Jim West

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Jim West was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball for 10 teams, including the Birmingham Black Barons. In 703 career games, he hit .285 with 716 hits, 34 home runs, and 406 RBI. Jim West was a 4-time All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,136.

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 .285
HR 34
RBI 406
H 716
OPS .761
PIV 3,136
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 218 lb
Born
4/23/1905 in Birmingham, AL, USA
Died
9/2/1969 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
Awards
4× All-Star

Full name: James West

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Jim West — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
2275.0 2029.0 332.0 644.0 93.0 33.0 43.0 262.0 210.0 25.0 11.0 .317 .384 .459 .843

Career Batting Statistics

Jim West — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
703 2,510 379 716 112 41 34 406 17 267 14 .285 .358 .403 .761 3,136

Career AVG .285 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — +5.4% above league average.

Career OBP .358 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — +6.1% above league average.

Career SLG .403 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — +5.2% above league average.

Career OPS .761 vs. league average .720 across their career seasons — +5.6% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim West (b. 1905) 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
1930 BBB NNL 12 37 10 9 2 1 1 3 1 3 0 .243 — — — — 0.0
1930 MRS NNL 33 117 22 29 6 1 0 9 2 10 0 .248 .293 (-16%) .354 (-13%) .429 (-26%) .784 (-21%) 0.0
1931 CCU NNL 33 114 13 16 6 0 1 11 1 10 0 .140 .276 (-49%) .338 (-38%) .388 (-44%) .726 (-41%) -762.4
1932 BBB NSL 4 15 5 6 0 0 2 3 1 3 0 .400 — — — — 0.0
1932 MRS NSL 32 105 14 27 6 3 0 15 3 17 0 .257 .275 (-7%) .335 (+9%) .391 (-5%) .726 (+1%) 0.0
1933 NEG NN2 36 121 13 27 4 1 0 11 1 8 0 .223 .270 (-17%) .329 (-14%) .377 (-28%) .707 (-21%) -396.5
1934 NEG NN2 33 104 12 25 2 2 0 13 1 8 0 .240 .278 (-14%) .340 (-12%) .392 (-24%) .733 (-18%) -304.8
1935 CEG NN2 31 111 18 27 3 4 4 17 0 13 1 .243 .279 (-13%) .342 (-4%) .399 (+13%) .742 (+5%) 70.7
1936 WEG NN2 43 154 28 53 7 3 5 40 0 18 1 .344 .283 (+21%) .349 (+18%) .404 (+30%) .753 (+25%) 687.5
1937 WEG NN2 38 141 23 56 7 2 3 22 0 11 0 .397 .276 (+44%) .342 (+31%) .398 (+35%) .740 (+33%) 843.1
1938 BEG NN2 35 132 24 42 12 1 5 30 0 15 0 .318 .272 (+17%) .341 (+16%) .392 (+37%) .734 (+27%) 618.6
1939 BEG NN2 19 70 8 11 1 1 1 8 0 8 2 .157 .274 (-43%) .342 (-29%) .393 (-38%) .735 (-34%) -389.7
1939 PS NN2 18 64 12 20 5 0 1 12 0 7 1 .312 .274 (+14%) .342 (+10%) .393 (+11%) .735 (+11%) -389.7
1940 PS NN2 61 216 29 73 15 4 0 31 1 21 5 .338 .267 (+26%) .335 (+19%) .387 (+15%) .722 (+17%) 660.3
1940 BEG NN2 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 660.3
1941 NBY NN2 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 — — — — 0.0
1941 PS NN2 55 175 19 43 1 2 3 22 1 25 2 .246 .262 (-6%) .332 (+4%) .373 (-13%) .705 (-5%) 0.0
1942 PS NN2 56 202 29 58 10 4 3 42 1 28 0 .287 .253 (+13%) .323 (+16%) .349 (+20%) .672 (+18%) 635.7
1943 PS NN2 49 184 37 58 5 7 2 44 2 29 1 .315 .255 (+23%) .324 (+28%) .346 (+30%) .671 (+29%) 966.9
1944 PS NN2 50 198 34 72 14 2 1 33 2 16 1 .364 .261 (+39%) .325 (+28%) .357 (+31%) .683 (+30%) 989.8
1945 PS NN2 51 210 26 56 5 3 2 36 0 13 0 .267 .260 (+2%) .328 (-7%) .354 (-2%) .683 (-4%) -190.7
1947 BBB NAL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1947 NBY NN2 7 22 3 5 1 0 0 2 0 4 0 .227 — — — — 0.0
1948 IC NAL 3 7 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .286 — — — — 0.0
Career · 24 seasons 703 2,510 379 716 112 41 34 406 17 267 14 .285 — — — — 3,699

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

Jim West — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .143

Playoff Batting by Year

Jim West — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1939 NLP2 PS 2 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .143

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim West — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 674 659 6473 271 136 298
2B 28 28 45 68 8 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim West — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1930 BBB 1B 10 7 90 2 2 1
1930 BBB 2B 1 1 2 2 0 0
1930 MRS 1B 7 6 68 4 0 3
1930 MRS 2B 27 27 43 66 8 5
1931 CCU 1B 33 33 333 7 6 21
1932 BBB 1B 4 4 38 2 2 0
1932 MRS 1B 32 32 277 16 9 10
1933 NEG 1B 36 36 372 7 8 22
1934 NEG 1B 33 28 280 9 4 10
1935 CEG 1B 31 31 333 9 7 15
1936 WEG 1B 43 42 389 8 7 20
1937 WEG 1B 38 38 385 19 4 24
1938 BEG 1B 35 34 352 15 6 18
1939 BEG 1B 19 19 176 6 0 7
1939 PS 1B 18 18 178 11 4 9
1940 PS 1B 61 60 569 27 12 29
1940 BEG 1B 2 2 19 0 0 1
1941 NBY 1B 1 1 3 0 0 0
1941 PS 1B 55 55 553 28 8 28
1942 PS 1B 56 56 589 27 9 21
1943 PS 1B 49 49 478 25 14 9
1944 PS 1B 50 50 463 23 19 28
1945 PS 1B 51 51 452 25 15 18
1947 BBB 1B 1 0 5 0 0 0
1947 NBY 1B 7 7 61 1 0 3
1948 IC 1B 2 0 10 0 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim West (b. 1905) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 674
Second Base 28

Most Similar Players

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

  1. 98
    Candy Jim Taylor
    .287 avg, 37 HR
  2. 94
    Jake Dunn
    .280 avg, 22 HR
  3. 92
    Newt Joseph
    .291 avg, 31 HR
  4. 91
    Fresco Thompson
    .298 avg, 13 HR
  5. 89
    Ray Sanders
    .274 avg, 42 HR
  6. 88
    Bob Boyd
    .298 avg, 21 HR

Jim West: the record in brief

The season rows for Jim West begin in 1930. West played for the Birmingham Black Barons (1930 through 1947), the Memphis Red Sox (1930 to 1932), the Cleveland Cubs (1931), the Nashville Elite Giants (1933 to 1934), the Columbus Elite Giants (1935), the Washington Elite Giants (1936 to 1937), the Baltimore Elite Giants (1938 through 1940), and the Philadelphia Stars (1939 to 1945), with further stops in the season rows. West played primarily as a first baseman and batted from both sides and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on April 23, 1905, in Birmingham, AL, USA and a listed size of 218 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. West died on September 2, 1969, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. The given name on file is James West.

West collected 716 hits in 2,510 at bats across 703 games, good for a .285 batting average, plus 34 homers and 406 RBI. Reaching base at a .358 clip and slugging .403, West finished with a .761 OPS.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim West

Was Jim West a pitcher?
No. Jim West was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Jim West hit?
Jim West hit 34 career home runs with 716 hits.
What teams did Jim West play for?
Jim West played for 6 teams: the Birmingham Black Barons (1930, 1932, 1947), the Memphis Red Sox (1930, 1932), the Baltimore Elite Giants (1931, 1933–1940), the Philadelphia Stars (1939–1945), the New York Black Yankees (1941, 1947), and the Indianapolis Clowns (1948).
Did Jim West win an MVP award?
No. Jim West did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Jim West win?
Jim West was selected to 4 All-Star Games.
What were Jim West's career stats?
In 703 games, Jim West had 716 hits, 34 home runs, 406 RBI, 379 runs, and 17 stolen bases, with a .285 batting average.
What position did Jim West play?
Jim West played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim West and how much did he weigh?
Jim West was listed at 6 feet and 218 pounds.
How many home runs did Jim West hit each season?
Jim West's home runs by season: 1 in 1930, 1 in 1931, 2 in 1932, 0 in 1933, 0 in 1934, 4 in 1935, 5 in 1936, 3 in 1937, 5 in 1938, 2 in 1939, 0 in 1940, 3 in 1941, 3 in 1942, 2 in 1943, 1 in 1944, 2 in 1945, 0 in 1947, and 0 in 1948. His most in one season was 5, in 1936 and 1938.
What was Jim West's career batting average?
Jim West batted .285 over his career, with 716 hits in 2,510 at bats.
How many RBI did Jim West have?
Jim West drove in 406 runs in his career.
Is Jim West in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jim West has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Jim West make?
Jim West was selected to 4 All-Star Games.