Jim Lemon

[Al from SoDak]

The Washington Senators moved to Minnesota prior to the 1961 season. The Senators came into existence in 1901 as a charter member of the American League and, for the most part, had a reputation as a lousy baseball club, prompting famed sportswriter Charley Dryden to joke: “Washington: First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League.” In their 60 years in Washington, the Senators finished in first place only three times and won only a single World Series, which was way back in 1924. From 1955-60, they finished last in the eight-team American League four times in six years. However, the cupboard was not completely bare when they moved to the Upper Midwest. In 1960, their record improved to 73-81, good enough for fifth place. They had a couple of decent young pitchers in Camilo Pascual and Pedro Ramos, but the power hitters had fans excited. There was a young All-Star in Harmon Killebrew, the 1959 Rookie of the Year in Bob Allison, and a promising young catcher in Earl Battey. Additionally, there was also another heralded power-hitting All-Star coming from Washington. His name was Jim Lemon.

James Robert Lemon was born in Covington, Virginia, on March 23, 1928. Before the 1948 season, the Cleveland Indians signed Lemon. He grew up going by Bob, but after signing to play pro ball, he changed to Jim to avoid confusion with Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Lemon, who played his entire career with Cleveland from 1946-1958. Their MLB careers and time in Cleveland did overlap, and there most certainly would have been confusion.

Jim Lemon, the tall, lanky outfielder, played parts of three minor league seasons before debuting in Major League Baseball on August 20, 1950, against the Chicago White Sox. The 6’4” outfielder batted third and went 1-4 with a sixth-inning single to left. He played in only 11 more games during that 1950 season, collecting six hits in 37 plate appearances. He had his first career home run on September 16 against Washington. 

In 1951 and 1952, Lemon, like many other MLB players of that era, served in the United States Army during those Korean War years. He was stationed primarily at Fort Meade, Maryland. When he returned to baseball, he played briefly for Cleveland in 1953 before being purchased by Washington early in the 1954 season. He spent most of the 1954 season in Class-A but did get 37 games in Washington. In 1955, he again started in the minors at Double-A. Lemon put up big numbers, batting .278/.387/.525 for a .912 OPS. He slugged 24 home runs, 32 doubles and 12 triples. He had 109 runs batted in. That was enough to prove that he was ready for the major leagues. The Senators called him up for good in September of 1955.

Lemon hit his stride in 1956, starting an impressive five-year stretch. In those five seasons (1956-60), his OPS+ was never below 114; he topped 25 home runs four times, hit double-digit doubles each season, and led the league with 11 triples in 1956. Keep in mind, Griffith Stadium had a deep left field wall, which changed many times over the years from 408 feet at its longest to a reported distance of about 358 feet when Lemon played there (still deeper than most left fields throughout MLB). Center field appears to have always been a lengthy 421 feet. Despite the field dimensions, the right-handed slugger was still a top home run hitter. He hit prodigious home runs. Lemon also had over 90 runs batted in three times in those five years. He received MVP votes in 1959 and 1960 and went to both All-Star games in 1960 when he had his career high of 38 home runs, third to Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. The enormous power hitter was also a free swinger who racked up a lot of strikeouts, leading the American League from 1956-58. But with Lemon, Killebrew, and Allison, Minnesota baseball fans could look forward to a power-hitting foundation as each of the three had topped 30 home runs at least once in their careers. 

Killebrew (25 years old) and Allison (26) were young up-and-comers in 1961 and would prove to be valuable building blocks in Minnesota. Unfortunately for Twins fans, Lemon was 32 and would start to show signs of decline almost immediately. Additionally, he missed part of the 1961 spring training in a contract dispute. Possibly because of age and the holdout, in 1961, Lemon played his fewest games (129) and hit his fewest home runs (14) since 1955. His best years were behind him. In 1962 and 1963, he played only 12 and seven games for the Twins. His last game with the Twins was April 30, 1963. He was batting only .118 with no extra-base hits. He then bounced around to Philadelphia and the White Sox to end 1963. He sustained a major shoulder injury on September 24, 1963, which ended his career at age 35.

Lemon finished his career with a batting line of .262/.332/.460 for an OPS of .792. His career OPS+ was 114. He hit 164 home runs and had 529 RBI. He had four seasons in the top 10 of the American League in home runs. In one game in 1959, Lemon had two home runs and six RBI in one inning. Baseball Reference’s Bullpen page reports that he hit four (some sources say five) home runs in one minor league All-Star game in 1955. Lemon is in the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. His 144 home runs are the second most to Roy Sievers (180) in the 60-year history of the original Senators.

After his playing career, the humble Lemon remained in the game, serving as a coach for the Twins during two different installments – 1965-67 and 1981-84. In 1968, he returned to Washington and managed the expansion Washington Senators. Lemon was fired after a single season in which Washington finished last with a 65-96 record. He also served as a minor league coach and scout through the years. During and after his playing career, Lemon was also involved in the restaurant business. Jim Lemon passed away in 2006 at the age of 78.

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