Jim Willis
Born: 3/20/1927 in Doyline, LA, USA
MLB Debut: 1953-04-22 | Final Game: 1954-06-05
Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 175 lbs
Full name: James Gladden Willis
Biography
Jim Willis, born in 1927, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1953 to 1954. He made his mark in Major League Baseball during a time when the game was transitioning into the modern era, marked by the emergence of more powerful hitters and a shift in pitching strategies. Willis played in an era that followed the end of the deadball period, where pitching styles were evolving and teams increasingly relied on strong bullpen performances.
Over the course of his brief career, Willis recorded a win-loss record of 2-2 and maintained a respectable earned run average (ERA) of 3.39. He struck out a total of 20 batters, showcasing his ability to handle a variety of hitters despite limited opportunities on the mound. Notably, he did not record any saves during his career, which reflected the different roles pitchers often occupied in the mid-20th century. Though his time in the league was short, Willis contributed to the rich tapestry of baseball history, representing the dedication and talent of pitchers from that era.
Negro Leagues Career Statistics
Batting
| PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71.0 | 69.0 | 5.0 | 14.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.203 | 0.203 | 0.217 | 0.420 |
Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39.0 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 | 15.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 201.0 | 111.0 | 39.0 | 12.0 | 0 | 0 | 1.95 |
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
| Season | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.167 | 0.167 | 0.167 | 0.334 |
| 1932 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.167 | 0.167 | 0.167 | 0.334 |
| 1933 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.125 | 0.125 | 0.125 | 0.250 |
| 1934 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 1935 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 1936 | 36.0 | 34.0 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.235 | 0.235 | 0.265 | 0.500 |
| 1937 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.500 | 0.500 | 0.500 | 1.000 |
| 1939 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 1940 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching
| Season | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 15.0 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 1932 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 33.0 | 19.0 | 0 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 1933 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 1.50 |
| 1934 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 24.0 | 12.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.38 |
| 1935 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 1936 | 19.0 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 92.0 | 42.0 | 30.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 3.12 |
| 1937 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 22.0 | 23.0 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.76 |
| 1939 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.46 |
| 1940 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 66.3 | 59 | 25 | 2 | 35 | 20 | 3.39 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | CHC | NL | 2 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 43.3 | 37 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 3.12 | - |
| 1954 | CHC | NL | 0 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23.0 | 22 | 10 | 18 | 5 | 3.91 | - |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0.000 | 0.067 | 0.000 | 0.067 | 0.0 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | CHC | NL | 13 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1954 | CHC | NL | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 27 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 1 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | CHN | P | 13 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | CHN | P | 14 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 27 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern State University of Louisiana | Natchitoches | LA | 1947, 1948, 1949 |