Jim Merritt

James Joseph Merritt

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 2", Weight 180 lb.
• High School Edgewood High School (West Covina)
• Debut August 2, 1965
• Final Game May 23, 1975
• Born December 9, 1943 in Altadena, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Jim Merritt had an eleven-year career in the majors. He was famous for great control, with only 322 walks allowed in 1483 innings.

Merritt was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1961, then came to the majors in 1965 with the Minnesota Twins and opposed the Dodgers in the 1965 World Series.

Merritt, at age 21 in 1965, went 5-4 as a rookie with the Twins. Two years later he had an excellent year with the Twins as he posted a 2.53 ERA, good for fifth in the American League, in 1967.

Merritt was traded to the Cincinnati Reds after the 1968 season and had two excellent seasons with them, going 17-9 in 1969 and 20-12 in 1970. Sparky Anderson made his debut as a Reds manager in 1970 and Merritt finished fourth in the Cy Young Award voting as the Reds went to the 1970 World Series.

Merritt struggled in 1971 with a record of 1-11 and an arm injury that apparently started in 1970. Traded to the Texas Rangers after the 1972 season, he finished out his career with them from 1973 to 1975.

He holds the single-season record for most appearances without a strikeout or walk. In 1975, he appeared in five games, walking zero and striking out zero.

As of 2017 Merritt is an usher at Lake Elsinore Storm games.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (1970)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 2 (1969 & 1970)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1970)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 4 (1967-1970)

Further Reading

• Gregory H. Wolf: "Jim Merritt", in Gregory H. Wolf, ed.: A Pennant for the Twin Cities: the 1965 Minnesota Twins, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2015, pp. 152-158. ISBN 978-1-943816-09-5

Related Sites

• Jim Merritt at the SABR Bio Project