James Vida

James D. Vida

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.

• School Florida Southern College

• Born September 13, 1970

BR Minors page

James Vida was a NCAA Division II star who hit .323 in his one season in pro ball.

Vida hit .463 with 89 RBI as a junior, setting his school's record for average and setting the NCAA Division II mark for hits (120). He was third in Division II in average that year and was named the All-American at 1B for Division II. In the 1994 Division II College World Series, he was named the Outstanding Player, even though Florida Southern finished second. He was named the Sunshine State Conference Male Athlete of the Year.

In 1995, he batted .383 with 13 home runs and 92 RBI in 61 games. He led NCAA Division II in RBI and was again the All-American at 1B. He helped Florida Southern win the 1995 Division II College World Series, though teammate Brett Tomko won Outstanding Player honors. Relatively old for a draftee at 24, he fell to the 22nd round of the 1995 amateur draft before being claimed by the Kansas City Royals.

Vida produced at a .323/.367/.416 rate for the 1995 Spokane Indians. He led the Northwest League in hits (94) and at-bats (291) and was second in average, .006 behind Danny Buxbaum. He was named the All-Star DH. Despite his fine work in the minors, he never played again professionally.

Sources

• 1995-1996 Baseball Almanacs
• Florida Southern College Hall of Fame