Jimmy Wynn
Originally a shortstop, Jimmy Wynn was drafted by his hometown Cincinnati Reds, but was swiped from their organization in the free agent draft by the Houston Colt .45s in 1962. In virtual obscurity, Wynn was switched to center field, played 11 seasons for Houston, and had several tremendous seasons. The cavernous dimensions of the Astrodome masked his raw power, and the immense value of his patience at the plate (he drew as many as 90 walks in eight different seasons), excellent defense, and stellar baserunning ability was somewhat lost as he played for mediocre teams most of his career. Dubbed the "Toy Cannon" because of his powerful swing from a small frame, Wynn clubbed nearly 300 homers in his career.
Played For
Houston Astros (1963-1973)
Los Angeles Dodgers (1974-1975)
Atlanta Braves (1976)
New York Yankees (1977)
Milwaukee Brewers (1977)
All-Time Rankings
Jimmy Wynn ranks #12 among the Top 50 all-time at CF. Rankings ⇒
Born
James Sherman Wynn was born on March 12, 1942, in Hamilton, OH.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: OF
Primary Team: HOU
Major League Debut
July 10, 1963
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1963
Pete Rose
Rusty Staub
Joe Morgan
Willie Horton
Jose Cardenal
Jimmy Wynn
Dick Allen
Tommy John
Mickey Lolich
Nicknames
The Toy Cannon
Wynn was one of the first players to lift weights, which helped sculpt his 5'9", 160-pound frame as "The Toy Cannon."
Related Players
Joe Morgan roomed with Wynn when the two were with Hosuton.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1983 |
BBWAA |
0 |
% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1974 National League Championship Series
1974 World Series
Notes
After swiping 43 bases (in 47 tries) in 1965, Houston GM Spec Richardson told Wynn that the team appreciated his baserunning ability, but that they preferred he work on his power.
Hitting Streaks
16 games (1968)
Trivia Question
Who hit the 100th home run in All-Star Game history?
Trivia Answer
Jimmy Wynn, in 1975.
All-Star Selections
1967 NL
1974 NL
1975 NL
Best Strength as a Player
Power. Wynn was a power-hitter with few peers - he could really launch it. There are thousands of Astros' fans who can tell stories of seeing Wynn hit baseballs all into far away corners of the Astrodome. Wynn once socked a Phil Niekro knuckler almost 500 feet. He hit three homers...in the Astrodome. It's not a stretch to imagine that Wynn might have hit 450 homers had he played in a friendly park like Atlanta or Wrigley Field.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Wynn struck out a lot, especially early in his career, but it did little to stamp out his greatness. And Wynn was a great player.
Learn More about Jimmy Wynn
Search Amazon.com for Books about Jimmy Wynn ⇒
Search for Jimmy Wynn at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
