Jim Maler

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=darkblue
bgcolor2=maroon
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Jim Maler
position=First baseman
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1958|8|16|
debutdate=September 3
debutyear=by|1981
debutteam=Seattle Mariners
finaldate=July 24
finalyear=by|1983
finalteam=Seattle Mariners
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.226
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=5
stat3label=RBI
stat3value=31
teams=
*Seattle Mariners (1981-1983)
highlights=
*Tied major league record for most assists in an inning by a first baseman

James Michael Maler (born August 16 1958 in New York City) is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Seattle Mariners from by|1981 to by|1983.

He was 6'4" tall and he weighed 230 pounds.

The draft and minor league career

Jim Maler was the "Miami Herald Athlete Of The Year" in 1976 while playing baseball, football and basketball at Coral Gables High School. He was the University of Miami "Athlete Of The Year" in 1977 while playing baseball and football at UM. His freshman hitting streak record lasted 30 years until it was broken in 2007. Maler was taken in the first round, fifth overall, in the by|1978 January Regular Phase draft by the Mariners out of Miami-Dade College (University of Miami).

Maler suffered a severe knee injury his first year in the minor leagues with Seattle, which slowed his career.

A power hitter in the minors, he hit as high as .310, hit as many as 24 home runs and drove in as many as 100 runs. Maler hit 97 home runs, 170 doubles, 27 triples and over 500 RBIs in his minor league career. His success in the minors did not carry over to the major leagues.

Major league career

On September 3, by|1981, at the age of 22, Maler made his big league debut, collecting 2 hits in 4 at bats against the Boston Red Sox, with his first at-bat turning into a double off the "Green Monster" at Fenway Park against pitcher Tom Burgmeier. His debut game ended up being a 19-inning ordeal, with the Mariners beating the Red Sox 8-7. This was a rather interesting game, as it set the Fenway Park longest game record in terms of innings played.

He played 12 games in the majors in 1981, hitting .348 in 23 at bats. It seemed as if he would live up to his first-round status.

In by|1982, he appeared in 64 games, batting .226 in 221 at bats. One of the highlights of his 1982 season was a grand slam he hit on May 22 off of Randy Lerch of the Milwaukee Brewers. Perhaps the best game of his career came on April 6 - his first game of the year. Maler went 3 for 4 with a home run and five RBI in a 11-7 win over the Minnesota Twins. Maler had the first single ever hit in the Metrodome.

1983 was tough for Maler. In 66 at bats, he hit only .182. In January 1984, he was traded to the New York Mets for minor leaguer John Semprini. Maler never appeared in the majors again.

It seems that, just as quickly as Maler's promising young career began, it was over. He played his final big league game on July 24, by|1983. His big league career was over before his 25th birthday as he suffered another devastating knee injury in 1984.

Career statistics

Maler hit .226 in 102 major league games. In 310 at bats, he collected 70 hits (including five home runs), drove in 31 runs, scored 24 runs, walked 19 times and struck out 47 times. He was a very solid fielder though, posting a .994 career fielding percentage.

Other information

*The numbers Maler wore were 11 (1981) and 33 (1982 and 1983)
*Maler is one of two first basemen who hold the American League record for most assists in an inning, with three. Dick Stuart is the only other AL first baseman to have had three assists in an inning.
*At last check, Maler lived in North Miami Beach, Florida.

External links

* [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=malerji01 Baseball Almanac]
* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/M/Pmalej101.htm Retrosheet]