Jim Sundberg

Did You Know?

• After retiring, Sundberg served as a color commentator on Rangers television games from 1990 to 1995.
• Galesburg High School named its main baseball field after Sundberg.

Playing career

Born in Galesburg, Illinois, Sundberg graduated from the University of Iowa, where he joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity. On January 10, 1973, the Texas Rangers selected him in the first round of the secondary free agent draft. He made the rare jump from Class A baseball to the major leagues on April 4, 1974, at age 22. As a rookie, he was a reserve in the 1974 All-Star Game and finished fourth in Rookie of the Year balloting.

In 1975, Sundberg recorded 101 assists, becoming the first American League catcher to exceed 100 assists in a season since World War II. His defense helped the Rangers finish above .500 for the first time since the club moved to Texas in 1972. After ten years with Texas, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in December 1983. Following one season with the Brewers, during which he was named an All-Star, he was traded to the Kansas City Royals.

His veteran presence bolstered the Royals' young pitching staff, and the team's combined ERA improved to second-best in the American League. The Royals won the 1985 American League Western Division championship by one game over the California Angels. In the 1985 American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Sundberg drove in four runs in the deciding game seven to help clinch the pennant. The Royals then won the 1985 World Series.

In game six, Sundberg scored the winning run in the ninth inning by sliding home, avoiding the tag of St. Louis catcher Darrell Porter, after reaching base on a bunt that forced a runner out at third. In 1986, the Royals' pitching staff led the league in ERA, but the team finished third in the division. Sundberg was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 1987, then signed back with Texas, ending his career at age 38 after the 1989 season.

Career statistics

Jim Sundberg spent 16 years in the majors, appearing in 1,962 games. He recorded 1,493 hits across 6,021 at-bats, finishing with a .248 batting average, 95 home runs, 624 RBIs, and a .327 on-base percentage. Defensively, his .993 fielding percentage sat eight points above the league average during his career. He topped American League catchers in fielding percentage, putouts, and assists six times each.

Sundberg turned 145 double plays and owns the MLB record for the best double-play-to-error ratio among catchers with at least 1,000 games behind the plate. His 155 games caught in 1975 remain an American League single-season record. He became the first catcher to win six AL Gold Gloves, and his 1976 award was the first ever for a Rangers player. Sundberg caught 130 shutouts, fifth-most all-time.

He holds the Rangers franchise record for games caught with 1,512. When he retired, only Bob Boone had caught more big-league games; Sundberg still sits fifth on the all-time list. A Society for American Baseball Research study ranked him the third-most dominant fielding catcher in MLB history.