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 |
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 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.
- What teams did Jimmy Wilkes play for?
- Jimmy Wilkes played for the Newark Eagles.