What years did James Shields play?

James Shields played in Major League Baseball from 2006 to 2018.

Was James Shields a pitcher?

Yes. James Shields pitched in the major leagues, recording 145 wins and 2234 strikeouts.

How many home runs did James Shields hit?

James Shields hit 0 career home runs with 24 hits.

What was James Shields's career batting average?

James Shields batted .169 over his career, with 24 hits in 142 at bats.

How many RBI did James Shields have?

James Shields drove in 6 runs in his career.

What was James Shields's career ERA?

James Shields finished with a 4.01 career ERA, going 145-139 with 2,234 strikeouts.

James Shields

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2006-2018)

James Shields was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2006 to 2018 for 4 teams, including the Tampa Bay Rays, a span of 13 seasons. Across 407 career appearances, he went 145-139 with a 4.01 ERA and 2,234 strikeouts. James Shields was an All-Star.

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 145–139

ERA 4.01

WHIP 1.27

SO 2,234

Pitcher PIV -2317.4

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'3" / 210 lb
Born: 12/20/1981 in Newhall, CA, USA
MLB Debut: 2006-05-31
Last Game: 2018-09-25
Awards: All-Star

Full name: James Anthony Shields

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Career Pitching Statistics

James Shields — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
145	139	407	405	23	9	0	2616.0	2,581	1,167	361	746	2,234	4.01	-2317.4

Career ERA 4.01 vs. league average 4.15 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

James Shields Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
2006	TBA	AL	6	8	21	21	1	0	124.2	141	67	38	104	4.84	4.53 (-7%)	437.2
2007	TBA	AL	12	8	31	31	1	0	215.0	202	92	36	184	3.85	4.47 (+14%)	3425.1
2008	TBA	AL	14	8	33	33	3	2	215.0	208	85	40	160	3.56	4.32 (+18%)	2825.6
2009	TBA	AL	11	12	33	33	0	0	219.2	239	101	52	167	4.14	4.32 (+4%)	1751.2
2010	TBA	AL	13	15	34	33	0	0	203.1	246	117	51	187	5.18	4.08 (-27%)	-812.8
2011	TBA	AL	16	12	33	33	11	4	249.1	195	78	65	225	2.82	3.94 (+29%)	3433.7
2012	TBA	AL	15	10	33	33	3	2	227.2	208	89	58	223	3.52	4.01 (+12%)	3230.4
2013	KCA	AL	13	9	34	34	2	0	228.2	215	80	68	196	3.15	3.87 (+19%)	2381.1
2014	KCA	AL	14	8	34	34	1	1	227.0	224	81	44	180	3.21	3.74 (+14%)	892.4
2015	SDN	NL	13	7	33	33	0	0	202.1	189	88	81	216	3.91	3.96 (+1%)	-2487.2
2016	SDN	NL	2	7	11	11	0	0	67.1	69	32	27	57	4.28	4.19 (-2%)	-418.7
2016	CHA	AL	4	12	22	22	1	0	114.1	139	86	55	78	6.77	4.19 (-62%)	-7842.8
2017	CHA	AL	5	7	21	21	0	0	117.0	116	68	53	103	5.23	4.36 (-20%)	-4313.9
2018	CHA	AL	7	16	34	33	0	0	204.2	190	103	78	154	4.53	4.15 (-9%)	-4818.6
Career · 14 seasons			145	139	407	405	23	9	2,616.0	2,581	1,167	746	2,234	4.01	—	-2,317

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

James Shields — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
411	142	15	24	3	0	0	6	0	3	56	.169	.186	.190	.376	-619

Career AVG .169 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 34.4% below league average.

Career OBP .186 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 42.6% below league average.

Career SLG .190 vs. league average .410 across their career seasons — 53.7% below league average.

Career OPS .376 vs. league average .735 across their career seasons — 48.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

James Shields Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
2006	TBA	AL	21	8	2	3	0	0	0	3	.375	—	—	—	—	0.0
2007	TBA	AL	31	6	1	1	0	0	0	0	.167	—	—	—	—	0.0
2008	TBA	AL	34	4	2	1	0	1	1	0	.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
2009	TBA	AL	33	4	0	0	0	0	1	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2010	TBA	AL	34	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	.500	—	—	—	—	0.0
2011	TBA	AL	33	8	0	0	0	1	0	5	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2012	TBA	AL	33	5	0	1	0	1	0	1	.200	—	—	—	—	0.0
2013	KCA	AL	34	3	1	1	0	0	0	1	.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
2014	KCA	AL	34	7	1	2	1	1	0	1	.286	—	—	—	—	0.0
2015	SDN	NL	36	68	7	9	2	2	1	28	.132	.254 (-48%)	.316 (-54%)	.404 (-60%)	.721 (-57%)	-619.5
2016	SDN	NL	11	17	1	3	0	0	0	11	.176	—	—	—	—	0.0
2016	CHA	AL	22	4	0	1	0	0	0	1	.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
2017	CHA	AL	21	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2018	CHA	AL	34	6	0	1	0	0	0	3	.167	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 14 seasons			411	142	15	24	3	6	3	56	.169	—	—	—	—	-619

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

James Shields — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
11	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

James Shields — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	SO	AVG
2014	ALCS	KCA	1	0	0	.000
2014	ALDS1	KCA	1	0	0	.000
2014	ALWC	KCA	1	0	0	.000
2014	WS	KCA	2	2	1	.000
2011	ALDS2	TBA	1	0	0	.000
2010	ALDS1	TBA	1	0	0	.000
2008	ALCS	TBA	2	0	0	.000
2008	ALDS2	TBA	1	0	0	.000
2008	WS	TBA	1	0	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

James Shields — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
3	6	11	11	0	59.1	76	36	15	45	5.46

Playoff Pitching by Year

James Shields — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2014	ALCS	KCA	0	0	1	1	5.0	10	4	1	3	7.20
2014	ALDS1	KCA	1	0	1	1	6.0	6	2	2	6	3.00
2014	ALWC	KCA	0	0	1	1	5.0	5	4	2	6	7.20
2014	WS	KCA	0	2	2	2	9.0	15	7	2	5	7.00
2011	ALDS2	TBA	0	1	1	1	5.0	8	7	0	6	12.60
2010	ALDS1	TBA	0	1	1	1	4.1	4	4	0	2	8.31
2008	ALCS	TBA	0	2	2	2	13.0	15	5	5	9	3.46
2008	ALDS2	TBA	1	0	1	1	6.1	6	3	1	4	4.26
2008	WS	TBA	1	0	1	1	5.2	7	0	2	4	0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (818 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

James Shields — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	210	42	5	7	0	1	.167
Away	201	100	10	17	0	5	.170

Pitching — Home / Away

James Shields — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	209	1386.0	1336	566	385	1224	3.68
Away	198	1230.0	1245	601	361	1010	4.40

Last 10 Games — Pitching

James Shields — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
2018-09-25	CHW	CLE	—	6.0	6	4	4	4	6	1
2018-09-20	CHW	CLE	—	6.0	5	2	2	3	1	2
2018-09-14	CHW	BAL	W	6.0	4	2	2	1	5	2
2018-09-08	CHW	LAA	L	4.1	9	6	6	1	1	2
2018-09-02	CHW	BOS	W	6.0	4	0	0	2	6	0
2018-08-28	CHW	NYY	—	5.2	4	2	2	4	3	1
2018-08-23	CHW	DET	L	6.2	10	7	7	1	5	3
2018-08-17	CHW	KCR	W	7.0	6	3	3	2	5	0
2018-08-11	CHW	CLE	L	7.0	7	3	2	0	4	2
2018-08-05	CHW	TBR	—	6.0	5	4	2	4	6	1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

James Shields — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	407	405	187	283	30	22

Season-by-Season Fielding

James Shields — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2006	TBA	P	21	21	14	15	0	1
2007	TBA	P	31	31	30	24	1	3
2008	TBA	P	33	33	19	19	1	3
2009	TBA	P	33	33	16	25	2	5
2010	TBA	P	34	33	18	17	4	2
2011	TBA	P	33	33	19	32	3	2
2012	TBA	P	33	33	16	21	5	0
2013	KCA	P	34	34	11	21	3	2
2014	KCA	P	34	34	18	30	4	0
2015	SDN	P	33	33	10	30	3	2
2016	SDN	P	11	11	2	6	0	0
2016	CHA	P	22	22	6	12	4	0
2017	CHA	P	21	21	5	12	0	0
2018	CHA	P	34	33	3	19	0	2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

James Shields Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	407

Awards & Honors

James Shields — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
2012	Player of the Week	Week of 2012-09-09
2011	Player of the Week	Week of 2011-04-24
2011	Player of the Week	Week of 2011-06-19
2008	Player of the Week	Week of 2008-04-26

Salary History

James Shields — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
2016	SDN	NL	$21,000,000
2015	SDN	NL	$10,000,000
2014	KCA	AL	$13,500,000
2013	KCA	AL	$11,000,000
2012	TBA	AL	$8,000,000
2011	TBA	AL	$4,250,000
2010	TBA	AL	$2,500,000
2009	TBA	AL	$1,500,000
2008	TBA	AL	$1,000,000
2007	TBA	AL	$394,900
Total Career Earnings			$73,144,900

Award Voting History

James Shields — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max
2014	Most Valuable Player	AL	18th	3.0	420
2013	Cy Young Award	AL	11th	2.0	210
2011	Cy Young Award	AL	3rd	66.0	196
2011	Most Valuable Player	AL	15th	7.0	392

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

James Shields (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

James Shields: the record in brief

The profile opens with James Shields's first major league game on May 31, 2006; the last one listed came on September 25, 2018. By club, Shields's seasons break down as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2006 to 2007), the Tampa Bay Rays (2008 through 2012), the Kansas City Royals (2013 through 2014), the San Diego Padres (2015 through 2016), and the Chicago White Sox (2016 through 2018). Shields played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on December 20, 1981, in Newhall, CA, USA and a listed size of 6'3" and 210 pounds. The bio lists the given name James Anthony.

Shields went 145-139 with a 4.01 ERA in 407 games, 405 of them starts. Shields had 2,234 strikeouts, 23 complete games, and 9 shutouts. Shields's 4.01 ERA was close to the 4.15 league figure for those seasons. 2011 brought Shields a season-high 16 wins. 2011 was Shields's sharpest full season, a 2.82 ERA against the league's 3.94.

Frequently Asked Questions about James Shields

What years did James Shields play?: James Shields played in Major League Baseball from 2006 to 2018.
Was James Shields a pitcher?: Yes. James Shields pitched in the major leagues, recording 145 wins and 2234 strikeouts.
How many home runs did James Shields hit?: James Shields hit 0 career home runs with 24 hits.
What was James Shields's career batting average?: James Shields batted .169 over his career, with 24 hits in 142 at bats.
How many RBI did James Shields have?: James Shields drove in 6 runs in his career.
What was James Shields's career ERA?: James Shields finished with a 4.01 career ERA, going 145-139 with 2,234 strikeouts.