Editing Jimmy Collins (section)

{{Short description|American baseball player (1870–1943)}}
{{other people||Jim Collins (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Jimmy Collins
|image= Jimmy Collins.jpg
|caption=Collins {{c.|1896–1900}}
|position=[[Third baseman]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
|birth_date={{Birth date|1870|1|16}}
|birth_place=[[Niagara Falls, New York]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1943|3|6|1870|1|16}}
|death_place=[[Buffalo, New York]], U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 19
|debutyear=1895
|debutteam=Louisville Colonels
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=August 29
|finalyear=1908
|finalteam=Philadelphia Athletics
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.294
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=65
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=983
|stat4label=Managerial record
|stat4value=455–376
|stat5label=Winning %
|stat5value={{winning percentage|455|376}}
|teams=
'''As player'''
* [[Boston Beaneaters]] ({{mlby|1895}})
* [[Louisville Colonels]] ({{mlby|1895}})
* [[Boston Beaneaters]] ({{mlby|1896}}–{{mlby|1900}})
* [[Boston Americans]] ({{mlby|1901}}–{{mlby|1907}})
* [[Philadelphia Athletics]] ({{mlby|1907}}–{{mlby|1908}})
'''As manager'''
* [[Boston Americans]] ({{mlby|1901}}–{{mlby|1906}})
|highlights=
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1903}})
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders|NL home run leader]] (1898)
* [[Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame]]
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate=[[1945 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1945]]
|hofmethod=Old-Timers Committee
}}
'''James Joseph Collins''' (January 16, 1870 – March 6, 1943) was an American professional [[baseball]] player. He played 14 seasons in [[Major League Baseball]]. In [[1945 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1945]], Collins was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]]. He played for the [[Boston Braves|Boston Beaneaters]], [[Louisville Colonels]], [[Boston Americans]], and [[Philadelphia Athletics]]. He also managed the Americans.

Collins was especially regarded for his defense. He was best known for his ability to field a [[Bunt (baseball)|bunt]]—prior to his debut, it was the [[shortstop]] who fielded bunts down the third base line—and is regarded as a pioneer of the modern defensive play of a third baseman. As of 2012, he is second all-time in [[putout]]s by a third baseman behind [[Brooks Robinson]].<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/PO_3b_career.shtml Career Leaders & Records for Putouts as 3B]</ref> At the plate, Collins finished his career with 65 [[home run]]s, 1055 [[run (baseball)|runs scored]], 983 [[run batted in|RBI]] and a .294 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]].<ref name="br" />

Collins was also the first manager of the [[Boston Red Sox]] franchise, then known as the Boston Americans. He was the winning manager in the first [[World Series]], as Boston defeated the [[1903 Pittsburgh Pirates season|Pittsburgh Pirates]] in the [[1903&nbsp;World Series]], five games to three.