Jimmie Foxx: Sly Slugger

Jimmie Foxx: Sly Slugger

He sometimes went by the nickname of “Double X” because of his last name, but James Emory Foxx would be better known for how good of a slugger he was in the game of baseball. Jimmie Foxx was a first baseman, third baseman, outfielder and catcher for his 19-year career, and he turned out to be one of the best power hitters baseball fans ever saw. The career slugging percentage for Fox is .6093, which ranks 4th all-time behind other baseball legends in Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams and Babe Ruth.

Foxx didn’t start out swinging like a true slugger, however. From 1925 to 1927 Foxx wasn’t able to play in many regular season games due to the fact that the Philadelphia Athletics had a ton of depth on their roster. When the opportunity presented itself in 1928, Foxx started to show his team just how valuable he was. Playing in 118 games Foxx batted .328 with 13 home runs and 79 RBI’s off 131 hits, 29 doubles and 10 triples.

In 1929 Foxx played in 149 games and batted .354 with 33 home runs and 118 RBI’s off 183 hits, 23 doubles, 9 triples and 9 stolen bases. In 1930 Foxx played in 153 games and batted .335 with 37 home runs and 156 RBI’s off 188 hits, 33 doubles and 13 triples. Foxx had the pleasure of experiencing back-to-back World Series Championship victories with the Athletics in 1929 and 1930.

In 1931 Foxx played in 139 games and batted .291 with 30 home runs and 120 RBI’s off 150 hits, 32 doubles and 10 triples. 1932 would officially be Jimmie Foxx’s breakout season where baseball fans would take notice of his talent. Playing in 154 games Foxx batted .364 with 58 home runs and 169 RBI’s off 213 hits, 33 doubles and 9 triples. Winning the American League Most Valuable Player award, Foxx had a slugging percentage of .749.

In 1933 Foxx played in 149 games and batted .356 with a .703 slugging percentage, 48 home runs and 163 RBI’s off 204 hits, 37 doubles and 9 triples. Foxx won not only another AL MVP award but he won the Triple Crown by leading the AL in batting average, home runs and runs batted in. In 1934 Foxx played in 150 games and batted .334 with 44 home runs and 130 RBI’s off 180 hits, 28 doubles and 11 stolen bases. Showing off the power, Foxx had a .653 slugging percentage.

Foxx played in 147 games in 1935 and batted .346 with 36 home runs and 115 RBI’s off 185 hits, 33 doubles and 7 triples. Foxx led the American League in slugging percentage with .636. In 1936 Jimmie Foxx moved on to play for the Boston Red Sox, and in 155 games he batted .338 with 41 home runs and 143 RBI’s off 198 hits, 32 doubles, 8 triples and 13 stolen bases. Foxx still fared well in slugging as he posted a percentage of .631.

In 1937 Foxx played in 150 games and batted .285 with 36 home runs and 127 RBI’s off 162 hits, 24 doubles, 6 triples and 10 stolen bases. In 1938 Foxx would claim another AL MVP award as he led the American League in batting average with .349, in on base percentage with .462, and in slugging percentage with .704. In 149 games Foxx had 50 home runs and 175 RBI’s off 197 hits, 33 doubles and 9 triples.

In 1939 Foxx played in 124 games and batted .360 with 35 home runs and 105 RBI’s off 168 hits, 31 doubles and 10 triples. Foxx led the AL with a .464 on base percentage and had a .694 slugging percentage. In 1940 Foxx played in 144 games and batted .297 with 36 home runs and 119 RBI’s off 153 hits and 30 doubles. In 1941 Foxx played in 135 games and batted .300 with 19 home runs and 105 RBI’s off 146 hits, 27 doubles and 8 triples.

Jimmie Foxx didn’t have the curtain call to a career that was fitting for a legend like him as he had multiple battles against an alcohol addiction. He split time between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs. In 1943 Foxx sat out the regular season due to said alcohol addiction, and then he returned to play for the Cubs in 1944. He finished his baseball career with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945, and playing in only 89 games he had 60 hits and 11 doubles at the age of 37.

A 2-time World Series Champion in 1929 and 1930 and a 9-time All-Star from 1933 all the way to 1941, Jimmie Foxx helped take the game of baseball to new heights in a time period where the average sports fan in America needed an emotional lift. The 2-time AL Batting Champion in 1933 and 1938 would be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 1951. Foxx was a first ballot Hall of Famer, getting 79.2% of votes.