1959–1983 · P

Jim Kaat

6' 4", 205 lbs·Lived to 88·Bats L / Throws L

Hall of Fame · 202216×Gold GloveAll-Star

The Almanac's Take

The 16 Gold Gloves tell the story better than any ERA. Kaat redefined what it meant to be a fielding pitcher, turning defensive wizardry into an art form that kept him in rotations for 25 seasons. His glove work was so exceptional that he won Gold Gloves in three different decades, a feat matched by precious few players at any position.

The numbers reveal a pitcher who understood his limitations and maximized his strengths. That 3.45 ERA over 4,530 innings speaks to remarkable durability and consistency rather than dominance — his career 102 ERA+ places him right at league average for his era. But Kaat's value transcended traditional pitching metrics.

His 25-year career bridged baseball generations, from the tail end of the Dead Ball Era's influence through the offensive explosion of the late 1970s. The Veterans Committee finally recognized in 2022 what teammates knew for decades: sometimes the most valuable players are those who do everything well rather than one thing spectacularly.

Career Highs

2.06

Best ERA · 1972

Most W · 1966

211

Most K · 1967

1.006

Best WHIP · 1972

Career Arc · OPS

20 seasons

Career Arc · ERA

25 seasons

Statistical Comps

Johnny Cueto

98%

2022 season

K/9 5.8 · BB/9 1.9 · HR/9 0.85 · SP · FB 91.4 mph · Whiff% 15

Zack Wheeler

98%

2020 season

K/9 6.7 · BB/9 2.0 · HR/9 0.38 · SP · FB 96.8 mph · Whiff% 21

Brad Keller

98%

2020 season

K/9 5.8 · BB/9 2.8 · HR/9 0.33 · SP · FB 92.7 mph · Whiff% 18

Career · Hitting

25 seasons

Year	Team	G	AB	HR	RBI	AVG	OPS	OPS+
1959	WS1	3	1	0	0	.000	.000	—
1960	WS1	13	14	0	0	.143	.286	—
1961	MIN	47	63	0	1	.238	.612	—
1962	MIN	48	100	1	10	.180	.499	—
1963	MIN	36	61	1	8	.131	.381	—
1964	MIN	46	83	3	11	.169	.552	—
1965	MIN	56	93	1	9	.247	.588	—
1966	MIN	47	118	2	13	.195	.507	—
1967	MIN	45	99	1	4	.172	.479	—
1968	MIN	36	77	0	5	.156	.372	—
1969	MIN	43	87	2	10	.207	.615	—
1970	MIN	56	76	1	8	.197	.512	72
1971	MIN	54	93	0	5	.161	.372	55
1972	MIN	24	45	2	4	.289	.793	119
1973	MIN	38	0	0	0	—	—	—
1974	CWS	42	1	0	0	.000	.000	0
1975	CWS	43	0	0	0	—	—	—
1976	PHI	42	79	1	8	.177	.474	70
1977	PHI	36	53	0	2	.189	.463	63
1978	PHI	26	48	0	4	.146	.330	47
1979	PHI	43	1	0	0	.000	.500	69
1980	STL	53	35	1	2	.143	.446	62
1981	STL	41	8	0	2	.375	.944	137
1982	STL	62	12	0	0	.000	.077	11
1983	STL	24	4	0	0	.000	.000	0
Career		1004	1251	16	106	.185	—	—

Career · Pitching

25 seasons

Year	Team	G	IP	W	L	ERA	ERA+	SO	WHIP
1959	WS1	3	5.0	0	2	12.60	31	2	2.200
1960	WS1	13	50.0	1	5	5.58	68	25	1.580
1961	MIN	36	200.7	9	17	3.90	103	122	1.346
1962	MIN	39	269.0	18	14	3.14	126	173	1.182
1963	MIN	31	178.3	10	10	4.19	83	105	1.307
1964	MIN	36	243.0	17	11	3.22	111	171	1.198
1965	MIN	45	264.3	18	11	2.83	124	154	1.248
1966	MIN	41	304.7	25	13	2.75	128	205	1.070
1967	MIN	42	263.3	16	13	3.04	109	211	1.181
1968	MIN	30	208.0	14	12	2.94	101	130	1.115
1969	MIN	40	242.3	14	13	3.49	103	139	1.349
1970	MIN	45	230.3	14	10	3.56	109	120	1.311
1971	MIN	39	260.3	13	14	3.32	104	137	1.237
1972	MIN	15	113.3	10	2	2.06	158	64	1.006
1973	MIN	36	224.3	15	13	4.37	86	109	1.306
1974	CWS	42	277.3	21	13	2.92	124	142	1.175
1975	CWS	43	303.7	20	14	3.11	119	142	1.311
1976	PHI	38	227.7	12	14	3.48	101	83	1.199
1977	PHI	35	160.3	6	11	5.39	74	55	1.565
1978	PHI	26	140.3	8	5	4.10	90	48	1.297
1979	NYY	43	66.7	3	3	3.92	102	25	1.380
1980	STL	53	134.7	8	8	3.94	97	37	1.374
1981	STL	41	53.0	6	6	3.40	105	8	1.453
1982	STL	62	75.0	5	3	4.08	94	35	1.360
1983	STL	24	34.7	0	0	3.89	99	19	1.673
Career		898	4530.2	283	237	—	—	2461	—

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