Jim McKnight

Who was Jim McKnight?

James Arthur McKnight was an American professional baseball player whose career lasted for 18 seasons. He appeared in 63 games in Major League Baseball as a third baseman, outfielder and pinch hitter in 1960 and 1962 for the Chicago Cubs. McKnight threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed 185 pounds.

The native of Bee Branch, Arkansas, signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1955 and spent 5½ seasons in the Redbirds' farm system without getting into an MLB game. On June 15, 1960, he was traded by St. Louis to the Cubs for veteran outfielder Walt Moryn. After spending much of the rest of the season with the Cubs' Houston Buffs Triple-A affiliate, he made his Major League debut in September, going 2-for-6 in three games. McKnight returned to the Buffs in 1961 and set personal bests for home runs and runs batted in, then spent the entire 1962 on the roster of the MLB Cubs. In 60 games that season, 50 as a pinch hitter, McKnight collected 19 hits, including one triple, with six runs scored and five runs batted in.