Jimmy Outlaw

James Paulus Outlaw (January 20, 1913 – April 9, 2006) was an American professional baseball player. He played all or part of 10 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Bees, and Detroit Tigers.

Outlaw played college baseball for the Auburn Tigers and was signed in 1934 by the Cincinnati Reds. He played three years in the minor leagues, batting .351 for the Decatur Commodores, leading the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League in hits in 1935, and batting .330 as an All-Star third baseman for the Nashville Volunteers in 1936.

He made his major league debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 1937, appearing in 49 games before returning to the minor leagues.

He next played with the Syracuse Chiefs of the International League in 1937 and 1938, compiling a .339 batting average in 1938. He returned to the major leagues in 1939 with the Boston Bees but ended up in the International League again from 1940 to 1943, playing with the Buffalo Bisons.

In August 1943, Outlaw was acquired by the Detroit Tigers, with whom he played as an outfielder and third baseman until May 1949. He was a starter in the outfield for the Tigers in his first full major league season in 1944, appearing in 132 games. In 1945, he began the season as the Tigers' starting left fielder but moved to third base to make room for Hank Greenberg upon his return from military service in June 1945. He played third base in all seven games of the Tigers' 1945 World Series championship against the Chicago Cubs.

In 10 major league seasons, Outlaw compiled a .268 batting average with 6 home runs, 184 RBIs, 257 runs, 79 doubles, 17 triples, 24 stolen bases, and a .333 on-base percentage. Outlaw made his home in Jackson, Alabama, where he died in 2006 at age 93.

He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

Early years James Outlaw was born in Orme, Tennessee, in 1913. He attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now Auburn University, for two years. Although he had never worn a baseball uniform before enrolling at Auburn, he played at the shortstop and/or outfield positions for the Auburn Tigers baseball team in 1932 and/or 1933.

Professional baseball career

Minor leagues Outlaw was signed by Milton Stock, scout for the Cincinnati Reds, in 1934.

In 1935, Outlaw was promoted to the "Class B" level with the Decatur Commodores of the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League. He played at third base for Decatur and hit for a .351 average with 27 doubles, 17 triples, and 6 home runs in 447 at bats.

In 1936, Outlaw was promoted to the "Class A" level with the Nashville Volunteers of the Southern Association as their starting third baseman, compiling a .330 batting average with 46 doubles, 9 triples, and 7 home runs in 643 at bats. Playing as a backup to incumbent third baseman Lew Riggs, The Tigers acquired Outlaw at the urging of manager Steve O'Neill, who had managed Outlaw in Buffalo in 1940. O'Neill noted, "Jimmy's a hustler, a grand team player, and there's not a selfish streak in him. I've known him a long time and never met a grander man." Outlaw had been designated 4F due to flat feet. Outlaw played 21 games at third base in the regular season and started all seven games of the 1945 World Series at third base. He hit .179 (5-for-28) in the Series, scoring one run while driving in three more. Detroit beat the Chicago Cubs. Teammate Les Mueller described Outlaw this way:"Jimmy Outlaw was the type of player that was always hustling. The type of guy that would get his uniform dirty and he did a good job. This was especially true when Greenberg joined us, and they moved him from outfield to third base. . . . He was a pepper pot. He was the type of guy who was always kidding around ... in the clubhouse or the dugout, and kept the guys loose."

Teammate Red Borom also recalled Outlaw as a pepper pot, needling veterans Hank Greenberg and Rudy York and reminding his teammates that they had to play hard and focus on winning every day. Borom described Outlaw as "a very versatile player, a good baserunner, and played the infield as well as the outfield." In a column published at the end of September 1945, J. G. Taylor Spink, editor of The Sporting News, expressed his happiness in the success of Outlaw. Spink described Outlaw as a hard worker who considered conditioning to be "a fetish", a man who rarely drank even a beer and who went to bed early and rose early for breakfast every day with his four-year-old son Perry and wife Gracie. Spink added: "Jimmy has no interest in clubhouse politics. He is mild-mannered. He never has been thrown out of a ball game, nor has he ever staged any sort of a rhubarb against an umpire." Outlaw's performance trailed off in the second half of the 1946 season as he compiled a .261 average in 299 at bats. He continued to serve in a backup role at third base and outfield for Detroit in 1948, appearing in 74 games. He appeared in only five games for the Tigers in 1948, making his last major league appearance on May 8, 1949, at age 36. Outlaw compiled a .105 average in 38 at bats for the Solons in 1949. He concluded his playing career in 1950 with the Miami Beach Flamingos in the Florida International League; he had a .254 average in 177 at bats. He also served as manager of the Flamingos during the 1950 season.

MLB statistics In a 10-season major league career, Outlaw was a .268 hitter (529 for 1,974) with six home runs and 184 RBIs in 650 games, including 257 runs, 79 doubles, 17 triples, 24 stolen bases, and a .333 on-base percentage.

Later years Following his playing career, Outlaw worked for the Dairy Fresh Milk Co. in Jackson, Alabama, and became active in the Jackson Civitan Club.

He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

Outlaw died in 2006 at an Alabama hospital at the age of 93.