Jimmy Collins
Position: Third Baseman
Bats: Right • Throws: Right
5-9, 178lb (175cm, 80kg)
Born: January 16, 1870 in Niagara Falls, NY
Died: March 6, 1943 in Buffalo, NY
Buried: Holy Cross Cemetery, Lackawanna, NY
Debut: 1895 (1,833rd in major league history)
Last Game: August 29, 1908
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1945. (Voted by Old Timers Committee)
No induction ceremony in Cooperstown held (until 2013).
View Jimmy Collins’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).
Full Name: James Joseph Collins
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Players Who Debuted in 1895
Jimmy Collins
Al Orth
Harry Davis
Bill Hoffer
Jack Warner
James McJames
Tom McCreery
Bill Everitt
Frank Bowerman
Ducky Holmes
All-Time Teammate Team
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Notable Events and Chronology
Biography
Until Pie Traynor came along in the 1920s, Jimmy Collins was universally considered baseball’s greatest third baseman. Playing at the turn of the century, when the bunt was a big part of the game, Collins was the best at fielding them. His 601 chances accepted at 3B in 1899 remain a National League record. He led his league’s third basemen in putouts five times, assists four times, double plays twice, and still stands second all-time in career putouts at 3B. Collins was also outstanding at the plate. He topped the .300 mark five times, with a high of .346 for Boston (NL) in 1897. In 1898, he won the NL home run crown with 15, drove in well over 100 runs for the second consecutive season, and scored more than 100 runs for the third of four times.
Collins was player-manager of the Red Sox in the American League’s first six seasons, leading Boston to a victory over Pittsburgh in the initial World Series in 1903. The Red Sox repeated in 1904, but interleague feuding cancelled the WS. Relieved of the managerial reins in 1907, Collins was traded to the Athletics, and he left the majors after batting .217 in 1908. He played and managed in the minors through 1911 before retiring to his native Buffalo. Wiped out by the Depression, he became a Buffalo parks employee. His 1945 election to the Hall of Fame preceded Traynor’s by three years, though Traynor had been eligible before Collins’s induction.
Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts
Teams Jimmy Collins Played For
Louisville Colonels (1895)
Boston Braves (1895-1900)
Boston Red Sox (1901-1907)
Philadelphia Athletics (1907-1908)
Teams Jimmy Collins Managed
Boston Red Sox (1901-1906)
Jimmy Collins in Minor League Baseball
1893-1894: Buffalo (Eastern League)
1909: Minneapolis (American Association)
1910-1911: Providence (Eastern League)
Best Season: 1898
With the NL Boston team (later to become the Braves), Collins led the loop in homers (15), and total bases (286). He batted .328, finished second in slugging, and in the top ten in OPS, games, at-bats, hits (196), doubles, and RBI (111).
As a Manager
Collins managed in the minors for several years after “retiring” from the majors. His last season at the helm was 1911 and then he went back to his native Buffalo to work for the city.
Similar Players
Jimmy Austin, George Kell
Post-Season Appearances
1903 World Series
Feats
Long before Frank Baker, Mike Schmidt and other home run hitting third basemen, Jimmy Collins won the 1898 NL homer crown, with 15.
Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
In late August 1906, Collins failed to appear for a Red Sox’ game in Chicago. After a few days the team began to worry about their manager. Collins was finally located – he was in Florida resting or “on vacation” as he told the story. Boston suspended Collins for his absence and hired outfielder Chick Stahl to lead the team the rest of the season. Stahl guided the struggling Sox to a last place finish (14-26), and Collins returned to Beantown as a player in 1907. Having wore out his welcome, however, Collins was dealt to Connie Mack’s A’s. Prior to his departure, more drama visited the Red Sox. At the tail end of spring training, Stahl, distraught over his struggles as a manager and apparently very sick, locked himself in his hotel room, drank acid and killed himself. Cy Young reluctantly agreed to take the managerial reins, but he would be the first of four to lead the club in the troubled 1907 season. Not until Jake Stahl arrived in 1912 would the franchise right itself.
Replaced
According to legend, Jimmy Collins got his chance at third base with Louisville after the Baltimore Orioles bunted several times against the Colonels reguslr third sacker, Walter Preston. Collins had originally been an outfielder, noted for his strong throwing arm.
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