Jim Umbarger

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1975-1978)

Jim Umbarger was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1978 for the Texas Rangers and the Athletics, a span of 4 seasons. Across 133 career appearances, he went 25-33 with a 4.14 ERA and 244 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

W–L 25–33
ERA 4.14
WHIP 1.48
SO 244
Pitcher PIV -1573.0
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'6" / 200 lb
Born
2/17/1953 in Burbank, CA, USA
Died
8/5/2024 in Phoenix, AZ, USA
MLB Debut
1975-04-08
Last Game
1978-09-28

Full name: James Harold Umbarger

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Jim Umbarger — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
25 33 133 61 15 5 3 483.0 534 222 37 181 244 4.14 -1573.0

Career ERA 4.14 vs. league average 3.73 across their career seasons — 10.8% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Umbarger — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1975 TEX AL 8 7 56 12 3 2 2 131.0 134 60 59 50 4.12 3.71 (-11%) -1970.2
1976 TEX AL 10 12 30 30 10 3 0 197.1 208 69 54 105 3.15 3.51 (+10%) 1560.0
1977 OAK AL 1 5 12 8 1 0 0 44.0 62 32 28 24 6.55 4.00 (-64%) -788.5
1977 TEX AL 1 1 3 2 0 0 0 13.0 14 8 4 5 5.54 4.00 (-38%) -290.4
1978 TEX AL 5 8 32 9 1 0 1 97.2 116 53 36 60 4.88 3.69 (-32%) -84.0
Career · 5 seasons 25 33 133 61 15 5 3 483.0 534 222 181 244 4.14 — -1,573

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 Umbarger — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
133 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Umbarger — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1975 TEX AL 56 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 TEX AL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 OAK AL 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 TEX AL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 TEX AL 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 133 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 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 (266 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Umbarger — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home6700000—
Away6600000—

Pitching — Home / Away

Jim Umbarger — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home67227.2245106901304.19
Away66255.1289116911144.09

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Jim Umbarger — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1978-09-28 TEXSEA W 3.0100120
1978-09-26 TEXMIN — 0.0000100
1978-09-24 TEXSEA SV 3.0400020
1978-09-14 TEXLAA — 0.0233100
1978-09-04 TEXLAA — 1.0100010
1978-08-21 TEXTOR L 3.0522221
1978-08-16 TEXCHW — 6.0622240
1978-08-09 TEXDET L 0.1444111
1978-08-05 TEXCLE — 0.2100010
1978-07-30 TEXCHW — 1.0122100

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Umbarger — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 133 61 13 88 5 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Umbarger — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1975 TEX P 56 12 8 26 1 2
1976 TEX P 30 30 4 30 1 3
1977 OAK P 12 8 0 10 1 1
1977 TEX P 3 2 0 1 0 0
1978 TEX P 32 9 1 21 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Umbarger — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 133

College History

Jim Umbarger — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Arizona State University Tempe AZ 1972, 1973, 1974

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Jim Umbarger (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Al Santorini
    17-38, 4.29 ERA
  2. 77
    Duster Mails
    32-25, 4.10 ERA
  3. 76
    Lee Tunnell
    22-28, 4.23 ERA
  4. 75
    Slick Castleman
    36-26, 4.25 ERA
  5. 74
    Al Gerheauser
    25-50, 4.13 ERA
  6. 71
    Johnny Broaca
    44-29, 4.08 ERA

Jim Umbarger: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 8, 1975 and the final game on September 28, 1978, Jim Umbarger built the record summarized on this page. By club, Umbarger's seasons break down as the Texas Rangers (1975 through 1978) and the Oakland Athletics (1977). Umbarger is listed as a pitcher at 200 pounds on a 6-foot-6 frame. Umbarger threw and hit left-handed, per the bio block. Umbarger was born on February 17, 1953, in Burbank, CA, USA. The bio records the death on August 5, 2024, in Phoenix, AZ, USA. The given name on file is James Harold Umbarger.

Umbarger's career pitching line is 25 wins, 33 losses and a 4.14 ERA over 133 appearances. Umbarger had 244 strikeouts, 15 complete games, and 5 shutouts. The league ERA over Umbarger's seasons was 3.73, so the 4.14 figure ran 10.8% worse than average. Umbarger won 10 games in 1976, the most of any season listed. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.15 in 1976, when the league's was 3.51.

Before the majors, Umbarger played college baseball at Arizona State University (1972, 1973, and 1974). Umbarger's game-by-game log, linked below the splits, holds 266 games from Retrosheet.

Umbarger appears at one position only: pitcher, in 133 games. The fielding table credits Umbarger with 13 putouts, 88 assists and 5 errors on the mound.

The similarity section pairs Umbarger most closely with Al Santorini, Duster Mails, and Lee Tunnell.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Umbarger

What years did Jim Umbarger play?
Jim Umbarger played in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1978.
Was Jim Umbarger a pitcher?
Yes. Jim Umbarger pitched in the major leagues, recording 25 wins and 244 strikeouts.
What teams did Jim Umbarger play for?
Jim Umbarger played for 2 teams: the Texas Rangers (1975–1978) and the Oakland Athletics (1977).
What were Jim Umbarger's career stats?
In 133 games, Jim Umbarger went 25-33 with a 4.14 ERA, 244 strikeouts, 483.0 innings pitched, and 3 saves.
What position did Jim Umbarger play?
Jim Umbarger played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim Umbarger and how much did he weigh?
Jim Umbarger was listed at 6 feet 6 inches and 200 pounds.
What was Jim Umbarger's career ERA?
Jim Umbarger finished with a 4.14 career ERA, going 25-33 with 244 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Jim Umbarger have?
Jim Umbarger recorded 244 career strikeouts.
Is Jim Umbarger in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jim Umbarger has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.