gold star for USAHOF

15. Jim Bottomley

15. Jim Bottomley
  1. General
  2. Awards
  3. Career Stats
  • Born: April 23, 1900 in Oglesby, IL USA
  • Weight: 180 lbs.
  • Height: 6'0"
  • Bats: L
  • Throws: L
  • Debut: August 18, 1922
  • Final Game: September 16, 1937
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1925
  • TSN All-Star - 1925
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1928
  • Most Valuable Player - 1928
  • MVP - 1924
  • MVP - 1925
  • MVP - 1927
  • MVP - 1928
  • MVP - 1931
  • MVP - 1933
 
ABRHHRRBISBAVG
14942235446264382844116 0.310
 

Jim Bottomley would debut for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1922 season and in his first full season (1923) he would set career highs in Batting Average (.371) and On Base Percentage (.425).  This is not to imply that the First Baseman peaked early as he still had seven more .300 seasons in him (all with St. Louis) and he would slowly develop a power and clutch hitting game.

His extra base hit production would crawl up each season and after leading the National League in doubles two seasons in a row (1925 & 1926) he would have a huge 1928 where he had 42 Doubles and a league leading 20 Triples and 31 Home Runs.  That season, he was also first in Runs Batted In, which marked the second time he would accomplish that, the first being in ’26.  This was in the middle of a six season streak of triple digit numbers in RBIs.  Bottomley was rewarded with his excellent season in 1928 with the MVP Award.

Bottomley would help St. Louis win the 1926 and 1931 World Series and in his 11 seasons with the Redbirds he would amass 1,727 Hits with a Slash Line of .325/.387/.537.  He would finish his career with the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Browns.

Jim Bottomley would enter the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 via the Veteran’s Committee, and the Cardinals would later select him for their Hall of Fame in the 2014 inaugural class.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: First Base
  • Acquired: Signed as a Free Agent before the 1920 Season.
  • Departed: Traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Ownie Carroll and Estel Crabtree 12/17/32.
  • Games Played: 1392
  • Notable Statistics: 921 Runs Scored
    1,727 Hits
    344 Doubles
    119 Triples
    181 Home Runs
    1,105 Runs Batted In
    50 Stolen Bases
    .325/.387/.537 Slash Line
    33.4 bWAR

    24 Playoff Games
    8 Runs Scored
    18 Hits
    5 Doubles
    1 Triple
    1 Home Run
    10 Runs Batted In
    0 Stolen Bases
    .200/.258/.311 Slash Line
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    World Series Champion (1926 & 1931)
    MVP (1928)
    Most Hits (1925)
    Most Total Bases (1926 & 1928)
    Most Doubles (1925 & 1926)
    Most Triples (1928)
    Most Home Runs (1928)
    Most Runs Batted In (1926 & 1928)
    Most Extra Base Hits (1926 & 1928)
    Most Putouts (1925 & 1927)
    Most Putouts by a First Baseman (1925 & 1927)
    Most Double Plays Turned by a First Baseman (1925 & 1927)

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