Jimmy Wilkes
Center Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Jimmy Wilkes was a center fielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Newark Eagles. In 171 career games, he hit .233 with 147 hits, 5 home runs, and 58 RBI. Jimmy Wilkes was an All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- 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
- Position
- Center Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'6" / 150 lb
- Died
- 8/11/2008 in Brantford, ON, CAN
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: James Eugene Wilkes
Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 171 | 630 | 111 | 147 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 58 | 10 | 85 | 0 | .233 | .326 | .310 | .636 | -822 |
Career AVG .233 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 10.6% below league average.
Career OBP .326 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .310 vs. league average .367 across their career seasons — 15.7% below league average.
Career OPS .636 vs. league average .701 across their career seasons — 9.3% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | NE | NN2 | 10 | 30 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .267 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | NE | NN2 | 57 | 223 | 38 | 56 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 28 | 2 | 25 | 0 | .251 | .256 (-2%) | .328 (-1%) | .358 (-11%) | .687 (-6%) | -181.5 |
| 1947 | NE | NN2 | 50 | 173 | 31 | 32 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 30 | 0 | .185 | .262 (-30%) | .336 (-8%) | .376 (-37%) | .712 (-23%) | -574.0 |
| 1948 | NE | NN2 | 54 | 204 | 35 | 51 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 4 | 27 | 0 | .250 | .263 (-5%) | .340 (avg) | .379 (-4%) | .719 (-2%) | -66.2 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 171 | 630 | 111 | 147 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 58 | 10 | 85 | 0 | .233 | — | — | — | — | -822 | ||
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 (187 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 87 | 315 | 56 | 76 | 4 | 23 | .241 |
| Away | 100 | 356 | 51 | 87 | 2 | 28 | .244 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-08-21 | HOE | NY6 | L | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-21 | HOE | NY6 | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-19 | HOE | BLG | L | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-17 | HOE | BLG | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-16 | HOE | BLG | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-15 | HOE | BLG | W | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-11 | HOE | KCM | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1949-08-10 | HOE | KCM | W | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-08-09 | HOE | KCM | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-08 | HOE | KCM | L | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 2 |
| Center Field | 160 |
| Right Field | 3 |
Jimmy Wilkes: the record in brief
The season rows for Jimmy Wilkes begin in 1945. Every season row on the page belongs to the Newark Eagles, from 1945 through 1948. The bio lists Wilkes as a center fielder who batted and threw left-handed. Wilkes is listed at 5'6" and 150 pounds. The birth record reads October 1, 1925, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. The bio records the death on August 11, 2008, in Brantford, ON, CAN. Wilkes's full given name, per the bio, is James Eugene Wilkes.
Wilkes's career batting table shows 171 games, 630 at bats and 147 hits, a .233 average, along with 5 home runs and 58 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .326 clip and slugging .310, Wilkes finished with a .636 OPS. Measured against the leagues Wilkes played in, the .233 career average compares with a .261 league average over the same seasons, 10.6% below the league. By OPS the gap is 9.3% below league average (.636 against .701). The hits column peaks at 56, in 1946. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .251 in 1946, did not top the league's .256.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jimmy Wilkes
- Was Jimmy Wilkes a pitcher?
- No. Jimmy Wilkes was a position player (Center Fielder).
- How many home runs did Jimmy Wilkes hit?
- Jimmy Wilkes hit 5 career home runs with 147 hits.
- What teams did Jimmy Wilkes play for?
- Jimmy Wilkes played for one team, the Newark Eagles (1945–1948).
- Did Jimmy Wilkes win an MVP award?
- No. Jimmy Wilkes did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Jimmy Wilkes win?
- Jimmy Wilkes was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Jimmy Wilkes's career stats?
- In 171 games, Jimmy Wilkes had 147 hits, 5 home runs, 58 RBI, 111 runs, and 10 stolen bases, with a .233 batting average.
- What position did Jimmy Wilkes play?
- Jimmy Wilkes played primarily as a center fielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jimmy Wilkes and how much did he weigh?
- Jimmy Wilkes was listed at 5 feet 6 inches and 150 pounds.
- How many home runs did Jimmy Wilkes hit each season?
- Jimmy Wilkes's home runs by season: 0 in 1945, 2 in 1946, 1 in 1947, and 2 in 1948. His most in one season was 2, in 1946 and 1948.
- What was Jimmy Wilkes's career batting average?
- Jimmy Wilkes batted .233 over his career, with 147 hits in 630 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jimmy Wilkes have?
- Jimmy Wilkes drove in 58 runs in his career.
- Is Jimmy Wilkes in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jimmy Wilkes has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Jimmy Wilkes make?
- Jimmy Wilkes was selected to 1 All-Star Game.