Jim Wynn played 11 seasons with Houston, including two as part of the Colt .45s.
Everystros CXIV
We’re really getting down to the nitty gritty, and not a moment too soon, it seems.
8. Jim Wynn (Bagwell score 81.45) was a five-foot-10 right-handed outfielder from Cincinnati, OH. Born on March 12, 1942, he made his major league debut for the Houston Colt .45s on July 10, 1963, when he went one-for-four in a 2-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates. On September 26, he hit a sixth-inning two-run home run to cut into a three-run lead, added an eighth-inning game-tying RBI-triple, and later drew a walk in an eventual 5-4 win, courtesy of a Bob Aspromonte 11th-inning RBI-single.
Wynn hit .244/.319/.372 as a rookie, going 61-for-250 with 10 doubles, five three-baggers, four home runs, and four stolen bases in six attempts. He drew 30 walks and whiffed 53 times, crossing the plate 31 times and driving in 27 over 70 games. Defensively, he started 43 games in left field (360 innings, .955), 13 games at shortstop (130 innings, .926), 10 games in centerfield (87 innings, no errors), and twice at third base (17 innings, no errors). Unfortunately, the only thing Wynn figured amongst the league leaders was in errors committed in left field, where he ranked tied for fifth with four.
In 1964, Wynn appeared in 67 games for the Colts, hitting .224/.301/.324 by going 49-for-219 with seven doubles, five home runs, and five stolen bases in 10 attempts. He drew 24 bases on balls and struck out 58 times, scoring 19 runs and driving in another 18. His defensive skillset was used exclusively in the outfield his second time through the circuit, with 50 starts in centerfield (449 1⁄3 innings, .949) and 12 in left field (103 1⁄3 innings, no errors). He again ranked amongst the league leaders with a NL-fourth six errors in center, but also ranked third with three double plays turned as an outfielder. On April 18, in a 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Braves, Wynn singled in the fourth and hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth, with the eventual deciding runs.
In 1965, Wynn figured into a lot of game-changing plays, with a ridiculous Yordan-like 5.119 WPA to the positive side. On April 18, Wynn hit a run-scoring second-inning single, a sixth-inning RBI-single, and an eighth-inning game-tying RBI-single in a 5-4 win over the Pirates. On April 28, he hit a game-tying first-inning RBI-double, a fourth-inning game-tying two-run error on the shortstop (no RBI), a sixth-inning RBI-walk, later in the frame scoring the game-tying run, then added an eighth-inning single and scored on a Walt Bond triple to help topple the New York Mets, 12-9. On May 26, Wynn hit a first-inning game-tying two-run double, a third-inning go-ahead two-run triple, later scoring a run, then hit a fifth-inning solo home run and stole a base in the sixth in an 8-3 victory against the Cincinnati Reds. On June 19, he hit a lead-changing two-run fifth-inning double and a game-tying eighth-inning leadoff home run in a 5-3, 11-inning loss to the Bucs. On June 30, he drew a first-inning RBI-walk, hit a fourth-inning single, then hit an eighth-inning go-ahead RBI-triple. Not quite content, he then stole home to help top the San Francisco Giants, 6-4. On July 5, he posted his first career four-hit game, with a first-inning RBI-single, a third-inning triple, a fifth-inning single, with a stolen base and a run, and a ninth-inning single to help defeat the Braves, 5-4. On August 18, he singled in the first, hit a sixth-inning double, then hit an RBI-double in the bottom of the ninth to pull Houston within a run of Pittsburgh, although the Pirates won two batters later, 8-7. Two days later, he drew a walk and scored in the first, drew a walk in the second, hit a solo home run in the seventh, then reached on an error and scored the go-ahead run in the ninth, in a 7-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. On August 25, he drew a walk in the first, drew a walk to load the bases in a scoreless fifth, reached on a run-scoring error in the sixth, then drew another walk in the eighth, in a wild, 7-6 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. The next day, he hit a game-tying sixth-inning RBI-double, then singled and scored in the eighth in a 6-4 win over Philly. On August 28, he reached on a run-scoring first-inning error, then later scored himself against the Pirates. In the seventh, he hit a lead-changing three-run homer in a 9-6 victory. On September 6, he hit a lead-changing two-run sixth-inning homer, then added an eighth-inning double in a 2-1 victory against the Cubs.
Wynn’s 7.4 bWAR ranked 10th in the NL, and fifth among position players, while his 7.5 offensive bWAR ranked second. In 157 games, he started 150 in centerfield (1365 2⁄3 innings, .978), leading all NL outfielders with 384 putouts and 13 outfield assists. As a hitter, he slashed .275/.371/.470, going 155-for-564 with an NL-ninth 30 doubles, seven triple, 22 home runs, and an NL-third 43 stolen bases in 47 attempts, for an NL-leading 91.5 percent steal-success rate. He drew 84 walks and struck out 126 times, scoring 90 runs and driving in 73.
In 1966, Wynn appeared in 105 games in total, starting 104 times in centerfield (925 innings, .978). Despite his reduced time in the field, he still ranked fifth in the senior circuit with 262 putouts, and led with three double plays from the centerfield position. As a hitter, he was 107-for-418 with 21 doubles, one triple, 18 home runs, and 13 stolen bases in 23 attempts. He drew 41 walks and struck out 81 times, with 62 runs and 62 RBI.
On April 14, Wynn hit an RBI-sacrifice fly in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He added a sixth-inning single and an eighth-inning game-tying RBI-double, later scoring in a 4-2 win. On May 11, he hit a lead-changing three-run homer in a 6-4 win over the New York Mets. Two days later, he doubled in the fourth, then hit a ninth-inning solo home run in a 1-0 victory over the Phillies. On May 21, he hit a first-inning RBI-single, a fourth-inning solo home run, then walked the Phillies off with an 11th-inning RBI-single for a 4-3 win. On June 5, he hit a first-inning two-run homer, a third-inning go-ahead solo home run, a fifth-inning single, and a seventh-inning double with a run scored in a 10-5 loss to the Bucs. On June 22, he hit a first-inning single, a third-inning double, a sixth-inning double, and an eighth-inning solo home run in a 5-2 loss to the Dodgers. On July 19, he hit a third-inning single, a fourth-inning lead-changing three-run homer, and an eighth-inning single, in an 8-2 triumph over the Phillies. The next day, he hit a third-inning single and scored a run and a sixth-inning game-tying three-run homer in a 13-9 loss to Philadelphia.
In 1967, Wynn made his first All-Star Team and finished sixth in the NL with 6.5 offensive bWAR. He ranked eighth with a .495 slugging percentage, fifth with 102 runs scored, eighth with 294 total bases, 10th with 29 doubles, second with 37 home runs, fourth with 107 RBI, sixth with 74 walks, second with 69 extra-base hits, and led the league in…..strikeouts, 137 of them.
Wynn appeared in a NL-fifth 158 games, starting 156 of them in center field (1,379 2⁄3 innings, .968). As a hitter, he was 148-for-594, slashing .249/.331/.495 with 29 doubles, three triples, 37 home runs, and 16 stolen bases in 20 attempts. He drew 74 walks against his 137 strikeouts, scoring 102 times and driving in 107.
On April 24, he hit three singles and a double, scoring Houston’s only run in a 3-1 loss to the Reds. On April 28, hit a 10th-inning game-tying solo home run and a 12th-inning double in a 5-4 victory against the Cubs. On June 12, he singled in the fourth and an eighth-inning three-run go-ahead home run in a 5-2 win over the Giants. On June 15, he hit a game-tying fourth-inning solo home run, a sixth-inning go-ahead solo home run, and an eighth-inning solo home run in a 6-2 win over San Francisco. On June 23, he hit a first-inning two-run homer, a fifth-inning stolen base, and an eighth-inning two-run go-ahead single in a 9-8 loss to the Cubs. On July 23, he hit a single and two home runs for four RBI in an 8-5 win over the Pirates. The next day, he hit an 11th-inning walk-off RBI-single in a 2-1 win over the Phillies. On July 30, in the second game of a twin-bill, he hit a double and two home runs for a total of six RBI, in a 9-1 victory over the Mets. On August 29, he hit an eighth-inning lead-changing three-run shot to top the Cubs, 5-3. On September 9, he hit a single and two solo home runs in a 5-3 win over the Dodgers. The next day, in the second half of a double-header, he hit an eighth-inning single and a go-ahead 11th-inning solo home run in a 1-0 victory over the Dodgers. On September 11, he hit a third-inning solo home run, a fifth-inning RBI-double, and a sixth-inning RBI-sacrifice fly in an 11-10 win against the Cubs.
The 1968 campaign would see Wynn appear in 156 games, starting 89 games in center (778 2⁄3 innings, .981), 57 games in left (516 innings, .980), and six times in right (55 1⁄3 innings, no errors). He went 146-for-542 at the plate, slashing .269/.376/.474 with 23 doubles, five triples, and NL-sixth, 26 home runs, and 11 stolen bases in 28 attempts. He drew an NL-second 90 walks and struck out 131, scoring an NL-ninth 85 times and driving in 67.
Wynn ranked second in the NL with 6.3 oWAR, third in OBP, seventh in SLG, sixth with an .850 OPS, second with nine assists from left field, first with 11 assists from centerfield, and led everyone with his 20 combined outfield assists. That’s almost once a week.
On July 11, in Game Two of a double-header, Wynn hit a lead-changing three-run eighth-inning home run in an eventual 8-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Two days later, he singled in the first and stole a base, then hit a game-tying three-run homer in a 5-4 loss to the Cardinals. On September 7, he hit an RBI-sacrifice fly in the first inning, a sixth-inning solo home run and a 10th-inning go-ahead RBI-double with a run scored in a 6-3 win over the Braves. On September 22, he hit a pair of home runs with three RBI in a 6-1 win over the Reds.
In 1969, Wynn ranked 10th in the NL with 7.1 bWAR, fourth of position players and second with 8.5 oWAR. His OBP was second and his SLG ranked 10th, with a .943 OPS that ranked him sixth. He hit 133-for-495, slashing .269/.436/.507 with 17 doubles, one triple, an NL-fifth 33 home runs, and a league-seventh 23 stolen bases in 30 attempts. He drew an NL-leading 148 walks, struck out 142 times, scored an NL-third 113 runs, and drove in 87. He appeared in 149 games in total, starting 148 times in center field (1,292 2⁄3 innings, .983).
On May 2, Wynn hit two homers for three RBI, accounting for all of Houston’s runs in a 3-1 victory over the Giants. On May 24, he hit a pair of solo home runs in a 5-1 win over the Mets. On June 27, he hit a two-run go-ahead second-inning double and a game-tying eighth-inning RBI-single in a 5-4 loss to Atlanta. On July 8, he hit two homers for three RBI in a 7-4 loss to San Francisco. On August 24, in the first game of a twin bill against the Cubs, he hit a single and two home runs, drawing two walks and collecting three RBI in a 10-9 loss. On September 13, he hit a seventh-inning single and a 13th-inning two-run go-ahead single in an eventual 3-2 loss to the Braves.
In 1970, Wynn appeared in an NL-10th 157 games, starting 83 times in centerfield (741 1⁄3 innings, .989) and 66 times in left field (554 1⁄3 innings, .978), with an NL-fourth 14 total outfield assists. As a hitter, he ranked eighth with 5.8 oWAR, going 156-for-554 with a .282/.394/.493 slashline, ranking 10th in OBP. He hit 32 doubles, two triples, 27 homers, and stole an NL-ninth 24 bases in 29 attempts. He drew an NL-fourth 106 walks and struck out 96 times, with 82 runs and 88 RBI.
On April 12, Wynn hit two homers for three RBI in an 8-3 win over the Braves. On April 21, he totaled five RBI on a double and a homer, in a 9-8 loss to the Pirates. On May 15, he hit a third-inning RBI-double, a fifth-inning solo home run, a seventh-inning RBI-single, and a ninth-inning game-tying RBI-double, later scoring in an eventual 10-8, 10-inning loss to the San Diego Padres. On June 5, he brought two runs home in the third on an error (no RBI) to go ahead, 2-1, later stealing a base. He led off with a double in the fifth, and drew a walk and scored a game-tying run in the ninth, then led off the 11th inning with a single and later scored the walk-off game-winner on a Denis Menke RBI-single to defeat the Phillies, 8-7. On July 22, he hit a first-inning solo home run, a third-inning RBI-single, drew a walk and scored a run in the fourth, then singled in the eighth inning of a 13-9 win over St. Louis. Four days later, he hit a two-run 10th-inning go-ahead home run in a 6-4 win over the Pirates. On August 30, he hit a two-run home run in the first, a game-tying two-run home run in the third, a single in the fifth, a run-scoring RBI-walk in the sixth, and hit a single in the eighth inning of a 9-5 win over the Mets. Two days later, he hit a fourth-inning double, a game-tying run-scoring ninth-inning double in a 2-1 loss to San Diego.
In 1971, Wynn appeared in 123 games, starting 64 times in right field (577 1⁄3 innings, .984), 38 games in centerfield (364 2⁄3 innings, .991), and one time in left field (nine innings, no errors). He went 82-for-404, slashing .203/.302/.295 with 16 doubles, seven home runs, and 10 stolen bases in 15 attempts. He drew 56 walks and struck out 63 times, with 38 runs scored and 45 RBI.
On May 2, Wynn hit a game-tying RBI-single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth in a 6-5 win over the Mets. On July 5, he hit a lead-changing two-run single in the sixth, which turned out to be the game-winning hit in a 4-3 win over the Reds. On August 15, he hit a lead-changing two-run eighth-inning single in a 5-4 win over Atlanta.
The 1972 campaign would see Wynn appear in 145 games and start 135 of them in right field (1207 innings, NL-leading .985) and nine in center field (90 innings, .958). He hit .273/.389/.470, going 148-for-542 with 29 doubles, three triples, 24 home runs, and 17 stolen bases in 24 attempts. He drew 103 walks and struck out 99 times, scoring 117 times and driving in 90.
On April 26, Wynn hit a two-run game-tying triple in the third inning, scoring a go-ahead run on a Lee May double, a game-tying eighth-run solo home run in a 5-4 Houston victory over the Cubs. On May 1, he hit a lead-changing fifth-inning grand slam, a seventh-inning double, and scored the go-ahead run in a 9-8 win over the Bucs. On June 16, he hit a seventh-inning single and an 11th-inning walk-off solo home run to defeat the Phillies, 1-0. On June 26, he hit a first-inning two-run homer and a seventh-inning go-ahead RBI-double in a 14-7 win over San Diego. Three days later, he singled in the seventh and tied the game on a non-RBI error, scoring the go-ahead run in the ninth inning of an 8-6 win over the Dodgers. On July 12, he hit a single and two home runs for four RBI in a 10-6 win over the Cubs. On August 25, he hit a game-tying two-run seventh-inning homer and a ninth-inning single in a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Expos. On September 17, he hit a third-inning RBI-triple and scored, a fourth-inning RBI-single and scored, a seventh-inning RBI-single, scoring the go-ahead run, then doubled and scored a ninth-inning run in a 15-11 win over the Dodgers. On September 30, he hit a game-tying two-run single with two outs in the ninth, then hit a go-ahead 12th-inning home run to defeat the Padres, 6-5.
In 1973, Wynn went 106-for-481 with a .220/.347/.395 slashline. He hit 14 doubles, five triples, 20 homers, and 14 stolen bases in 25 attempts. He drew 91 walks and struck out 102 times, scoring 90 runs and driving in 55. He appeared in 139 games, starting 122 games in right field (1,081 2⁄3 innings, NL-leading .985), five games in center (58 1⁄3 innings, no errors), and zero games in left (seven innings, no errors).
On April 11, Wynn hit two solo home runs in a 5-4 loss to the Giants. On April 27, he hit an eighth-inning single and scored, then drew a walk and scored the walk-off run in the 10th inning of a 6-5 win over the Expos. The next day, he hit a seventh-inning lead-changing three-run homer in a 5-3 win over Montreal. On April 29, he hit a sixth-inning single, then drew a walk and scored the game-tying run in the ninth inning of an eventual walk-off, 4-3 win over the Expos. On May 20, he walked off the Giants with a ninth-inning home run for an 8-7 victory. On July 12, he hit a first-inning solo home run, an eighth-inning single with a run scored, and a go-ahead ninth-inning solo shot to defeat the Phillies, 7-6. On August 6, he walked and scored in the fourth, singled and scored the game-tying run in the sixth, hit a go-ahead RBI-single then stole a base and scored in the eighth inning of a 5-4 win over the Reds. On September 13, he singled, stole a base and scored in the first, hit a game-tying RBI-double in the second, hit a two-run double in the sixth, then topped it off with an eighth-inning single in an 8-6 loss to the Dodgers.
On December 6, 1973, the Astros traded Wynn to the Dodgers for David Culpepper and Claude Osteen. Wynn played two seasons for the Dodgers (280 games, .261/.394/.463, 50 home runs, 166 RBI), one for the Braves (148 games, .207/.377/.367, 17 home runs, 66 RBI), the first half of 1977 with the New York Yankees (30 games, .143/.283/.234, one homer, three RBI) and the second half of the year with the Milwaukee Brewers (36 games, .197/.294/.239, 10 RBI).
After his playing career, Wynn served as a post-game analyst on FSN Houston, and also served in community outreach. Wynn’s number 24 was retired by the Astros on June 25, 2005. He passed away on March 26, 2020. SABR Bio