 homers, 428 runs batted in, and 59 stolen bases. Russell's career OPS of .760 combines a .360 on-base mark with .400 slugging. The .267 career average is close to the .260 the league hit across the same seasons. No season beat the 12 home runs Russell hit in 1945.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Russell

What years did Jim Russell play?
Jim Russell played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1951.
Was Jim Russell a pitcher?
No. Jim Russell was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Jim Russell hit?
Jim Russell hit 67 career home runs with 959 hits.
What teams did Jim Russell play for?
Jim Russell played for 3 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1942–1947), the Boston Braves (1948–1949), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1950–1951).
What were Jim Russell's career stats?
In 1,035 games, Jim Russell had 959 hits, 67 home runs, 428 RBI, 554 runs, and 59 stolen bases, with a .267 batting average.
What position did Jim Russell play?
Jim Russell played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim Russell and how much did he weigh?
Jim Russell was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 181 pounds.
How many home runs did Jim Russell hit each season?
Jim Russell's home runs by season: 0 in 1942, 4 in 1943, 8 in 1944, 12 in 1945, 8 in 1946, 8 in 1947, 9 in 1948, 8 in 1949, 10 in 1950, and 0 in 1951. His most in one season was 12, in 1945.
What was Jim Russell's career batting average?
Jim Russell batted .267 over his career, with 959 hits in 3,595 at bats.
How many RBI did Jim Russell have?
Jim Russell drove in 428 runs in his career.
Is Jim Russell in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jim Russell has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.