Batting average .247 Role Baseball player Name Jim Landis | Runs batted in 467 Home runs 93 Education Richmond High School | |
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WS1959 Gm3: Jim Landis lays out to rob Gilliam in the 1st
James Henry Landis (born March 9, 1934) is a former American professional baseball player. Landis played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a center fielder on six teams from 1957 through 1967. While playing eight seasons for the Chicago White Sox, he was an American League (AL) All-Star in 1962 and an AL Gold Glove Award winner five consecutive seasons. Landis is considered to be one of the best defensive center fielders in major-league history.
Contents
- WS1959 Gm3 Jim Landis lays out to rob Gilliam in the 1st
- Major League career
- Later years
- Legacy
- References
Landis attended Richmond High School in Richmond, California where he starred in baseball as a third baseman and Contra Costa College in San Pablo, California. He was signed by the White Sox as an amateur free agent in 1952. He served in the U.S. Army in 1954 and 1955, and was stationed in Alaska.
Major League career
Landis began his career in the major leagues playing for the Chicago White Sox in 1957, where he remained for seven more seasons. He helped the "Go-Go White Sox" win the 1959 American League Pennant, hitting .272 with 26 doubles. He led the American League that season with 13 sacrifice hits and 426 and 420 putouts as a center fielder and an outfielder, and hit .292 during the 1959 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In the 1960 season, he hit .253 and had 23 stolen bases. In 1961, he hit .283 with 22 home runs, 8 triples, 85 RBIs, and won his first of five consecutive American League Gold Glove Awards. In 1962, he played in two All-Star games. In 1963, Landis led the American League in fielding with a .993 fielding average both as a center fielder and an outfielder.
Landis was traded on January 20, 1965 to the Kansas City Athletics, where he played one season. He also played one season for the Cleveland Indians in 1966. In 1967, he finished his 11-year major league career playing for three teams: The Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and the Boston Red Sox.
Later years
Landis went into the safety sign business for several years after playing professional baseball and also coached for Babe Ruth League baseball. He makes his home in Napa, California with his wife Sandy (nee Foster).)
Legacy
The Chicago White Sox announced on September 30, 2000, that Jim Landis and 26 other former and active White Sox players were members of the Chicago White Sox All-Century Team.