James Carol Napier (born August 2, 1938, at

Wasco, California Wasco (formerly, Dewey and Deweyville) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Kern County, California, United States. Wasco is located northwest of Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield, at an elevation of . The population was 25,545 at the 20 ...

, USA, died February 11, 2018) was a minor league baseball

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

. As a player, he stood 5'11" (180 cm) tall and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg); he batted and threw right-handed. Napier attended

Bakersfield College Bakersfield College (BC) is a public community college in Bakersfield, California. BC serves about 22,000 students each semester or 31,000 annually, and offers Associate degrees, certificate programs, and is one of fifteen California Community C ...

for two years before entering professional baseball in with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

organization. He spent 19 seasons (1958–65; 1967–77) with the Chisox as a minor league player (through ) and manager (1973–77, inclusive). A stalwart defensive player, Napier was named a catcher on three consecutive minor league all-star teams: in the Class D

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

in 1958, as a member of the

Dubuque Packers Minor league baseball teams have operated in the city of Dubuque, Iowa under a variety of names in various leagues, playing in 52 seasons between 1879 and 1976. Dubuque teams were an affiliate of the Houston Astros (1975–1976), Kansas City Royal ...

; in the Class C Northern League in 1959, playing for the

Duluth–Superior Dukes The Duluth–Superior Dukes were a professional baseball team based in Duluth, Minnesota. The Dukes were a charter member of the modern Northern League, which started play in 1993. The Dukes played their home games at Wade Stadium. After the 20 ...

; and in the Class A

Sally League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

in 1960, with the

Charleston White Sox The Charleston White Sox were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class A South Atlantic League from 1959 to 1961. They were located in Charleston, South Carolina, and played their home games at Hampton Park. Known as the Charleston ...

. However, he struggled as a batsman. In his best overall season, his first at Dubuque, Napier

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

.254 in 403

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

, with 18

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 79

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

. In 1973, Napier was named manager of Chicago's Knoxville White Sox affiliate in the Class AA Southern League. His 1974 Knoxville club won the league championship. Out of baseball in 1978, Napier joined the crosstown

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

the following season as skipper of the Quad Cities Cubs of the Class A

, winning the 1979 MWL title. He spent two seasons at Quad Cities, one year as a roving minor league pitching instructor, then three seasons (1982–84) as pilot of the

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The ...

of the Class AAA

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

, making the playoffs in 1983 and 1984. In , Napier left the Cubs to become coordinator of minor league instruction for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

before returning for a final season as minor league manager, with the 1986

Maine Guides The Maine Guides were an American minor league baseball franchise that played in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, between 1984 and 1988. The Triple-A International League (IL) club was named for a classification of registered hunting and wilderness gu ...

of the Class AAA

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

, the Indians' top

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

. His career record as manager was 744 victories, 772 losses (.491), with two championships. James died on the morning of February 11, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona.

References

* ''1983 Chicago Cubs Organizational Record Book.'' St. Petersburg, Florida: The Baseball Blue Book, 1983.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Napier, Jim 1938 births 2018 deaths Bakersfield College alumni Bakersfield Renegades baseball players Baseball catchers Charleston White Sox players Dubuque Packers players Duluth-Superior Dukes players Hawaii Islanders players Indianapolis Indians players Iowa Cubs managers Jacksonville Suns players Lynchburg White Sox players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela People from Wasco, California San Diego Padres (minor league) players Tucson Toros players