Jimmy Collins (1945)


Date of Birth: 1//16/1870
Date of Death: 3/6/1943
Birthplace: Niagara Falls, New York

Jimmy Collins played semi-pro baseball in the Buffalo City League before starting a professional career. In 1893 and 1994, he played minor league ball in the Eastern League. His first season he was a shortstop but he was moved to the outfield in 1894. His contract was purchased by the Boston Beaneaters/Braves in November, 1894.

Boston Beaneaters (Braves)

In 1895, Collins played in right field for the Beaneaters in 11 games. He was then loaned to the Louisville Colonels of the National League and he played with them in 96 games. He finished the season with 112 hits, 20 doubles, and a .273 batting average.

Collins was returned to the Beaneaters prior to the 1896 season. He played in 84 games that year, and he batted .296 with 90 hits.

In 1897, Collins had a career high batting average of .346. He had 183 hits, 28 doubles, and 13 triples in 134 games. He also played well defensively, leading all NL third basemen in assists with 303 and in putouts with 214.

Collins led the National League in home runs in 1898, and he had career highs in hits with 196 and in home runs with 15. He batted .328 and he had 35 doubles in 152 games. Defensively, he again led NL third basemen in putouts with 243.

Collins' batting average dropped to .277 in 1899. He had 166 hits and 28 doubles in 151 games. He again led NL third basemen in assists with 376. The next year, he led the NL in games played with 142. He finished the 1900 season with 178 hits, 25 doubles, a career high 23 stolen bases, and a .304 batting average. Once more, he led NL third basemen in assists with 329 and in putouts with 251.

Boston Americans/Red Sox

On February 11, 1901, Collins left the Beaneaters and moved to the American League and the Boston Americans to become player-manager of the team. In his first season with them, he batted .332 with 187 hits, a career high 42 doubles, 16 triples, and 19 stolen bases in 138 games.

Collins batted .322 in 108 games in 1902. He had 138 hits and 21 doubles. The following season, he had carer highs in triples with 17 and in stolen bases with 23. He finished the 1903 season with 160 hits, 33 doubles, and a .296 batting average in 130 games. Defensively, he led AL third basemen in putouts with 178. He repeated that feat in 1904, leading them in putouts with 191.

Collins played in a career high 156 games in 1904. He had 171 hits, 33 doubles, 13 triples, and a .271 batting average. The next year, he batted .276 with 140 hits and 26 doubles in 131 games.

Collins spent most of his time in 1906 managing the Red Sox. Under his leadership from 1901 through 1906, the team had 455 wins and 376 losses. They won the AL pennant in 1903 and 1904, and they won the World Series in 1903.

Philadelphia Athletics

Collins was traded to the Philadelphia Athletics on June 7, 1907. He finished the season with 145 hits, 29 doubles, and a .278 batting average in 41 games with Boston and 99 games with Philadelphia. In 1908, his last season in the major leagues, he batted just .217 in 115 games.

Career Statistics

Statistics for Collins in 14 seasons (1895-1908) in the major leagues include:

  • 7 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 196 in 1898
  • 4 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 42 in 1901
  • 6 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 17 in 1903
  • 5 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .346 in 1897

Career batting statistics for Collins include:

  • 1,725 games played
  • 352 doubles
  • 116 triples
  • 983 RBIs
  • 194 stolen bases
  • .294 batting average
  • .343 on-base percentage
  • .752 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Collins as a third baseman include:

  • 1,683 games played
  • 3,702 assists
  • 225 double plays
  • 2,372 putouts
  • 465 errors
  • .929 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

Collins retired as a major league player after the 1908 season but he continued to play and manage in the minor leagues from 1909 through 1911.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jimmy Collins
ESPN - Jimmy Collins
Baseball Reference - Jimmy Collins

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