The character arc of Jim Abbott
A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record
Born on 19 September 1967 in Flint, Michigan, without a right hand. Between then and now sit a high school career as a pitcher and a quarterback, a draft offer at eighteen he turned down for college, three years at Michigan and two conference titles, the Sullivan Award as the best amateur athlete in America in 1987, the flag at the Pan American Games, the final game of the 1988 Olympic demonstration event, a first round draft pick, a major league debut with no time in the minors, a no-hitter at Yankee Stadium on 4 September 1993, a career record of 87 and 108, and a second career on stages. The line below draws the story so far, in order.
Drag along the line to move, pinch or use the buttons to look closer. Tap the line to pluck it, or any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of his life; the sources are at the foot of the page.
Who is Jim Abbott?
One hand, one glove. And nobody ever worked out how to beat it.
He grew up in Flint, Michigan, and was a standout at high school as both a pitcher and a quarterback. Toronto drafted him in the thirty sixth round at eighteen. He did not sign, and went to the University of Michigan instead.
The college record is the part people forget. Three years with the Wolverines and two conference championships. In 1987 he won the James E Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States, the first baseball player ever to win it, and carried the flag for his country at the Pan American Games. Baseball was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Olympics, and he pitched the final game and won it. He was Big Ten athlete of the year in 1988, and his number was retired by Michigan twenty one years later.
The mechanics are worth understanding, because ten years of professional hitters tried to beat them and could not. He rested his glove on the end of his right forearm to pitch. After releasing the ball he slipped his hand into the glove, usually in time to field anything a two-handed pitcher would field. Then he secured the glove between his forearm and his body, slipped his hand out, took the ball out, and threw the runner out at first, sometimes starting a double play. At every level teams tried to exploit it by bunting at him repeatedly. It did not work.
California took him in the first round in 1988 with the eighth pick overall, and he joined their starting rotation in 1989 without a single game in the minor leagues. He was traded to the Yankees, and on 4 September 1993 he pitched a no-hitter against Cleveland at Yankee Stadium. In 1998 he came back with the White Sox and started five games and won all five.
He finished with 87 wins and 108 losses and an earned run average of 4.25, which is the record of a real major league pitcher rather than a story. When he joined a National League team in 1999 he had to bat for the first time in his career, and got two hits in twenty one attempts, both of which scored runs and both off the same pitcher. He became a motivational speaker, and was elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
The moments
Jim Abbott's timeline.
The 1960s
Born without a right hand
Setback, and it changed everything. The fact everybody starts with, and the least interesting one.
The 1980s
He turns down the draft
Milestone, and it changed everything. Eighteen years old, and he said no to a professional contract.
Sign, or go to college
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: turn it down and study, taken, or sign with Toronto. Three years later he was the eighth pick in the entire draft, and he never played a game in the minor leagues.
Michigan
Milestone, and it changed his direction. Two conference titles in three years.
Best amateur in America
Milestone, and it changed everything. Best amateur athlete in the country, in any sport.
Eighth pick overall
Milestone, and it changed everything. First round, eighth in the country.
He pitches the Olympic final
Milestone, and it changed everything. They gave him the last game, and he won it.
Straight into the majors
Milestone, and it changed everything. No minor leagues at all. Straight in.
The 1990s
The glove switch
Milestone, and it changed everything. They bunted at him for ten years and it did not work.
A no-hitter at Yankee Stadium
Milestone, and it changed everything. Nine innings, no hits, in the Bronx.
Five starts, five wins
Milestone, and it changed everything. Came back and won every game he started.
He bats for the first time
Everyday. Thirty one years old, and his first time holding a bat.
Eighty seven and one hundred and eight
Milestone, and it changed everything. A real record, with real losses in it.
The 2000s
He starts speaking
Milestone, and it changed everything. A second career, made of the first one.
The College Hall of Fame
Milestone, and it changed his direction. His university put his number on the wall.
He speaks now, mostly to people who have been told what they cannot do. What he set moving is a decade of professional hitters bunting at a man with one hand, on purpose, over and over, and a decade of him throwing them out at first.
Your turn
Every line draws a unique story.
His turned on a boy deciding that the way round it was not to be excused the fielding but to get faster at it than everybody else. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about five minutes.
Jim Abbott: frequently asked questions
What people ask about his line.
What is Jim Abbott's character arc?
How did Jim Abbott field with one hand?
Did Jim Abbott throw a no-hitter?
What did Jim Abbott win as an amateur?
What was the career record of Jim Abbott?
What does Jim Abbott do now?
Where does this timeline of Jim Abbott's life come from?
More character arcs
Lives that rhyme with his.
Sources
- Jim Abbott, English Wikipedia biography, filed under living people.
- His Major League Baseball record, as that biography sets it out.
- The James E Sullivan Award and College Baseball Hall of Fame records.
- Contemporary accounts of his fielding technique, as summarised there.