Jim Bottomley
Nicknamed "Sunny Jim" because of his ever-present smile and good humor, slender Jim Bottomley was one of the most popular players in Cardinals history. A run producer in the middle of the lineup, he played a key role on four St. Louis pennant winners, batting .345 with ten hits in the 1926 World Series victory over the Yankees.

Career Batting Stats
G     AB     H     R     HR     RBI     SB     AVG     SLG     OBP     OPS     OPS+
1991     7471     2313     1177     219     1422     58     .310     .500     .369     .869     117.0

Teams Jim Bottomley Managed
St. Louis Browns (1937)

Jim Bottomley in Minor League Baseball

Where does Jim Bottomley rank among baseball greats?
Jim Bottomley ranks #34 among the Top 50 all-time at 1B. Rankings ?


Jim Bottomley Teammates
Ernie Lombardi
Jack Fournier
Rogers Hornsby
Harlond Clift
Rabbit Maranville
Taylor Douthit
Chick Hafey
Babe Herman
Dizzy Dean
Jesse Haines
Pete Alexander
Paul Derringer
Dazzy Vance
Branch Rickey

Best Season: 1928
Leading the Cards to their second pennant in three seasons, Bottomley paced the NL in total bases, batted .325, slugging 31 homers and driving in 136 runners. He achieved the rare trifecta of at least twenty doubles (42), triples (20) and homers. He was named the NL's Most Valuable Player.

The 1931 National League Batting Race
In one of the most amazing batting races in baseball history, Bottomley narrowly missed the title. He finished 4-for-8 in a season ending doubleheader, boosting his average to .3481, losing to teammate Chick Hafey's .3488. The Giants' Bill Terry finished at .3486.

Where He Played
First base

Born
James Leroy Bottomley was born on April 23, 1900, in Oglesby, IL.

Died
December 11, 1959, St.Louis, MO

Batted:  Left
Threw:  Left

Major League Debut
8 18,

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1922
Jim Bottomley
Gabby Hartnett
Ossie Bluege
Travis Jackson
Sparky Adams
George Grantham
Fats Fothergill
Fred Haney
Andy High

Nicknames
Sunny Jim

Similar Players
Will Clark is a better player than Bottomley was, but they have some similarities on the field, but none off it. Bottomely was happy-going and well-liked, while Clark had few close friends among his teammates and was very intense.

Hall of Fame Voting
Year     Election     Votes     Pct
1948     BBWAA     4     3.3%
1949     BBWAA     8     5.2%
1950     BBWAA     8     4.8%
1951     BBWAA     6     2.7%
1952     BBWAA     7     3.0%
1953     BBWAA     10     3.8%
1954     BBWAA     16     6.3%
1955     BBWAA     26     10.4%
1956     BBWAA     42     21.8%
1958     BBWAA     57     21.4%
1960     BBWAA     89     33.1%
1962     BBWAA     20     12.5%
1974     Veterans         %

Post-Season Appearances
1926 World Series
1928 World Series
1930 World Series
1931 World Series

Awards and Honors
1928 NL MVP

Feats
On September 16, 1924, Bottomley enjoyed one of the greatest batting days in major league history, as he drove in 12 runs (still a ML record) with two home runs, a double, and three singles to power the Cardinals to a 17-3 victory over Brooklyn... In July of 1929, Bottomley blasted seven homers in five games... On August 5, 1931, Bottomley had the second six-hit game of his career, leading the Cards over Pittsburgh 16-2.

Batting Feats

    * September 16, 1924: 6 Hits...

    * September 24, 1924: 12 RBI...

    * July 15, 1927: Cycle...

    * August 5, 1931: 6 Hits...

Notes
Bottomley narrowly defeated Fred Lindstrom for the 1928 National League MVP Award.