Jim Zapp
Left Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Jim Zapp was a left fielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Elite Giants and the Birmingham Black Barons. In 22 career games, he hit .265 with 18 hits, 2 home runs, and 11 RBI. 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 124.
- 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
- Left Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 232 lb
- Died
- 9/30/2016 in Harker Heights, TX, USA
Full name: James Stephen Zapp
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 68 | 13 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 1 | .265 | .324 | .456 | .780 | 124 |
Career AVG .265 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .324 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .456 vs. league average .367 across their career seasons — +24.2% above league average.
Career OPS .780 vs. league average .701 across their career seasons — +11.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | BEG | NN2 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1948 | BBB | NAL | 18 | 57 | 13 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 1 | .281 | .263 (+6%) | .340 (+3%) | .379 (+25%) | .719 (+14%) | 123.7 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 22 | 68 | 13 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 1 | .265 | — | — | — | — | 124 | ||
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
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (21 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 16 | 43 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 8 | .256 |
| Away | 5 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | .500 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948-09-02 | BIR | CAG | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1948-08-29 | BIR | CAG | W | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-08-08 | BIR | CVB | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1948-07-18 | BIR | CVB | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1948-07-04 | BIR | MEM | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1948-07-01 | BIR | IN9 | W | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-06-27 | BIR | IN9 | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-06-21 | BIR | CAG | W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-06-20 | BIR | CAG | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-06-06 | BIR | KCM | W | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Third Base | 4 |
| Left Field | 16 |
Jim Zapp: the record in brief
Jim Zapp's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1945 to 1948. Club by club, the record runs the Baltimore Elite Giants (1945) and the Birmingham Black Barons (1948). Born on April 18, 1924, in Nashville, TN, USA, Zapp is listed as a left fielder and threw and hit right-handed. The bio gives 232 pounds on a 6-foot-3 frame. Zapp's death is recorded on September 30, 2016, in Harker Heights, TX, USA. The given name on file is James Stephen Zapp.
Zapp collected 18 hits in 68 at bats across 22 games, good for a .265 batting average, along with 2 homers and 11 RBI. Zapp's career OPS of .780 combines a .324 on-base mark with .456 slugging. Zapp hit .265 while the league hit .262 over the same span, a figure close to average. Zapp collected a career-high 16 hits in 1948. In 1948, a season of regular play, Zapp hit .281 while the league hit .263.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Zapp
- Was Jim Zapp a pitcher?
- No. Jim Zapp was a position player (Left Fielder).
- How many home runs did Jim Zapp hit?
- Jim Zapp hit 2 career home runs with 18 hits.
- What teams did Jim Zapp play for?
- Jim Zapp played for 2 teams: the Baltimore Elite Giants (1945) and the Birmingham Black Barons (1948).
- What were Jim Zapp's career stats?
- In 22 games, Jim Zapp had 18 hits, 2 home runs, 11 RBI, and 13 runs, with a .265 batting average.
- What position did Jim Zapp play?
- Jim Zapp played primarily as a left fielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jim Zapp and how much did he weigh?
- Jim Zapp was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 232 pounds.
- How many home runs did Jim Zapp hit each season?
- Jim Zapp's home runs by season: 0 in 1945 and 2 in 1948. His most in one season was 2, in 1948.
- What was Jim Zapp's career batting average?
- Jim Zapp batted .265 over his career, with 18 hits in 68 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jim Zapp have?
- Jim Zapp drove in 11 runs in his career.
- Is Jim Zapp in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jim Zapp has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.