Jim Bottomley

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James Leroy Bottomley (April 23, 1900 – December 11, 1959) was an American professional baseball player.

Bottomley, the first baseman of Major League Baseball, appeared in Major League Baseball from 1922 to 1937 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Browns.

In 1937, he served as a Browns player-manager.

Bottomley was playing in Oglesby, Illinois, against Brooklyn on September 16, 1924, setting the all-time single game RBI record of 12.Born.

He dropped out of high school at the age of 16 to raise money for his family's needs.

The Cardinals scouted and signed Bottomley while he was playing semi-professional baseball.

In 1928, he was named winner of the League Award, which is given to the most outstanding player, and was a member of 1926 and 1931 teams.

Bottomley appeared for the Cardinals during the 1932-1932 season, after which he was traded to the Reds.

He spent two seasons with the Browns after playing for Cincinnati for three years. Bottomley, a veteran of the Browns, joined the Chicago Cubs as a scout and minor league baseball manager.

Bottomley and his wife returned to raise cattle in Missouri after suffering from a heart attack.

Because of his cheerful disposition, Bottomley's nicknamed "Sunny Jim" was given.

Bottomley was inducted by the Veterans Committee in 1974 and the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014.

Early life

Bottomley was born in Oglesby, Illinois, on April 23, 1900, to Elizabeth (née Carter) and John Bottomley. Bottomley's family later moved to Nokomis, Illinois, where he enrolled in grade school and Nokomis High School. When he was 16 years old, he stepped out in order to help his family financially. Bottomley served as a coal miner, truck driver, grocery clerk, and railroad clerk. Ralph, Ralph's younger brother, died in a mining accident in 1920.

Bottomley has also played semi-professional baseball for several local clubs in order to make more money, earning $55 per game ($90 in current dollar terms). Branch Rickey, the general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, watched Bottomley play and recommended Rickey to Rickey.

Personal life

Bottomley married Elizabeth "Betty" Browner, who ran a St. Louis beauty parlor, on February 4, 1933. There were no children when the couple married. Bottomley and his wife moved to the Bourbon, Missouri, area where he raised Hereford cattle after he retired from baseball in 1938. Bottomley became a radio broadcaster in 1939, after signing an AM radio station in KWK to air Cardinals and Browns games.

In 1955, Bottomley returned to baseball as a scout for the Cardinals. In 1957, he joined the Chicago Cubs as a scout and was in charge of the Class D Appalachian League's Pulaski Cubs. Bottomley sustained a heart attack while being in Pulaski. The Bottomleys have relocated to Sullivan, Missouri. Bottomley died of a heart ailment in December 1959. In the International Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery in Sullivan, Missouri, He and his wife Betty were laid to rest.

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Professional career

Charley Barrett, Rickey's scout, was sent by the company to look into Bottomley. Bottomley was sent by the Cardinals in late 1919 to a $150-per-month ($2,344 in current dollar terms) contract. Bottomley began his playing days in minor league baseball in 1920. Bottomley made the 97 games for the Mitchell Kernels of the Class-D South Dakota League in 1999, posting a.312 batting average in 97 games as Barrett continued to scout him. He also appeared in six games for the Sioux City Packers of the Class-A Western League. Due to his cheerful disposition, Bottomley began to be referred to as "Sunny Jim" in the minor leagues.

Bottomley was a member of the Houston Buffaloes of the Class-A Texas League last season. Bottomley suffered a leg injury early in the season that was infectious, which stifled his growth throughout the year, and he had difficulty preventing his progress throughout the season. Bottomley's fielding was poor, with just a.227 average in 130 games. Rickey sold Bottomley to the Syracuse Chiefs of the Class-AA International League, but in current dollar terms, he was unable to sell Bottomley after the season to Houston for $1,200 ($18,231 in new dollar terms). Bottomley batted.348 with 14 home runs, 15 triples, and a.567 slugging percentage for the Chiefs, who fully recovered from his leg injury in 1922. In current dollar terms, the Cardinals acquired Bottomley from the Chiefs for $15,000 ($242,833).

On August 18, 1922, Bottomley made his Major League Baseball debut for the St. Louis Cardinals. Bottomley batted.325 in 37 games, beating Jack Fournier. In 1923, the Cardinals named Bottomley as their starting first baseman. Bottomley batted.371, placing second in the National League (NL), behind teammate Rogers Hornsby, who batted.384. His.425 on-base percentage came in second in the NL, behind Hornsby, while he came in sixth in slugging percentage with a.535 average. His 94 runs batted in (RBIs) were ranked 10th-best in the league.

Bottomley's average was.316 in 1924. Bottomley had the best single game in a single season on September 16, 1924, defeating Wilbert Robinson's record of 11, which was unbeaten in 1892. Robinson was working as the Dodgers' boss at the time. (Bottomley went 6-for-6 on the plate, with two home runs, a double, and three singles). This record has since been tied by Mark Whiten in 1993. Bottomley's 14 home runs were the seventh-best in the NL last season, with 111 RBIs, placing third in the NL, while his.500 slugging percentage was good for tenth. Bottomley was the first left-handed player to score an assist while playing second base on August 29, the final left-handed player to earn an assistence.

Bottomley finished second in the NL to Hornsby in 1925, earning second place in the NL. He led the NL with 227 hits, but his 128 RBIs were third-best in the league, and his.413 on-base percentage was seventh-best in the league. Bottomley batted.298 in 1926, putting up a NL-leading 120 RBIs. His 19 home runs came in second in the National League, behind Hack Wilson's 21, while his.506 slugging percentage was sixth-best. In the 1926 World Series, he batted.345 runs as the Cardinals defeated the New York Yankees.

Bottomley's 1927 season ended with 124 RBIs, fourth best in the league, and a.509 slugging percentage, finishing third in the NL. Bottomley hit.325 in 1928 with 31 home runs and 136 RBIs, leading the league in home runs and RBIs. He was also the second Major League player to join the 20-20-20/20 club in history. He received the League Award, which is given to the most outstanding player of the Netherlands, that year. As the Cardinals lost to the New York Yankees, they reached the 1928 World Series, and Bottomley batted.214.

Bottomley's 1929 home runs finished seventh in the NL, his 137 RBIs were fifth-best in the NL, and his.568 slugging percentage put him in eighth, finishing fifth. Bottomley suffered in the 1930 World Series, batting.045 in 22 at-bats, after having a "poor year" in 1930, when the Cardinals lost to the Philadelphia Athletics. Bottomley characterized his World Series appearance as "a bust as far as hitting goes."

Despite rumors concerning Bottomley's future with the Cardinals going into the 1931 season, he displayed improved hitting ability in spring training. Given the presence of Ripper Collins, a superb fielder who transferred to the Cardinals from the Rochester Red Wings of the International League, Street revealed that Bottomley would remain the starting first baseman. Bottomley also suffered a back injury and failed early in the 1931 season, and it seemed that he might have lost his career to Collins, who filled in for Bottomley during his absence. Bottomley returned to form after his return to action, posting third with a.3482batting average and Bill Terry's.3486, the closest batting average finish in MLB history. His.534 slugging percentage was the sixth best in the league. When the Cardinals defeated the Athletics, the Cardinals reached the 1931 World Series, with Bottomley batting.160. Other squads also started to try to trade for either Bottomley or Collins in the offseason. Bottomley batted.296 in 1932, but he played in only 91 games.

In an attempt to partner Bottomley with Chick Hafey in a more potent offensive offensive offense, the Cardinals traded Bottomley to the Cincinnati Reds for Ownie Carroll and Estel Crabtree during the 1932 season. Bottomley had also applied for Cincinnati's managerial position during the offseason but decided against Donie Bush.

Bottomley threatened to leave baseball in a salary dispute with the Reds last year, down from the $18,000 ($258,193 in current dollar terms) he earned with the Cardinals the previous year. He and the Reds eventually agreed to a one-year deal that was expected to be worth between $10,000 and $13,000. Bottomley had 83 RBIs in 1933 and ninth with 13 home runs in the NL, and eighth with 83 runs. Bottomley hasn't had a season with a higher than.283 or more than 83 RBIs. Bottomley left the Reds during spring training in 1935 due to a salary dispute, deciding to return to the team in April.

The Reds traded Bottomley to the St. Louis Browns of the American League (AL), who were coached by Hornsby for Johnny Burnett before the 1936 season. Bottomley reported his departure as a result of an injured back, but the team's coach changed his mind and decided to stay with the team in July. For the 1936 season, Bottomley batted.298.

In 1937, Bottomley decided to return to baseball. The Browns fired Hornsby and named Bottomley their player-manager after the Browns struggled during the 1937 season, leading off the season with a 25–52 loss record. Bottomley led the Browns to 21 more victories during the season's eighth appearance, with a 46-108 record. The Browns fell behind the seventh place Athletics by 9+12 games, and they were 56 games out of first place. Bottomley played.239 in 65 games during the 1937 season as a player. Bottomley was one of the ten oldest players in the AL this year.

Bottomley did not keep him after the 1937 season, and the Browns never retained him after the 1937 season, replacing him with Street, who served as his first assistant during the 1937 season. Bottomley served as Syracuse's player-manager in 1938. Bottomley resigned and was replaced with Dick Porter after a slow start to the season, and with team president Jack Corbett's inability of adding versatile players, Bottomley resigned and was replaced with Dick Porter. Bottomley also stated that he did not want to continue playing.

Bottomley had a.310 batting average (2,313-for-7,471) in 1,991 games over the course of 16 seasons, with 1,177 runs, 465 triples, 219 home runs, 664 bases on balls,.500 slugging percentage, and a.500 slugging percentage. As a first baseman, he had a 988% fielding percentage. He batted just.200 (18-for-90) in 24 World Series games over four seasons, with one home run and 10 RBI.

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