| Jim Bottomley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First baseman /Manager | |
| Born:(1900-04-23)April 23, 1900 Oglesby, Illinois, U.S. | |
| Died: December 11, 1959(1959-12-11) (aged 59) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 18, 1922, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 16, 1937, for the St. Louis Browns | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .310 |
| Hits | 2,313 |
| Home runs | 219 |
| Runs batted in | 1,422 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1974 |
| Election method | Veterans Committee |
James Leroy Bottomley (April 23, 1900 – December 11, 1959) was an American professionalbaseball player,scout andmanager. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) as afirst baseman from 1922 to 1937, most prominently as a member of theSt. Louis Cardinals where he helped lead the team to fourNational League pennants and twoWorld Series titles.
Born inOglesby, Illinois, Bottomley grew up inNokomis, Illinois. He dropped out of high school at the age of 16 to raise money for his family. While he was playingsemi-professional baseball, the Cardinals scouted and signed Bottomley before the1920 season. He became an integral member of the Cardinalsbatting order, driving in 100 or moreruns batted in between 1924 and 1929 as the team'scleanup hitter. In1924, he established a major league record for driving in 12 runs in a nine inning game.[1]
In1926 he led theNational League (NL) inruns batted in andtotal bases, helping the Cardinals win their first World Series championship. Bottomley was named the NL'sMost Valuable Player in1928 after leading the league inhome runs, runs batted in and total bases. He won another World Series with the Cardinals in1931. Bottomley hit above .300 nine times and had accumulated a .310 career batting average by the end of his sixteen-year major league career. He also played for theCincinnati Reds andSt. Louis Browns and also served asplayer-manager for the Browns in 1937.
After finishing his playing career with the Browns, Bottomley joined theChicago Cubs organization as ascout andminor league baseball manager. After suffering aheart attack, Bottomley retired to raise cattle with his wife inMissouri. Bottomley was nicknamed "Sunny Jim" because of his cheerful disposition. Bottomley was elected to theNational Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 by theVeterans Committee and to the CardinalsHall of Fame in 2014.
Bottomley was born on April 23, 1900,[2] to Elizabeth (née Carter) and John Bottomley inOglesby, Illinois. His family later moved toNokomis, Illinois, where Bottomley enrolled in grade school andNokomis High School.[3] He dropped out when he was 16 years old in order to help support his family financially. Bottomley worked as acoal miner,truck driver,grocery clerk, andrailroad clerk. His younger brother, Ralph, died in a mining accident in 1920.[2]
Bottomley also playedsemi-professional baseball for several local teams to make additional money, earning $5 a game ($105 in current dollar terms).[2][4] Apolice officer who knewBranch Rickey, thegeneral manager of theSt. Louis Cardinals, saw Bottomley play, and recommended Bottomley to Rickey.[2]
Rickey dispatchedscoutCharley Barrett to investigate Bottomley. The Cardinals decided to invite Bottomley to a tryout in late 1919, and signed him to a $150-a-month ($2,720 in current dollar terms) contract.[2] Bottomley began his professional career inminor league baseball in 1920. That year, Bottomley played for theMitchell Kernels of the Class-DSouth Dakota League, posting a .312batting average in 97 games, as Barrett continued to scout him.[5] He also played six games for theSioux City Packers of the Class-AWestern League. During his time in the minor leagues, the media began to call Bottomley "Sunny Jim", due to his pleasant disposition.[2]
The next season, Bottomley played for theHouston Buffaloes of the Class-ATexas League.[2] Bottomley suffered a leg injury early in the season which became infected, and impeded his performance during the season. Bottomley managed only a .227 batting average in 130 games and struggled with his fielding. Unable to sell Bottomley after the season to Houston for $1,200 ($21,154 in current dollar terms), Rickey sold Bottomley to theSyracuse Chiefs of the Class-AAInternational League for $1,000 ($17,629 in current dollar terms).[6] Fully recovered from his leg injury in 1922, Bottomley batted .348 with 14home runs, 15triples, and a .567slugging percentage for the Chiefs. After the season, the Cardinals purchased Bottomley from the Chiefs for $15,000 ($281,779 in current dollar terms).[2]
Bottomley made hisMajor League Baseball debut for theSt. Louis Cardinals on August 18, 1922. ReplacingJack Fournier, Bottomley batted .325 in 37 games. The Cardinals named Bottomley their startingfirst baseman in 1923. As a rookie, Bottomley batted .371, finishing second in theNational League (NL) behind teammateRogers Hornsby, who batted .384. His .425on-base percentage also finished second in the NL behind Hornsby, while he finished sixth in slugging percentage, with a .535 mark. His 94runs batted in (RBIs) were tenth-best in the league.[7]
Bottomley posted a .316 batting average in 1924.[2] In a game against theBrooklyn Dodgers on September 16, 1924, Bottomley set the major league record for RBIs in a single game, with 12, breakingWilbert Robinson's record of 11, set in 1892. Robinson was serving as the manager of the Dodgers at the time.[2][8] (Bottomley had two home runs, a double and three singles as he went 6-for-6 at the plate.) This mark has since been tied byMark Whiten in 1993.[9] As he finished the season with 111 RBIs, placing third in the NL, Bottomley's 14 home runs were seventh-best in the NL, while his .500 slugging percentage was good for tenth.[10] On August 29, Bottomley became the last left-handed player to record an assist while playing second base.[11]
Bottomley hit .367 in 1925, finishing second in the NL to Hornsby. He led the NL with 227hits, while his 128 RBIs were third-best, and his .413 on-base percentage was seventh-best in the league.[12] Bottomley batted .298 during the 1926 season, with an NL-leading 120 RBIs. His 19 home runs placed second in the NL, behindHack Wilson's 21, while his .506 slugging percentage was sixth-best.[13] He batted .345 in the1926 World Series, as the Cardinals defeated theNew York Yankees.[2]
In 1927, Bottomley finished the season with 124 RBIs, fourth best in the league, and a .509 slugging percentage, finishing sixth in the NL.[14] Bottomley hit .325 with 31home runs and 136 RBIs in 1928, leading the league in home runs and RBIs.[15] He also became the second Major League player in history to join the20–20–20 club, and became the first (since achieved byJimmy Rollins in 2007) to record a 30 double, 20 triple, 30 home run season.[16] That year, he won theLeague Award, given to themost valuable player of the NL.[17] The Cardinals reached the1928 World Series, and Bottomley batted .214 as they lost to theNew York Yankees.[18]
In 1929, Bottomley hit 29 home runs, finishing seventh in the NL, while his 137 RBIs were fifth-best, and his .568 slugging percentage placed him in eighth.[19] After having what managerGabby Street considered a "poor year" in 1930,[20] Bottomley struggled in the1930 World Series, batting .045 in 22at-bats, as the Cardinals lost to thePhiladelphia Athletics. Following the series, Bottomley described his World Series performance as "a bust as far as hitting goes".[21][22][23]
Amid questions about Bottomley's status with the Cardinals heading into the 1931 season, he demonstrated renewed hitting ability duringspring training.[24] Despite the presence ofRipper Collins, a superior fielder who transferred to the Cardinals from theRochester Red Wings of the International League, Street announced that Bottomley would remain the starting first baseman.[25] However, Bottomley suffered an injury and struggled early in the 1931 season after returning to the game, and it appeared that he might lose his job to Collins, who filled in for Bottomley during his injury.[26] Bottomley returned to form after his return, and he finished the season with a .3482 batting average, placing third behind teammateChick Hafey's .3489 andBill Terry's .3486, the closest batting average finish in MLB history.[2] His .534 slugging percentage was the sixth best in the league.[27] The Cardinals reached the1931 World Series, with Bottomley batting .160, as the Cardinals defeated the Athletics.[28] That offseason, other teams began to attempt to trade for either Bottomley or Collins.[29] Bottomley batted .296 in 1932, though he played in only 91 games.[2]
After the 1932 season, the Cardinals traded Bottomley to theCincinnati Reds forOwnie Carroll andEstel Crabtree, in an attempt to partner Bottomley withChick Hafey in developing a more potent offensive attack. Bottomley had also sought Cincinnati's managerial position that offseason, which instead went toDonie Bush.[30][31]
Bottomley threatened to quit baseball in a salary dispute with the Reds, as he attempted to negotiate a raise from his $8,000 salary ($194,324 in current dollar terms), a reduction from the $13,000 salary ($299,602 in current dollar terms) he earned with the Cardinals the previous year.[32] He and the Reds eventually came to terms on a one-year contract believed to be worth between $10,000 and $13,000.[33] Bottomley finished eighth in the NL with 83 RBIs in 1933, and ninth with 13 home runs.[34] In three seasons with the Reds, Bottomley failed to hit higher than .283 or record more than 83 RBIs in a season. Bottomley left the Reds duringspring training in 1935 due to a salary dispute,[35] deciding to return to the team in April.[36]
Before the 1936 season, the Reds traded Bottomley to theSt. Louis Browns of theAmerican League (AL), who were managed by Hornsby, forJohnny Burnett.[37] During a July road trip, Bottomley announced his retirement as a result of an injured back;[38][39] however, he changed his mind and decided to remain with the team.[40] Bottomley batted .298 for the 1936 season.[2]
Bottomley decided to return to baseball in 1937.[41] When the Browns struggled during the 1937 season, beginning the season with a 25–52win–loss record, the Browns fired Hornsby and named Bottomley their player-manager.[2][42] Bottomley led the Browns to 21 more victories, as the team finished the season in eighth place, with a 46–108 record. The Browns trailed the seventh place Athletics by9+1⁄2 games, and were 56 games out of first place. As a player, Bottomley batted .239 in 65 games during the 1937 season.[2] Bottomley was among the ten oldest players in the AL that year.[43]
The Browns did not retain Bottomley after the 1937 season,[44] replacing him with Street, who served as hisfirst assistant during the 1937 season.[45] In 1938, Bottomley served as the player-manager of Syracuse. After a bad start to the season, and with team presidentJack Corbett not adding capable players, Bottomley resigned and was replaced withDick Porter.[46] Bottomley also indicated that he did not want to continue playing.[47]
In 1,991 games over 16 seasons, Bottomley posted a .310batting average (2,313-for-7,471) with 1,177runs, 465doubles, 151triples, 219home runs, 1,422RBI, 58stolen bases, 664bases on balls, .369on-base percentage and .500slugging percentage. Defensively, he recorded a .988fielding percentage as a first baseman. In 24 World Series games over four Series, he batted just .200 (18-for-90) with one home run and 10 RBI.[48]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| SLB | 1937 | 77 | 21 | 56 | .273 | 8th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 77 | 21 | 56 | .273 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
Bottomley married Elizabeth "Betty" Browner, who operated a St. Louisbeauty parlor, on February 4, 1933.[49] The couple had no children.[2] After he retired from baseball in 1938, Bottomley and his wife moved to theBourbon, Missouri, area, where he raisedHereford cattle.[2] In 1939, Bottomley became aradio broadcaster, signing a deal withKWK, anAM broadcasting station, to broadcast Cardinals and Browns games.[50][51]
Bottomley returned to baseball as a scout for the Cardinals in 1955.[52] In 1957, he joined theChicago Cubs as a scout[53] and managed thePulaski Cubs of the Class DAppalachian League. While managing in Pulaski, Bottomley suffered aheart attack. The Bottomleys moved to nearbySullivan, Missouri.[2] Bottomley died of a heart ailment in December 1959.[54] He and his wife Betty were interred in the International Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery, Sullivan, Missouri.[2]
Bottomley holds the single-season record for most unassisted double plays by a first baseman, with eight. Bottomley is also known as the only man to be sued for hitting a home run ball that hit a fan. The plaintiff was not looking. He had over 100 RBIs in each season from 1924 to 1929. Bottomley was the second player in baseball history to hit 20 or more doubles, triples, and home runs in one season (Frank Schulte being the first)[55] and the first of two players (Lou Gehrig being the other) to collect 150 or more doubles, triples, and home runs in a career.[56]
Bottomley was elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame posthumously in 1974 by theVeterans Committee. TheBaseball Writers' Association of America charged that the Veterans Committee was not selective enough in choosing members.[57] Charges of cronyism were levied against the Veterans Committee.[58] When Bottomley was elected, the Veterans Committee includedFrankie Frisch, a teammate of Bottomley's with the Cardinals. Frisch andBill Terry, also a member of the Veterans Committee at the time, shepherded the selections of teammatesJesse Haines in1970,Dave Bancroft andChick Hafey in1971,Ross Youngs in1972,George Kelly in1973, andFreddie Lindstrom in1976.[59] This led to the Veterans Committee having its powers reduced in subsequent years.[60]
In 2014, the Cardinals announced Bottomley was among 22 former players and personnel to be inducted into theSt. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum for its inaugural class of2014.[61]
The city park in his adopted home town of Sullivan, Missouri, is named for Bottomley.[2] Also the park in his birthplaceOglesby, Illinois. A museum inNokomis, Illinois, the Bottomley-Ruffing-Schalk Baseball Museum, is dedicated to Bottomley and fellow Hall of FamersRay Schalk andRed Ruffing, who were also Nokomis residents.[2][62]
| Preceded by | Hitting for the cycle July 15, 1927 | Succeeded by |
