Jackie Collum
From BR Bullpen
Jack Dean Collum
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 5' 7", Weight 163 lb.
- Debut September 21, 1951
- Final Game August 23, 1962
- Born June 21, 1927 in Victor, IA USA
- Died August 29, 2009 in Grinnell, IA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
The St. Louis Cardinals signed 19-year-old Jackie Collum to an amateur free agent contact in 1947 and assigned him to the St. Joseph Cardinals for his first look at the pros and the left hander answered with a 15-11 mark and a 3.29 ERA. He also found time to play a little outfield and had 47 base hits in 121 at bats for a .388 average. He was back with St. Joseph again in 1948 and won 24 and lost only 2 for a 2.47 ERA. Again he played some outfield, fell off a little, hitting only .280 with 40 base hits in 143 appearances.
Jackie would spend the next three seasons with the Omaha Cardinals and the Rochester Red Wings, going 15-8 for Rochester in 1951 with a 2.81 ERA and the Cardinals decided to take a late-season look at Collum. His first major league victory was a 6-0 two-hit shutout over the Chicago Cubs. He went 2-1 in three outings with a 1.59 ERA.
He was in Rochester again in 1952, winning 9 and losing 10 with a 3.77 ERA. One of his wins was a 9-0 no-hitter over the Ottawa Athletics on September 5th and again he would get a late-season look by the Cardinals, appearing in only three innings with no decisions.
Jackie started the 1953 season with the Cardinals but after no decisions in seven games he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on May 22, 1953 for Eddie Erautt. Collum would win 23 games over the next three seasons with the Cincinnati club, while alternating between starting and relieving. Jackie was reacquired by St. Louis in 1956 and was 6-2 with seven saves primarily out of the bullpen.
Between 1957 and 1962, he was in and out of the major leagues with several teams, the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins and the Cleveland Indians. He finished his nine-year major league career in 1962 with an overall record of 32 wins and 28 losses with a 4.15 ERA. A good hitting pitcher, he had a major league batting average of .246 (29 for 118).
Altogether, Collum spent 16 seasons in professional baseball from 1947 through 1962, retiring at age 35. His minor league stats show that he appeared in 405 contests, winning 128 and losing 95, pitching 1,932 innings, giving up 1,904 base hits and 740 base on balls for a 3.32 ERA. His career batting average in the minors was a good .269.
After baseball Collum became the owner of the Pioneer Oil Company in Grinnell, IA. He died there in 2009.
[edit] Sources
Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page
