James Justin Acker (born September 24, 1958) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to . He played college baseball at the University of Texas. Acker was drafted in the first round by the Atlanta Braves in the

1980 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1980 Major League Baseball draft. Compensation Picks Other notable players *Tim Teufel, 2nd round, 38th overall Minnesota Twins *Dan Plesac, 2nd round, 41st overall S ...

and was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays teams that won the , , and American League East division. He also played for the Seattle Mariners.

Professional career

Toronto Blue Jays

He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the first round (21st selection) of the

. On December 6, , he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays from the Atlanta Braves in the Rule 5 Draft. He pitched for the Jays for four years performing mainly as a relief pitcher.

Atlanta Braves

On July 6, , Acker was traded by the Blue Jays to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Joe Johnson. He spent four years with the Braves, compiling a record of 7-27 with 16 saves and a 3.71 ERA in 169 games. On August 24, , Acker was traded by the Braves back to the Toronto Blue Jays for Francisco Cabrera and Tony Castillo.

Toronto Blue Jays (second tenure)

Acker spent part of the year and the complete and seasons back with the Blue Jays. In his entire seven-year career with the Jays he compiled a record of 26-22 with 14 saves and an ERA of 4.07 in 281 games. On October 31, , he was granted free agency.

Seattle Mariners

Acker signed as a free agent with the Seattle Mariners on February 2, . He appeared in 17 games with the Mariners, compiling a 5.28 ERA, before he was released on July 21, .Baseball Reference
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Retirement

Acker ended his baseball career after six appearances with the Oklahoma City 89ers, the Texas Rangers Triple-A affiliate, in 1993.

Career statistics

In 467 major league games, Acker compiled a 33-49 record with 32 games started, 159 games finished, 30 saves, 329 walks, 482 strikeouts and a 3.97 ERA. He was an excellent fielding pitcher, recording a .992

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

with only two errors in 236 total chances in 904.1

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. Both his miscues were against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

on June 25, 1984, and September 24, 1989.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
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Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acker, Jim 1958 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from Texas Calgary Cannons players Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Greenville Braves players Gulf Coast Braves players Major League Baseball pitchers Oklahoma City 89ers players People from Freer, Texas Richmond Braves players Savannah Braves players Seattle Mariners players Texas Longhorns baseball players Toronto Blue Jays players