Jim Bilbrey

James Melvin Bilbrey

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2½", Weight 205 lb.

• Debut May 17, 1949
• Final Game May 17, 1949
• Born April 20, 1924 in Rickman, TN USA
• Died December 26, 1985 in Toledo, OH USA

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Biographical Information

Right-hander Jim Bilbrey signed as an amateur free agent with the St. Louis Browns before the 1941 season. The 17-year-old pitcher got off to a rough start, first with the Youngstown Browns then with the St. Joseph Ponies and lastly the Carthage Browns, all Class C clubs, on his way to a first-year record of 9-16 and a 5.01 ERA. Somehow, Bilbrey stepped up a notch in league classification and went 6-3 with a 5.21 ERA for the Class B Springfield Browns of the Three-I League in his second year on the mound. Jim's improvement was put on hold for three years (1943-1945) while he served in the United States Navy during World War II.

Jim was back in 1946 ready to go, going 14-11 with a 3.85 ERA while pitching 180 innings for the Elmira Pioneers of the Class A Eastern League. This was to be Bilbrey's last winning season of his seven-year pro baseball career and, undoubtedly, his best performance. He moved up to AAA ball in 1947 with the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association and fell back to a 4-8 record and a 5.33 ERA. The Brownies sent him back to Elmira in 1948 and it was not the same success in the cards, as Jim went 6-11 with a 4.47 ERA in 151 innings.

The Browns brought Jim to St. Louis for a look in 1949. He pitched one inning in May and was sent back to Elmira, with a big league ERA of 18.00. Jim finished the season with the Pioneers, going 1-4 with a 5.25 ERA. Bilbrey was just 26 years old in 1950 and spent his last season in pro ball that year with the Anderson Rebels of the Class B Tri-State League, pitching 77 innings on his way to a 3-5 record and a 5.03 ERA. This ended his tour in pro baseball with a seven-year record of 43-58 and a 4.74 ERA while pitching 839 innings.

After baseball, it is unclear what Bilbrey did with the rest of his life. He died on December 26, 1985, in Toledo, OH and was buried at the New Belleville Cemetery in Dowling, Ohio.