Jimmie Foxx (1951)


Date of Birth: 10/22/1907
Date of Death: 7/21/1967
Birthplace: Sudlersville, Maryland

Jimmie Foxx had a father who played baseball on a local team. In high school, Jimmie was a top athlete in baseball, soccer, and track. He dropped out of high school in 1924 to play minor league baseball in the Eastern Shore League. In July of that year, his contract was purchased by the Philadelphia Athletics.

Philadelphia Athletics

Foxx started his major league career in 1925 with the Philadelphia Athletics. He started at the age of seventeen and played at various positions (catcher, first baseman, outfielder) in his early years. In 1929, the Athletics made him their regular starting first baseman.

Foxx played in the minor leagues in 1924 and most of 1925. He joined the Athletics for ten games in 1925. The following two seasons, he had just limited playing time with the Athletics, batting in just 26 games in 1926 and 61 games in 1927. When he finally had the chance to play in 118 games in 1928, he batted .328 with 131 hits, 29 doubles, 13 home runs, and 79 RBIs.

Foxx played in 149 games in 1929, and he batted .354. He led the AL in on-base percentage with .463. He finished the season with 183 hits, 23 doubles, 33 home runs, and 118 RBIs. He walked 103 times and he struck out 70 times.

Foxx had another strong season in 1930, batting .335 in 153 games. He had 188 hits, 33 doubles, a career high 13 triples, 37 home runs, 66 strikeouts to 93 walks, and 156 RBIs. He also played well defensively at first base, leading the AL in putouts with 1,362. His batting average dropped to .291 in 1931. That season, he had 150 hits, 32 doubles, 10 triples, 30 home runs, and 120 RBIs in 139 games.

In 1932, Foxx won the American League MVP award and the Sporting News MVP award. He led the league in home runs, RBIs, and OPS. He had career highs in hits (213), home runs (58), and RBIs (169). He finished the season with 33 doubles, 96 strikeouts to 116 walks, and a .364 batting average in 154 games. His OPS was 1.218.

Foxx had another outstanding season in 1932, again winning the AL MVP award and the Sporting News MVP award. He also won the AL Triple Crown, leading the league in home runs (48), RBIs (163), and batting average (.356). He finished the season with 204 hits, a career high 37 doubles, and a league leading OPS of 1.152 in 149 games.

Foxx continued to play well in 1934 and 1935. He led the AL in walks in 1934 with 111 (to 75 strikeouts). He had 180 hits, 28 doubles, 44 home runs, 130 RBIs, and a .334 batting average in 150 games. The next year, he led the league in home runs with 36 and in OPS with 1.097. He finished the 1935 season with 185 hits, 33 doubles, 115 RBIs, and a .346 batting average in 147 games.

Boston Red Sox

Although Foxx played well for the Athletics, they traded him to the Boston Red Sox on December 10, 1935. He batted .338 in his first season with the Red Sox. He finished the 1936 season with 198 hits, 32 doubles, 41 home runs, and 143 RBIs in a career high and league leading 155 games.

Foxx didn't play quite as well in 1937, when his batting average dropped to .285. He had 162 hits, 24 doubles, 36 home runs, and 127 RBIs in 150 games. He played well defensively, leading AL first basemen in assists with 106.

Foxx won his third AL MVP award and his third Sporting News MVP award in 1938. He led the league in batting average, RBIs, walks, on-base percentage, and OPS. He finished the season with 197 hits, 33 doubles, 50 home runs, 175 RBIs, and a .349 batting average in 149 games. His on-base percentage was .462 and his OPS was 1.166. He struck out 76 times and walked a career high 119 times.

In 1939, Foxx again led the AL in home runs, on-base percentage, and OPS. He had 168 hits, 31 doubles, 35 home runs, 105 RBIs, 72 strikeouts to 89 walks, and a .360 batting average in 124 games. His on-base percentage was .464 and his OPS was 1.158. His batting average dropped to .297 in 1940. That year, he had 153 hits, 30 doubles, 36 home runs, and 119 RBIs in 144 games.

Foxx batted .300 in 135 games in 1941. He finished the season with 146 hits, 27 doubles, 19 home runs, and 105 RBIs. He led all AL first basemen in assists with 112.

Final Years as a Player

After playing in 30 games with the Red Sox in 1942, Foxx was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs on June 1st. He then played in 70 games with the Cubs, and he finished the season with 69 hits and a .226 batting average.

Foxx served in World War II in 1943. He returned to the Cubs in 1944, and after just 15 games, he was released on July 5th.

The Philadelphia Phillies signed Foxx on February 10, 1945. He played in 89 games with them in 1945, and he batted .268.

Awards and MLB Records

  • AL Triple Crown
  • AL MVP (3 times)
  • Sporting News MVP (3 times)
  • Led AL in batting average (2 times)
  • Led AL in home runs (4 times)
  • Led AL in RBIs (3 times)
  • Led AL in walks (2 times)
  • Led AL in on-base percentage (3 times)
  • Led AL in OPS (5 times)

Career Statistics

Foxx played in over 100 games in each of 15 seasons (1928-1942). His statistics during that time include:

  • 12 seasons with 150 or more hits, with a high of 213 in 1932
  • 9 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 37 in 1933
  • 12 seasons with 30 or more home runs, with a high of 58 in 1932
  • 14 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 175 in 1938
  • 11 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with a high of .364 in 1932

Career batting statistics for Foxx include:

  • 2,317 games played
  • 2,646 hits
  • 458 doubles
  • 125 triples
  • 534 home runs
  • 1,922 RBIs
  • 1,311 strikeouts to 1,452 walks
  • .325 batting average
  • .428 on-base percentage
  • 1.037 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Foxx at first base include:

  • 1,919 games played
  • 155 errors
  • 1,222 assists
  • 1,528 double plays
  • 17,207 putouts
  • .992 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Foxx include:

  • 3 postseasons
  • 18 games played
  • 64 at-bats
  • 22 hits
  • 3 doubles
  • 1 triple
  • 4 home runs
  • 11 RBIs
  • 10 strikeouts to 9 walks
  • .344 batting average

Post Playing Career

After he retired as a major league baseball player, Foxx was a player-manager in the minor leagues in 1947 and a manager in 1949.

Foxx was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1951 on the seventh ballot with 79.2% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jimmie Foxx
ESPN - Jimmie Foxx
Baseball Reference - Jimmie Foxx

Back to Top