Levey, Jim

James Julius Levey

Long before Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, Levey played professionally in two different sports. A light-hitting shortstop, he managed only a .230 average in 440 games for the St. Louis Browns in the 1930s. But after he finished his major league baseball career in 1933, he spent the next three years playing pro football for the Pittsburgh Pirates -- later the Steelers -- as a rusher and receiver.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. September 15, 1906 - d. March 14, 1970

Career Highlights:
Levey developed a love for baseball while growing up in Pittsburgh. Told he was too small to play the game in elementary and high school, he became a batboy for a local semi-pro team in an effort to learn the game. After Levey dropped out of high school -- he became an apprentice to a printer -- he began playing for semi-pro team. To increase his strength, he began working at an iron mill. His work at the mill, however, caused him to lose interest in baseball and he decided to pursue a career as a miller.

In 1923, when he was still only a teenager, Levey joined the U.S. Marines. While with the Marines, his athletic ability was finally realized as he played on his post's football, basketball, and baseball teams. In 1926, he played on the All-Marine team that won the Service Championship at America's Sequicentennial celebration. He re-enlisted in 1927 and began playing professional baseball after signing a contract with the St. Louis Browns in 1929. He spent that season in the minors and then made his major league debut the following year.

After hitting only .209 righthanded in 1931, Jim changed to switch-hitting in 1932, and batted .280 in 152 games. He stole 13 bases during the 1931 season (10th in the league), and hit eight triples in 1932. Unfortunately, he had some problems in the field. In three years as the Browns' regular shortstop, Levey was charged with (no, this is not a misprint) 147 errors.

Career Dates:
Levey played with the St. Louis Browns, 1930-1933.

Position:
Shortstop

Physical description:
5'10-1/2", 154 pounds
Throws right, bats both. Batted right 1930-1931

Career Statistics:
Games: 440
Batting Avg.: .230
Slugging Avg.: .305

At-bats: 1632
Hits: 375
Doubles: 61
Triples: 14

Home Runs: 11
Home Run %: 0.7
Runs: 162
RBI: 140

BB: 85
Strike Outs: 201
Stolen Bases: 23

Pinch Hitting
At-bats: 2
Hits: 0

Fielding Statistics
Put-outs: 871
Assists: 1291
Errors: 149
Double-plays: 254

Total Chances per Game: 5.3
Fielding Avg: .936

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