Jim Tobin
Born: 12/27/1912 in Oakland, CA, USA
Died: 5/19/1969 in Oakland, CA, USA
MLB Debut: 1937-04-30 | Final Game: 1945-09-23
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 185 lbs
Full name: James Anthony Tobin
Biography
Jim Tobin was a professional baseball pitcher born in 1912, who played in Major League Baseball from 1937 until 1945. Over the course of his career, he established himself as a reliable presence on the mound, finishing with a record of 105 wins and 112 losses. Tobin recorded an earned run average (ERA) of 3.44 and accumulated a total of 498 strikeouts. Notably, he also contributed to his teams with 5 saves, showcasing his versatility as both a starter and a reliever. His performance earned him a selection to the All-Star Game, highlighting his status as one of the prominent pitchers of his era.
Tobin's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, marked by the late years of the Great Depression and the onset of World War II. As many players enlisted in the military, Tobin remained active, providing stability and experience to his teams. His pitching style was characterized by a strong fastball and an ability to work deep into games, traits that were essential in an era when complete games were more common. Despite his mixed win-loss record, Tobin's contributions to the game and his resilience during challenging times solidified his place in baseball history. He passed away in 1978, leaving behind a legacy as a dedicated athlete who navigated through both the highs and lows of a tumultuous decade in American sports.
Negro Leagues Career Statistics
Batting
| PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 4.0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.500 | 0.500 | 0.500 | 1.000 |
Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 9.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.04 |
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
| Season | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.500 | 0.500 | 0.500 | 1.000 |
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching
| Season | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 9.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.04 |
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 105 | 112 | 287 | 227 | 156 | 12 | 5 | 1900.0 | 1929 | 726 | 107 | 557 | 498 | 3.44 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | PIT | NL | 6 | 3 | 20 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 87.0 | 74 | 29 | 28 | 37 | 3.00 | 2053.3 |
| 1938 | PIT | NL | 14 | 12 | 40 | 33 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 241.3 | 254 | 93 | 66 | 70 | 3.47 | 811.3 |
| 1939 | PIT | NL | 9 | 9 | 25 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 145.3 | 194 | 73 | 33 | 43 | 4.52 | 2008.1 |
| 1940 | BSN | NL | 7 | 3 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 96.3 | 102 | 41 | 24 | 29 | 3.83 | 128.3 |
| 1941 | BSN | NL | 12 | 12 | 33 | 26 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 238.0 | 229 | 82 | 60 | 61 | 3.10 | 2049.8 |
| 1942 | BSN | NL | 12 | 21 | 37 | 33 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 287.7 | 283 | 127 | 96 | 71 | 3.97 | -3109.3 |
| 1943 | BSN | NL | 14 | 14 | 33 | 30 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 250.0 | 241 | 74 | 69 | 52 | 2.66 | -902.5 |
| 1944 | BSN | NL | 18 | 19 | 43 | 36 | 28 | 5 | 3 | 299.3 | 271 | 100 | 97 | 83 | 3.01 | -1818.3 |
| 1945 | BSN | NL | 9 | 14 | 27 | 25 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 196.7 | 220 | 84 | 56 | 38 | 3.84 | -828.2 |
| 1945 | DET | AL | 4 | 5 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 58.3 | 61 | 23 | 28 | 14 | 3.55 | -838.6 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 396 | 796 | 81 | 183 | 35 | 3 | 17 | 102 | 1 | 80 | 162 | 0.230 | 0.303 | 0.345 | 0.648 | -1095.7 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | PIT | NL | 21 | 34 | 7 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0.441 | 0.0 |
| 1938 | PIT | NL | 56 | 103 | 8 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 0.243 | -276.1 |
| 1939 | PIT | NL | 43 | 74 | 9 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0.243 | -182.6 |
| 1940 | BSN | NL | 20 | 43 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0.279 | 0.0 |
| 1941 | BSN | NL | 43 | 103 | 6 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 31 | 0.184 | -541.9 |
| 1942 | BSN | NL | 47 | 114 | 14 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 16 | 23 | 0.246 | 277.1 |
| 1943 | BSN | NL | 46 | 107 | 8 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 0.280 | 44.1 |
| 1944 | BSN | NL | 62 | 116 | 13 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 16 | 28 | 0.190 | -263.8 |
| 1945 | BSN | NL | 41 | 77 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 22 | 0.143 | -152.6 |
| 1945 | DET | AL | 17 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0.120 | -152.6 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | WS | DET | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6.00 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | WS | DET | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6.00 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| P | 287 | 0 | 96 | 479 | 21 | 27 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | PIT | P | 20 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938 | PIT | P | 40 | 0 | 11 | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 1939 | PIT | P | 25 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 2 |
| 1940 | BSN | P | 15 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 1941 | BSN | P | 33 | 0 | 15 | 71 | 3 | 4 |
| 1942 | BSN | P | 37 | 0 | 14 | 93 | 6 | 6 |
| 1943 | BSN | P | 33 | 0 | 10 | 66 | 6 | 3 |
| 1943 | BSN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1944 | BSN | P | 43 | 0 | 13 | 93 | 3 | 4 |
| 1945 | BSN | P | 27 | 0 | 17 | 47 | 0 | 5 |
| 1945 | DET | P | 14 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 287 |
| First Base | 1 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 17th | 13.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1943 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 24th | 5.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1941 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 21th | 10.0 | 336 | 0 |