Jimmy Williams
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1899-1909)
Jimmy Williams was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1899 to 1909 for 4 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 11 seasons. In 1,457 career games, he hit .275 with 1,508 hits, 49 home runs, and 796 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 12,490.
- 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 175 lb
- Died
- 1/16/1965 in St. Petersburg, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1899-04-15
- Last Game
- 1909-10-03
Full name: James Thomas Williams
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,457 | 5,485 | 780 | 1,508 | 242 | 138 | 49 | 796 | 151 | 474 | 531 | .275 | .337 | .396 | .733 | 12,490 |
Career AVG .275 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — +7.5% above league average.
Career OBP .337 vs. league average .314 across their career seasons — +7.3% above league average.
Career SLG .396 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — +19.8% above league average.
Career OPS .733 vs. league average .644 across their career seasons — +13.7% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899 | PIT | NL | 153 | 621 | 126 | 220 | 28 | 27 | 9 | 116 | 26 | 60 | 51 | .354 | .282 (+25%) | .343 (+21%) | .366 (+44%) | .710 (+33%) | 4072.1 |
| 1900 | PIT | NL | 106 | 416 | 73 | 110 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 68 | 18 | 32 | 27 | .264 | .279 (-5%) | .338 (-5%) | .366 (+6%) | .705 (+1%) | -12.2 |
| 1901 | BLA | AL | 130 | 501 | 113 | 159 | 26 | 21 | 7 | 96 | 21 | 56 | 36 | .317 | .271 (+17%) | .326 (+19%) | .359 (+38%) | .686 (+29%) | 2734.0 |
| 1902 | BLA | AL | 125 | 498 | 83 | 156 | 27 | 21 | 8 | 83 | 14 | 36 | 46 | .313 | .266 (+17%) | .321 (+12%) | .343 (+45%) | .665 (+29%) | 2456.9 |
| 1903 | NYA | AL | 132 | 502 | 60 | 134 | 30 | 12 | 3 | 82 | 9 | 39 | 54 | .267 | .261 (+2%) | .316 (+3%) | .345 (+14%) | .662 (+8%) | 713.6 |
| 1904 | NYA | AL | 146 | 559 | 62 | 147 | 31 | 7 | 2 | 74 | 14 | 38 | 65 | .263 | .246 (+7%) | .300 (+5%) | .321 (+10%) | .622 (+7%) | 700.0 |
| 1905 | NYA | AL | 129 | 470 | 54 | 107 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 62 | 14 | 50 | 46 | .228 | .248 (-8%) | .307 (avg) | .322 (+6%) | .629 (+3%) | 256.9 |
| 1906 | NYA | AL | 139 | 501 | 61 | 139 | 25 | 7 | 3 | 77 | 8 | 44 | 51 | .277 | .247 (+12%) | .307 (+11%) | .315 (+18%) | .622 (+15%) | 1347.8 |
| 1907 | NYA | AL | 139 | 504 | 53 | 136 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 63 | 14 | 35 | 50 | .270 | .245 (+10%) | .304 (+5%) | .308 (+16%) | .613 (+10%) | 808.2 |
| 1908 | SLA | AL | 148 | 539 | 63 | 127 | 20 | 7 | 4 | 53 | 7 | 55 | 71 | .236 | .240 (-2%) | .298 (+4%) | .306 (+5%) | .605 (+4%) | 474.2 |
| 1909 | SLA | AL | 110 | 374 | 32 | 73 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 22 | 6 | 29 | 34 | .195 | .244 (-20%) | .306 (-16%) | .312 (-25%) | .618 (-20%) | -1061.7 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 1,457 | 5,485 | 780 | 1,508 | 242 | 138 | 49 | 796 | 151 | 474 | 531 | .275 | — | — | — | — | 12,490 | ||
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 (1458 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 715 | 2647 | 407 | 755 | 19 | 412 | .285 |
| Away | 743 | 2838 | 368 | 754 | 30 | 351 | .266 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909-10-03 | SLA | CLE | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-10-03 | SLA | CLE | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-08-27 | SLA | PHA | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1909-08-26 | SLA | NYY | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1909-08-25 | SLA | NYY | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1909-08-24 | SLA | NYY | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1909-08-23 | SLA | BOS | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-08-22 | SLA | BOS | L | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1909-08-21 | SLA | BOS | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-08-18 | SLA | CLE | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2B | 1176 | 810 | 2759 | 3509 | 292 | 426 |
| 3B | 275 | 0 | 431 | 646 | 132 | 36 |
| SS | 4 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 1 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899 | PIT | 3B | 153 | 0 | 251 | 355 | 67 | 14 |
| 1900 | PIT | 3B | 103 | 0 | 153 | 254 | 51 | 21 |
| 1900 | PIT | SS | 4 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 1 |
| 1901 | BLA | 2B | 130 | 0 | 339 | 412 | 52 | 47 |
| 1902 | BLA | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1902 | BLA | 2B | 104 | 0 | 248 | 332 | 34 | 46 |
| 1902 | BLA | 3B | 19 | 0 | 27 | 37 | 14 | 1 |
| 1903 | NYA | 2B | 132 | 0 | 266 | 438 | 32 | 59 |
| 1904 | NYA | 2B | 146 | 146 | 315 | 465 | 40 | 52 |
| 1905 | NYA | 2B | 129 | 129 | 335 | 332 | 25 | 51 |
| 1906 | NYA | 2B | 139 | 139 | 326 | 412 | 32 | 34 |
| 1907 | NYA | 2B | 139 | 139 | 357 | 393 | 26 | 45 |
| 1908 | SLA | 2B | 148 | 148 | 352 | 445 | 31 | 50 |
| 1909 | SLA | 2B | 109 | 109 | 221 | 280 | 20 | 42 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1 |
| Second Base | 1177 |
| Third Base | 275 |
| Shortstop | 4 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jimmy Williams (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jimmy Williams: the record in brief
April 15, 1899 and October 3, 1909 bracket Jimmy Williams's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1899 to 1900), the Baltimore Orioles (1901 to 1902), the New York Highlanders (1903 through 1907), and the St. Louis Browns (1908 to 1909). Williams, born on December 20, 1876, in St. Louis, MO, USA, is listed as a second baseman and threw and hit right-handed. Williams's listed size is 5 feet, 9 inches and 175 pounds. The bio records the death on January 16, 1965, in St. Petersburg, FL, USA. Williams's full given name, per the bio, is James Thomas Williams.
The batting record for Williams: 1,457 games, 1,508 hits in 5,485 at bats, and a .275 average; the totals also include 49 home runs, 796 RBI, and 151 stolen bases. Williams's career OPS of .733 combines a .337 on-base mark with .396 slugging. Williams's .275 average ran 7.5% above the .256 that the league posted over the same seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jimmy Williams
- What years did Jimmy Williams play?
- Jimmy Williams played in Major League Baseball from 1899 to 1909.
- Was Jimmy Williams a pitcher?
- No. Jimmy Williams was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Jimmy Williams hit?
- Jimmy Williams hit 49 career home runs with 1508 hits.
- What was Jimmy Williams's career batting average?
- Jimmy Williams batted .275 over his career, with 1,508 hits in 5,485 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jimmy Williams have?
- Jimmy Williams drove in 796 runs in his career.
- Is Jimmy Williams in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jimmy Williams has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.