View source for Jimmy Collins

{{Short description|American baseball player (1870–1943)}}
{{other people||Jim Collins (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Jimmy Collins
|image= Jimmy Collins.jpg
|caption=Collins {{c.|1896–1900}}
|position=[[Third baseman]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
|birth_date={{Birth date|1870|1|16}}
|birth_place=[[Niagara Falls, New York]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1943|3|6|1870|1|16}}
|death_place=[[Buffalo, New York]], U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 19
|debutyear=1895
|debutteam=Louisville Colonels
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=August 29
|finalyear=1908
|finalteam=Philadelphia Athletics
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.294
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=65
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=983
|stat4label=Managerial record
|stat4value=455–376
|stat5label=Winning %
|stat5value={{winning percentage|455|376}}
|teams=
'''As player'''
* [[Boston Beaneaters]] ({{mlby|1895}})
* [[Louisville Colonels]] ({{mlby|1895}})
* [[Boston Beaneaters]] ({{mlby|1896}}–{{mlby|1900}})
* [[Boston Americans]] ({{mlby|1901}}–{{mlby|1907}})
* [[Philadelphia Athletics]] ({{mlby|1907}}–{{mlby|1908}})
'''As manager'''
* [[Boston Americans]] ({{mlby|1901}}–{{mlby|1906}})
|highlights=
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1903}})
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders|NL home run leader]] (1898)
* [[Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame]]
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate=[[1945 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1945]]
|hofmethod=Old-Timers Committee
}}
'''James Joseph Collins''' (January 16, 1870 – March 6, 1943) was an American professional [[baseball]] player. He played 14 seasons in [[Major League Baseball]]. In [[1945 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1945]], Collins was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]]. He played for the [[Boston Braves|Boston Beaneaters]], [[Louisville Colonels]], [[Boston Americans]], and [[Philadelphia Athletics]]. He also managed the Americans.

Collins was especially regarded for his defense. He was best known for his ability to field a [[Bunt (baseball)|bunt]]—prior to his debut, it was the [[shortstop]] who fielded bunts down the third base line—and is regarded as a pioneer of the modern defensive play of a third baseman. As of 2012, he is second all-time in [[putout]]s by a third baseman behind [[Brooks Robinson]].<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/PO_3b_career.shtml Career Leaders & Records for Putouts as 3B]</ref> At the plate, Collins finished his career with 65 [[home run]]s, 1055 [[run (baseball)|runs scored]], 983 [[run batted in|RBI]] and a .294 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]].<ref name="br" />

Collins was also the first manager of the [[Boston Red Sox]] franchise, then known as the Boston Americans. He was the winning manager in the first [[World Series]], as Boston defeated the [[1903 Pittsburgh Pirates season|Pittsburgh Pirates]] in the [[1903&nbsp;World Series]], five games to three.

==Early life==
Jimmy Collins was born in Niagara Falls, [[Buffalo, New York|New York]]. After graduating from [[St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute]], then known as St. Joseph's College, he went to work for the [[Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad]] and played baseball in the Buffalo City League.

==Playing career==

===Minor leagues===
Collins began his professional [[baseball]] career with the [[Minor League Baseball|minor league]] [[Buffalo Bisons (1886–1970)|Buffalo Bisons]] of the [[Eastern League (1884–1912)|Eastern League]], the forerunner of the current [[International League]], in 1893. That season, he was used primarily as a [[shortstop]], batting .286 in 76 games.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=collin003jam Jimmy Collins Minor League Statistics & History]</ref>

In 1894, Collins was moved to the [[outfielder|outfield]] by the Bisons. He batted .352 with nine home runs in 125 games, and after the season his contract was purchased by the [[Boston Beaneaters]] for $500.<ref name=br>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/colliji01.shtml Jimmy Collins Statistics and History]</ref>

===Major league debut===
Collins began his major league career as a [[right fielder]], playing ten games at the position with the Beaneaters in 1895. On May 19, 1895, he was loaned to the [[Louisville Colonels]], again for $500.<ref name=br/> He was soon made the team's starting third baseman, batting .279 over the remainder of the season. His larger impact was on defense, where he played in on the grass rather than back to cut down on the number of bunt hits.<ref name=sabr>{{sabrbio|7068ba1f|Stan Hamlet|6 July 2012}}</ref>

===National League star===
Collins was returned to the Beaneaters after the 1895 season. [[Joe Harrington (baseball)|Joe Harrington]] was the club's starting third baseman at the beginning of the season, but Collins soon asserted himself as the starter, and Harrington was released in July.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harrijo01.shtml Joe Harrington Statistics and History]</ref>

[[File:Boston Beaneaters infield.jpg|thumb|left|300px| Jimmy Collins (center, below) with infielders [[Bobby Lowe]], [[Fred Tenney]] and [[Herman Long (baseball)|Herman Long]].]]
Collins asserted himself as a skilled player in 1897 when he held a .346 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] and [[runs batted in|knocked in]] 132 runs. He led the league in both [[putout]]s and [[assist (baseball)|assist]]s as well, a feat he would duplicate in 1900. He followed with an equally impressive 1898 season, in which he hit .328—seventh in the league—drove in 111 runs and belted a league-high 15 [[home run]]s.

===Jumping to the American League===
Following the 1900 season, Collins, who was by now regarded as the best third baseman in the game, was offered the [[manager (baseball)|manager]]'s job with the [[Boston Americans]] of the new [[American League]]. He accepted the job, which came with a salary of $5,500, a $3,500 signing bonus, and a cut of the team's profits, despite efforts by Beaneaters owner [[Arthur Soden]] to keep him.<ref name=sabr/> The two traded accusations in the press, and Collins went further, accusing National League owners of conspiring to hold down salaries, stating "I would not go back now if they offered me the whole outfit."<ref name=sabr/> Collins recruited other National League stars for the Americans' roster, including [[Cy Young]],<ref name=sabr/> and in his first season as [[player-manager]] guided the team to a second-place finish, four games behind the [[1901 Chicago White Stockings season|Chicago White Sox]].

===First World Series===
In 1902, Collins was limited to 108 games by injury, and the Americans finished third.<ref name=sabr/> He did hit the team's first ever inside-the-park grand slam home run. The next season, Collins led the Americans to their first American League [[pennant (sports)|pennant]], winning the league by {{frac|14|1|2}} games over the [[1903 Philadelphia Athletics season|Philadelphia Athletics]].

With an agreement in place for the champions of the American and National Leagues to meet in a best-of-nine "[[World Series]]", Boston represented the Junior Circuit. After losing two out of three at home to start the series, then losing the first game in Pittsburgh, the Americans won the next three in Pittsburgh, then returned home to win Game Eight in Boston to become the first-ever World Series Champions. Collins himself batted .250 in the Series, with a pair of [[triple (baseball)|triple]]s and five [[run (baseball)|runs scored]].

===Remaining career===
The Americans won the pennant again in 1904, with Collins batting .271 and leading the league in putouts for the fifth time in eight seasons. However, the Americans would not get the opportunity to defend their title, as [[John McGraw]] and the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] refused to play them in the postseason. Collins was instead presented by the Boston fans during the final series of the season with a loving cup to honor him as "a great third baseman, a great captain and a good fellow."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Duke |first=Adam |date=October 21, 2025 |title=Buffalo's Baseball Hall of Famer: The legend of Jimmy Collins |url=https://www.wivb.com/sports/buffalos-baseball-hall-of-famer-the-legend-of-jimmy-collins/ |url-status=live |access-date=October 28, 2025 |website=WIVB.com}}</ref>

In 1905, the Americans slipped to fourth place, and Collins clashed with team president [[John I. Taylor]], reportedly quitting on the team during the season.<ref name=sportinglife>{{cite news|last=Morse|first=J. C.|title=Manager Jimmy Collins, of the Boston Americans, Again Suspended|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1906/VOL_47_NO_26/SL4726027.pdf|access-date=6 July 2012|newspaper=Sporting Life|date=September 8, 1906}}</ref> As a player, Collins batted .276, but again missed time due to injury. In 1906, Collins found himself in hot water, as not only were the Americans in last, but he himself was suspended twice, and was eventually replaced as manager by [[Chick Stahl]].<ref name=sportinglife/> He also missed the end of the season with a knee injury.<ref name=sabr/>

Collins began the 1907 season with Boston, but it was only a matter of time before he departed. For reasons that have never become clear, Stahl had committed suicide during [[spring training]];<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/e96a130c |title=Chick Stahl |first=Dennis |last=Auger |website=[[Society for American Baseball Research|SABR]] |access-date=November 3, 2018}}</ref> instead of Collins, the Americans turned to Cy Young as manager, following by [[George Huff (coach)|George Huff]], and then [[Bob Unglaub]], all within the first three months of the season. After playing 41 games with the Americans, Collins was traded to the [[Philadelphia Athletics]] in June for infielder [[John Knight (baseball)|John Knight]]. While he batted .278, he had a career-low (to that point) .330 [[slugging percentage]], and failed to hit a home run for the first time in his career. In 1908, he slumped even further, batting just .217, and was let go.

After his major league career ended, Collins continued to play and manage in the minor leagues. He spent 1909 with the [[Minneapolis Millers]] of the [[American Association (20th century)|American Association]], then spent two seasons with the [[Providence Grays (minor league)|Providence Grays]] in the Eastern League before retiring.

==Honors==
[[File:Jimmy Collins HOF.jpg|thumb|upright|right|110px|Collins' plaque at the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]]]]
When Collins was inducted into the Hall of Fame in [[Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1945|1945]], he was the first to be chosen primarily as a third baseman.<ref>[http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/colliji01/bio Jimmy Collins at The Baseball Page] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720214804/http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/colliji01/bio |date=2014-07-20 }}</ref> In 1981, [[Lawrence Ritter]] and [[Donald Honig]] included him in their book ''The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time''. Collins became a charter member of the [[Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-8132850|title=Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame|access-date=29 August 2012}}</ref>

==Managerial record==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
|-
!Games!!Won!!Lost!!Win %!!Finish!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result
|-
|-
![[1901 Boston Americans season|BOA]]|| {{mlby|1901}}
||136||79||57||{{Winning percentage|79|57}}|| 2nd in AL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1902 Boston Americans season|BOA]]|| {{mlby|1902}}
||137||77||60||{{Winning percentage|77|60}}|| 3rd in AL || – || – || – || –
|-style="background:#fde910"
![[1903 Boston Americans season|BOA]]|| {{mlby|1903}}
||70||40||30||{{Winning percentage|40|30}}|| '''1st in AL''' || 5 || 3 || .625 || '''Won [[1903 World Series|World Series]] ([[1903 Pittsburgh Pirates season|PIT]])'''
|-style="background:#fdd"
![[1904 Boston Americans season|BOA]]|| {{mlby|1904}}
||153||91||62||{{Winning percentage|91|62}}|| '''1st in AL''' || 0 || 0 || – || [[1904 World Series|World Series]] not played ([[1904 New York Giants season|NYG]])
|-
![[1905 Boston Americans season|BOA]]|| {{mlby|1905}}
||152||78||74||{{Winning percentage|78|74}}|| 4th in AL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1906 Boston Americans season|BOA]]|| {{mlby|1906}}
||114||35||79||{{Winning percentage|35|79}}|| fired* || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|Total || 831 || 455 || 376 || {{Winning percentage|455|376}} || || 5 || 3 || .625 || 
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Remained as a player only

==Personal life==
Jimmy Collins married Sarah Murphy in 1907, and the couple had three daughters, though their first died at a very young age.<ref name=sabr/> After his retirement from baseball, they moved back to Buffalo, where Collins worked for the Buffalo Parks Department as the head of the Municipal League.<ref name=sabr/> Collins died of pneumonia on March 6, 1943, at the age of 73.<ref name=sabr/>

==In popular culture==
Boston-based [[Celtic punk]] band [[Dropkick Murphys]] recorded the song "Jimmy Collins' Wake" on their 2013 album ''[[Signed and Sealed in Blood]]''. The song, originally written by Richard Johnson, recounts Collins' wake in Buffalo, New York.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/lawrenceacademygroton/posts/373631976061843  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/97000964130/373631976061843 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=Alumni Update….Congratulations to Rich... – Lawrence Academy |publisher=Facebook |date=2012-12-07 |access-date=2014-01-26}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
* [[Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball player-managers]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{Baseballstats|br=c/colliji01|brm=collin003jam}}
*{{Baseball-reference manager|colliji01}}
*{{bbhof|collins-jimmy}}
*{{sabrbio|7068ba1f|Stan Hamlet|10 July 2013}}
*[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=APouAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8tsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1954,314015&dq=harry-grayson&hl=en Collins Third Base Stylist; Couldn't Hit Ball Past Him], by [[Harry Grayson]], June 2, 1943
*{{Find a Grave}}

{{1897 Boston Beaneaters}}
{{1898 Boston Beaneaters}}
{{NL home run champions}}
{{1903 Boston Americans}}
{{1904 Boston Americans}}
{{1945 Baseball HOF}}
{{Baseball Hall of Fame members}}
{{Boston Red Sox HOF}}
{{Boston Red Sox team captains}}
{{Boston Red Sox managers}}
{{Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Jimmy}}
[[Category:1870 births]]
[[Category:1943 deaths]]
[[Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball third basemen]]
[[Category:Boston Beaneaters players]]
[[Category:Louisville Colonels players]]
[[Category:Boston Americans players]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Athletics players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:National League home run champions]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox managers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball player-managers]]
[[Category:Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players]]
[[Category:Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players]]
[[Category:Providence Grays (minor league) players]]
[[Category:Minor league baseball managers]]
[[Category:Minneapolis Millers (baseball) managers]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:19th-century baseball players]]
[[Category:19th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute alumni]]
[[Category:World Series–winning managers]]