| Jimmy Outlaw | |
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| Outfield / Third base | |
| Born: January 20, 1913 Orme, Tennessee |
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| Died: April 9, 2006 (aged 93) Jackson, Alabama |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| April 20, 1937 | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 8, 1949 | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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James Paulus Outlaw (January 20, 1913 - April 9, 2006) was an outfielder and third baseman who played in Major League Baseball between the 1937 and 1949 season. He Listed at 6' 1", 180 lb., he batted and threw right handed.[1]
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Born in Orme, Tennessee, Jimmy Outlaw was signed by the Cincinatti Reds in 1934 out of Auburn University, where he was a member of the Auburn Tigers baseball team. Basically a contact hitter, he lacked power but was a slick fielder at third base, having quick feet, good hands and a strong throwing arm.[1]
Outlaw played at four different Minor leagues levels before gaining a promotion to the Reds in May 1937. He hit a .273 batting average for Cincinnati in 49 games, as a backup for incumbent third baseman Lew Riggs.[1][2][3]
In 1938 Outlaw appeared in just four games, being used exclusively in pinch run situations. By the end of the season, he was part of successive transactions between the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Bees, which included players as Buddy Hassett, Ira Hutchinson, Lew Krausse and Gene Moore.[1]
Outlaw hit .263 in 65 games for the Bees in 1939, but with Hank Majeski as everyday third baseman at Boston, he became expandable and was dealt to the Buffalo Bisons of the International League at the end of the season.[1][4]
From 1940 through 1943 Outlaw hit .279 and 25 home runs in 563 games for Buffalo, earning a return to the majors in the 1943 midseason with the Detroit Tigers. He made a smooth transition to outfield, while hitting .269 in 20 games.[1][2]
Outlaw had his best statistical year in 1944, his first full season, when he posted career-highs in batting average (.273), runs (69) hits (146), doubles (20), triples (6), homers (3), RBI (57) and games played (139). Prior to 1944, Outlaw had never played in more than 65 games. He also made 137 appearances at outfield, playing at all three outfield positions while ranking fourth in the American League with 14 assists. He played 71 games at left field, six at center and 60 at right, to combine a collective fielding average of .967.[1]
In 1945, Outlaw started as the Tigers' primary left fielder in 82 games. He also played 17 games at center and eight at right, while hitting .271 with seven home runs and 45 RBI in 132 games. After Detroit slugger Hank Greenberg, returned from World War II during the midseason.
Outlaw moved to third base to make room for Greenberg to play left field. Besides this, Outlaw played 21 games at third base in the regular season and started all seven games of the World Series at third base. He hit .179 (5-for-28) in the Series, scoring one run while driving in three more. Detroit beat the Chicago Cubs, during what turned out to be the last time the Cubs appeared in the World Series.[1][5]
For the next four years Outlaw was relegated to a utility role in Detroit. He later played in the Florida International League in 1950, retiring at the end of the season.[1][2]
In a 10-season major league career, Outlaw was a .268 hitter (529-for-1974) with six home runs and 184 RBI in 650 games, including 257 runs, 79 doubles, 17 triples, 24 stolen bases, and a .333 on-base percentage.
Following his playing career, Outlaw worked for the Dairy Fresh Milk Co. in Jackson, Alabama, and became active in community service.
Jimmy Outlaw died in his home of Jackson at the age of 93. At the time of his death, he was the third oldest living Tigers player, behind Eddie Mayo and Elden Auker.
Interestingly, Outlaw (April 9), Auker (August 4) and Mayo (November 27) all died in 2006.
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