Jimmy Collins

From SoSH

James Joseph "Jimmy" Collins was born in Buffalo, NY on January 16, 1870. He made his Major League debut for the Louisville Colonels on April 19, 1895. Collins played 14 seasons in the majors, split mostly between the Boston Red Sox and Boston Beaneaters (The Braves franchise). He was one of baseball's first third base superstars, and was considered by many to be the greatest third baseman of baseball's early years. Jimmy was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1945.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Moment in the Sun 3 Managerial Record 4 Trivia 5 Quotes 6 Transactions 7 External Links

Overall Career

Jimmy Collins was a magician with the glove and a terror with the bat. A feared clutch hitter for the Boston ball clubs, he batted .346 in 1897 and the following season, led the National League in home runs with 15. Collins hit .300 or better five times, was Boston's player-manager for its first six seasons in the upstart American League, and led his club to the World Championship in 1903. His defensive wizardry at the hot corner neutralized the opposition's bunting tactics.

March 2, 1901: Jimmy Collins, Connie Mack’s choice for the all-time best third baseman, leaves the Boston NL club to manage the AL’s new Boston Americans.

November 11, 1903: Jimmy Collins signs a contract to manage the Americans for three years. They will be called the Americans, then the Red Sox during his tenure.

August 29, 1906: After Americans manager Jimmy Collins takes a vacation without permission, he is suspended. Chick Stahl is named acting manager.

March 28, 1907: Popular Boston Americans OF Chick Stahl, who replaced Jimmy Collins as manager of the now named Red Sox at the end of the 1906 season, commits suicide while travelling with the team in West Baden Springs, IN. After breakfast he returned to his room and drank four oz. of carbolic acid. He left a note: "Boys, I just couldn't help it. You drove me to it." Cy Young reluctantly agrees to start the season as Boston's manager, but there will be three others during the year.

June 7, 1907: Boston (AL) ships former player-manager Jimmy Collins to the Athletics for infielder John Knight. Collins guided the team to two pennants. They then buy 43-year-old Deacon McGuire from the Yankees and make him manager.

April 25, 1945: Baseball writers cannot seem to get any Hall of Fame candidates past the 75 percent requirement, but a committee selected to bring in some old-timers succeeds with a group of turn-of-the-century names: Jimmy Collins, Roger Bresnahan, Fred Clarke, Dan Brouthers, Ed Delahanty, Hugh Jennings, Mike "King" Kelly, Jim O'Rourke, Wilbert Robinson, and Hugh Duffy. Collins, overlooked in six HOF elections, was on the all-time teams of Connie Mack and John McGraw.

Moment in the Sun

• Led the ML in homeruns (15) in 1898
• In 1903, as both a player and the manager, the Red Sox won the World Series

Managerial Record

Year    League   Team     Age    G     W    L    WP   Finish
1901 American Lg BostonRS  31   138   79   57   .581      2  Player/Manager
1902 American Lg BostonRS  32   138   77   60   .562      3  Player/Manager
1903 American Lg BostonRS  33   141   91   47   .659  WS  1  Player/Manager
1904 American Lg BostonRS  34   157   95   59   .617  AL  1  Player/Manager
1905 American Lg BostonRS  35   153   78   74   .513      4  Player/Manager
1906 American Lg BostonRS  36   115   35   79   .307      8  Player/Manager
     TOTAL                      842  455  376   .548

Trivia

• Popular player with the ladies
• In just his second big league game, Jimmy Collins teamed with fellow Boston Beaneaters Hugh Duffy and Tommy McCarthy in an outfield of future Hall of Famers, April 20, 1895
• Hit an inside-the-park Grand Slam on July 25, 1902

Quotes

John B. Foster, Spalding Guide 1902

"With a swoop like that of a chicken hawk, Collins would gather up the bunt and throw it accurately to whoever should receive it. The beauty about him was that he could throw from any angle, any position on the ground or in the air."

Transactions

• November 14, 1894: Purchased by the Boston Beaneaters from the Buffalo (Eastern) for $500.
• May 19, 1895: Loaned to the Louisville Colonels by the Boston Beaneaters for $500.
• Before 1896 Season: Jimmy Collins returned to the Boston Beaneaters by the Louisville Colonels as part of earlier loan.
• Before 1901 Season: Jumped from the Boston Beaneaters to the Boston Americans.
• June 7, 1907: Traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Philadelphia Athletics for John Knight.

External Links

• Jimmy Collins: Hall of Fame Page
• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Managerial Record
• Baseball Library - Player Page
• Wiki - Player Page
• James Collins Memorial at Find A Grave