Jim McCormick
McCormick threw more innings than any pitcher born outside America, logging 4,276 frames across a decade when hurlers routinely pitched complete games or nothing at all. The Scottish-born right-hander peaked with a sterling 175 ERA+ that placed him among the elite arms of the 1880s, when a 2.43 career ERA meant genuine dominance.
His 265 wins tell only part of the story — McCormick was a workhorse who struck out 1,704 batters in an era when strikeouts were far less common than today. He also swung a decent bat for a pitcher, driving in 178 runs while maintaining a .236 average across 534 games.
The immigrant who became one of baseball's early stars died in 1918, having witnessed the game's transformation from its primitive origins to the modern era's doorstep.
Career · Hitting
10 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1878 | IN1 | 15 | 56 | 0 | 0 | .143 | — | — |
| 1879 | CL2 | 75 | 282 | 0 | 20 | .220 | — | — |
| 1880 | CL2 | 78 | 289 | 0 | 26 | .246 | — | — |
| 1881 | CL2 | 70 | 309 | 0 | 26 | .256 | — | — |
| 1882 | CL2 | 70 | 262 | 2 | 15 | .218 | — | — |
| 1883 | CL2 | 43 | 157 | 0 | 13 | .236 | — | — |
| 1884 | CL2 | 76 | 300 | 0 | 23 | .257 | — | — |
| 1885 | CHC | 29 | 117 | 0 | 16 | .222 | — | — |
| 1886 | CHC | 42 | 174 | 2 | 21 | .236 | — | — |
| 1887 | PIT | 36 | 136 | 0 | 18 | .243 | — | — |
| Career | 534 | 2082 | 4 | 178 | .236 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
10 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1878 | IN1 | 14 | 117.0 | 5 | 8 | 1.69 | 136 | 36 | 1.222 |
| 1879 | CL2 | 62 | 546.3 | 20 | 40 | 2.42 | 103 | 197 | 1.201 |
| 1880 | CL2 | 74 | 657.7 | 45 | 28 | 1.85 | 128 | 260 | 1.004 |
| 1881 | CL2 | 59 | 526.0 | 26 | 30 | 2.45 | 113 | 178 | 1.080 |
| 1882 | CL2 | 68 | 595.7 | 36 | 30 | 2.37 | 118 | 200 | 1.096 |
| 1883 | CL2 | 43 | 342.0 | 28 | 12 | 1.84 | 175 | 145 | 1.114 |
| 1884 | CL2 | 66 | 569.0 | 40 | 25 | 2.37 | 131 | 343 | 1.049 |
| 1885 | CHC | 28 | 252.0 | 21 | 7 | 2.43 | 125 | 96 | 1.115 |
| 1886 | CHC | 42 | 347.7 | 31 | 11 | 2.82 | 120 | 172 | 1.268 |
| 1887 | PIT | 36 | 322.3 | 13 | 23 | 4.30 | 97 | 77 | 1.430 |
| Career | 492 | 4275.7 | 265 | 214 | — | — | 1704 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.