Jim Clinton

James Lawrence Clinton
(Big Jim)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8½", Weight 174 lb.

• Debut May 18, 1872
• Final Game July 15, 1886
• Born August 10, 1850 in New York, NY USA
• Died September 3, 1921 in Brooklyn, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Big Jim Clinton was a busy guy, playing every position on the diamond as well as being a player-manager and umpire. He managed in his rookie year and played for 10 seasons, making stops with 8 teams. His ten-year career had a conspicuous gap from 1877-1881 in its middle, when he played in the minors. Some years he hit quite well, while other years he hit horribly.

At 21, Jim was the first manager for the Brooklyn Eckfords, going 0-11 before Jimmy Wood took over. As a player, Clinton appeared in 11 games in the outfield, 10 at third base, 3 at second base, 2 at shortstop, 2 at catcher and once on the mound, hitting .258 and losing his only start with a 7.00 ERA. The next year, he was with the Elizabeth Resolutes, which went 2-21. Clinton appeared in 9 games, hitting .237 as a third baseman. In 1874, he appeared in just 2 games with the Brooklyn Atlantics, one in the outfield and one at second base. In 1875, he appeared in 22 games with the Atlantics, which went 2-42. He hit only .123 while pitching 17 games, his first trips to the mound in the National Association since 1872. His record, not surprisingly, was 1-14. After 1875, he played primarily in the outfield.

In 1876, the National League started, and Jim hit a manly .338 for the Louisville Grays, a team which hit .249. He played mostly in the outfield, although he pitched one game, allowing six runs in a loss. After that, he disappeared from the majors for five years. At age 31, he re-appeared with the 1882 Worcester Ruby Legs, which went 18-66. Clinton hit .163 as a backup outfielder. In 1883, he moved to the American Association, where he was to spend the rest of his major league career. He hit .313/.357/.393 with the Baltimore Orioles in 94 games, dwarfing his prior output. In 1884 he was again a regular, hitting .270/.334/.352 in 104 games. In 1885, he saw his most action with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, hitting just .238 in 105 games. In 1886, he went back to the Orioles, finishing his career hitting just .181 in 23 games.

As an umpire, he worked games in the National Association as a fill-in in 1873 and four in 1875, then in 1886 umpired 12 games in the American Association.

He died in a mental asylum in 1921.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Playoffs	Notes
1887	Nashville Blues	Southern League		--	Team disbanded August 2	replaced George Bradley
1888	Manchester Maroons	New England League		--	--	replaced by Herbert Clough