Jim Todd (baseball)

Infobox MLB retired
name=Jim Todd
position=Pitcher


bats=Left
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1947|9|21
city-state|Lancaster|Pennsylvania
debutdate=April 29
debutyear=by|1974
debutteam=Chicago Cubs
finaldate=September 28
finalyear=by|1979
finalteam=Oakland Athletics
stat1label=Win-Loss record
stat1value=25-23
stat2label=ERA
stat2value=4.23
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=194
teams=
*Chicago Cubs (1974, 1977)
*Oakland Athletics (1975-76, 1979)
*Seattle Mariners (1978)

James Richard Todd, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played six seasons in the majors from by|1974 until by|1979.

Todd was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft. He pitched in their organization through his major league debut in 1974, when he went 4-2 with 3 saves. Shortly before the by|1975 season, Todd was traded to the Oakland Athletics.

In 1975, Todd posted career bests in wins (8), saves (12), and ERA (2.29), and even received votes on the MVP ballot for the AL West division champion A's. He pitched briefly in each of the three games of the ALCS, which Oakland lost to the Boston Red Sox.

The following season, Todd's performance slipped, setting a career high in losses with 8 and seeing his ERA rise by over a run and a half to 3.81. For the first time in his career, Todd also walked more than he struck out. His decline mirrored that of the team, which missed the playoffs for the first time since by|1970. The following spring, Todd was shipped back to the Cubs for veteran pitcher Joe Coleman.

In by|1977, Todd fell apart, posting an ERA over 9 in 22 games, giving up 66 baserunners in 30 2/3 innings. After July, Todd did not pitch in the majors, and in October he was sent to the Seattle Mariners. Todd bounced back somewhat in by|1978, but he still was giving up a lot of baserunners -- 174 in 106 2/3 innings.

After being released by the Mariners in February, he got one last shot with the team with which he'd had his greatest success, the A's. Oakland was in the midst of losing 108 games in by|1979, and Todd contributed a 6.56 ERA, walking nearly twice as many batters as he struck out. He was released the following spring, and never returned to the major leagues.

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