Jim Price (catcher)

Jimmie William Price (born October 13, 1941) is a former professional baseball catcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers from 1967 to 1971. He is also the current color commentator for the Detroit Tigers Radio Network.[1]

Jim Price
Born
Jimmie William Price

(1941-10-13) October 13, 1941
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
OccupationBaseball analyst, mental health charity co-founder
Notable credit(s)
Detroit Tigers Radio Network
Co-founder of Jack's Place for Autism
ChildrenJim Price, Jeffry Price, Jackson Price
Websitehttp://www.jacksplaceforautism.com Jack's Place for Autism
Jim Price
Catcher
Born: Jimmie William Price
(1941-10-13) October 13, 1941
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 11, 1967, for the Detroit Tigers
Last MLB appearance
September 13, 1971, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
Batting average.214
Home runs18
Runs batted in71
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Baseball career

Price was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960, and was listed as a top prospect in the Pirates’ early-1960s yearbooks. His best minor league season was 1963, slugging 19 home runs while batting .311 for the Kinston Eagles of the Single-A Carolina League. For Price’s efforts he was named the Pirates Minor League Player of the Year. His MLB debut came with the 1967 Tigers, after his contract was purchased from the Pirates. 1967 was also Price’s best big league season, when he hit .261 in 44 games.

Price also played on the 1968 Tigers, who won the World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. During his time with the Tigers, Price served as the backup catcher to starter Bill Freehan. His final season in MLB was 1971 with Detroit.

Softball career

Price played in the 1979 season for the Detroit Caesars in the American Professional Slow Pitch Softball League (APSPL).[2][3] The Caesars were owned by Mike Ilitch, a former Detroit Tigers farmhand and later the owner of the MLB team. The Caesars were his first step into professional sports ownership.[4]

The Caesars played at Memorial Field in Eastpointe, Michigan, a small suburb of Detroit and featured several former Detroit Tigers such as Price, Jim Northrup, Mickey Stanley, and Norm Cash, largely in promotional roles.[5][6] The Caesars disbanded at the end of the 1979 season.[3]

Broadcasting career

Price began his broadcasting career after retiring from baseball, working in local television in the Detroit area and for the fledgling ESPN, serving as an announcer for the first live sports broadcast on the network, the APSPL World Series for professional softball in 1979.[7][8]

ESPN Broadcast, 1979 APSPL World Series, Game 8, Milwaukee at Kentucky

He first worked as a color analyst on the Tigers' cable telecasts with PASS Sports in 1993, moving to the Detroit Tigers Radio Network in 1998.[1] He worked alongside Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell from 1999 to 2002. Currently, Price teams with play-by-play announcer Dan Dickerson on the Tigers' radio broadcasts.[1] As a former catcher, Price offers insight into baseball strategy, especially into pitching strategy including each pitcher's "arsenal." Since he handled pitchers in his major league career, Price informs fans about approaches to various hitters. He often refers to the Tigers as "we."[9]

Price was absent for five games early in the 2012 season due to health trouble. According to Price, he had not previously missed an assignment in twenty years.[10] In May, Price would miss a nine-game road trip, again for health reasons. He was replaced in both absences by former Tigers pitcher Dan Petry.[11]

Quirks and signature phrases

For several years Price called play-by-play of the middle innings of each radio broadcast, and often announced "[player name]...touch 'em all" after a Tiger hit a home run. This was considered annoying by many listeners, but also considered a vast improvement from his previously used call of "This is gone but not forgotten,[player name]...touch 'em all" which was considered too wordy for describing something as succinct as a home run and often would detract from the actual moment. Another trademark of his is saying "nice area" whenever a city in Michigan is mentioned, most often by his broadcasting partner. At the start of each game broadcast, Jim Price says 'Beautiful' after partner Dickerson welcomes the listeners.

Price often talks about "the art of pitching" when a Tiger pitcher is having a good game. After a particularly good curve ball is thrown, he will label it as a "yellowhammer," in reference to the bird who dives to the ground quickly. When a hitter connects solidly with the ball, Price will frequently say that the batter put his "buggy whip" on it, or that the ball was in his "buggy whip" area.

Notable awards and charity work

Price – whose son, Jackson, is autistic – was instrumental in the formation of Jack's Place For Autism, a non-profit organization designed to assist families affected by the disability.

Price was inducted in the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1995.

References
  1. Detroit Tigers Official Site - Broadcaster Biographies - Jim Price
  2. "Clipped From Detroit Free Press". July 24, 1979. p. 13 – via newspapers.com.
  3. "Detroit Caesars". Detroit Caesars.
  4. "Of Mike Ilitch, softball — and business". Crain's Detroit Business. February 12, 2017.
  5. "Ludington Daily News - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  6. "Clipped From Detroit Free Press". June 5, 1979. p. 41 – via newspapers.com.
  7. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/jim-price/
  8. Radcliffe, J. R. "40 years ago, the first live ESPN game ever broadcast was a slow-pitch softball game in Wisconsin. How did it happen?". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  9. Rubin, Neal (October 10, 2006). "Jim Price doesn't hide his stripes during broadcasts". The Detroit News.
  10. Schmehl, James (April 19, 2012). "Detroit Tigers broadcaster Jim Price returns to radio booth after battling illness". MLive.com.
  11. Iott, Chris (May 7, 2012). "Detroit Tigers radio analyst Jim Price to miss nine-game road trip". MLive.com. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
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