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.

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.

Outlaw played college baseball for the Auburn Tigers and was signed in 1934 by the Cincinnati Reds.

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

He spent the 1934 season playing as a third baseman for the Jeannette Reds (Pennsylvania State Association) and Beckley Black Knights (Middle Atlantic League).

He compiled a .340 batting average with 16 doubles, 7 triples, and 9 home runs in 209 at bats for Jeannette.

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.

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.

He also led the Three-I League in total hits for the 1935 season.

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.

He was selected as an All-Star at third base while playing for Nashville.

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.

In 1937, Outlaw made his major league debut with the Cincinnati Reds.

In his first major league game on April 20, 1937, Outlaw had three hits off Dizzy Dean.

Outlaw appeared in 49 games for the 1937 Reds, a team which finished in last place in the National League with a 56-98 record.

Playing as a backup to incumbent third baseman Lew Riggs, Outlaw compiled a .273 batting average in 165 at bats during his rookie season with the Reds.

After his initial stint with the Reds, Outlaw was sent to the Syracuse Chiefs of the International League where he appeared in 65 games for the Chiefs in 1937 and 114 games in 1938.

In 1938, Outlaw appeared in just four games with the Reds, being used exclusively in pinch run situations.

After his first season in Syracuse, Outlaw was moved from third base to the outfield, appearing in 108 games in the outfield in 1938.

Outlaw compiled a .339 batting average for Syracuse in 1938 and added 25 doubles and 9 triples in 416 at bats.

After his outstanding performance with Syracuse in 1938, Outlaw became a hot prospect.

In the course of three months at the end of the 1938 season, Outlaw was traded, drafted or sold four times.

On September 9, 1938, the Reds sold him to the Brooklyn Dodgers from the Cincinnati Reds, although the sale was voided on September 14, 1938, with Outlaw being returned to the Reds.

On October 4, 1938, the St. Louis Cardinals drafted Outlaw from the Reds in the 1938 Rule 5 draft.

Finally, on December 13, 1938, he was traded by the Cardinals to the Dodgers in exchange for Lew Krausse and cash.

On the same date, he was traded by the Dodgers with Buddy Hassett to the Boston Bees in exchange for Ira Hutchinson and Gene Moore.

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.

Outlaw played in 65 games for Boston in 1939, including appearances at all three outfield positions.

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.

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

Outlaw made his home in Jackson, Alabama, where he died in 2006 at age 93.