Jim Slaton

Jim Slaton is an American former professional baseball pitcher known for his 16-year Major League Baseball career from 1971 to 1986, during which he played primarily for the Milwaukee Brewers and earned selection to the American League All-Star team in 1977. ^[1] He contributed significantly to the Brewers' success in the early 1980s, including their 1982 American League pennant and World Series appearance, where he performed effectively in postseason relief work. ^[2] Born James Michael Slaton on June 19, 1950, in Long Beach, California, he grew up in Lancaster and attended Antelope Valley High School and Antelope Valley College before being drafted by the Seattle Pilots in the 15th round of the 1969 MLB Draft. ^[2] Slaton advanced quickly and made his major-league debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1971 after limited minor-league experience, impressing with his arm strength and rapid development. ^[3] He spent most of his career with the Brewers across two stints (1971–1977 and 1979–1983), also pitching for the Detroit Tigers in 1978 and 1986, and the California Angels from 1984 to 1986. ^[1] A right-handed pitcher versatile in both starting and relief roles, Slaton overcame a rotator cuff injury in 1980 that sidelined him for a season and transitioned effectively to the bullpen later in his career. ^[2] After retiring as a player, he worked as a pitching coach and bullpen coach in the Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations. ^[2]

Early Life

Birth and Family

James Michael Slaton was born on June 19, 1950, in Long Beach, California.^[2][3] He was the younger of two children, both sons.^[2] His family relocated a couple of hours north to Lancaster, California, by the time he reached high school age.^[2] This move marked the end of his early childhood in Long Beach and set the stage for his subsequent education and activities in the Lancaster area.^[2]

Youth and Amateur Baseball

Jim Slaton attended Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster, California, where he played both football and baseball.^[2] He subsequently enrolled at Antelope Valley College, focusing his efforts on baseball, although his stay at the institution was brief and he did not pursue a long-term program there.^[2] In 1980, Slaton established a scholarship fund at Antelope Valley College in recognition of his early roots with the school.^[2] Following his amateur baseball period, he entered the major league draft.^[2]

Major League Baseball Career

Draft, Debut, and Early Years (1971–1977)

Jim Slaton was selected by the Seattle Pilots in the 15th round (357th overall) of the 1969 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft from Antelope Valley College at age 18.^[3] The Pilots relocated to Milwaukee before the 1970 season and became the Milwaukee Brewers. He made his MLB debut on April 14, 1971, at age 20 against the Chicago White Sox, recording a win in his first start with six innings pitched and no earned runs, remarkably reaching the majors without pitching above Class A in the minors.^[3] In his 1971 rookie season, Slaton appeared in 26 games with 23 starts, compiling a 10–8 record, 3.78 ERA, 5 complete games, and 4 shutouts over 147⅔ innings.^[3] He established himself as a durable starter for the young expansion franchise despite limited prior professional experience. Slaton developed into a reliable workhorse in subsequent years. In 1973, he led the staff with 38 starts and 13 complete games while posting a 3.71 ERA over 276⅓ innings.^[3] He delivered one of his strongest performances in 1976, starting on Opening Day and throwing a four-hit shutout against the New York Yankees, finishing the season with a 14–15 record and 3.44 ERA in 292⅔ innings.^[4][3] In 1977, Slaton earned selection to the All-Star Game as an injury replacement, though he did not pitch in the contest, and recorded a 10–14 mark with a 3.58 ERA across 221 innings.^[3][5] Following the 1977 season, on December 9, Slaton was traded to the Detroit Tigers along with Rich Folkers in exchange for outfielder Ben Oglivie.^[3] This marked the end of his initial tenure with the Brewers.

Detroit Tigers (1978)

Jim Slaton joined the Detroit Tigers after being traded from the Milwaukee Brewers following the 1977 season. ^[3] As a starting pitcher for Detroit in 1978, he achieved a career-high 17 wins while also recording 11 complete games. ^[3] These totals represented his most productive season in terms of victories and complete-game efforts, highlighting his role as a reliable starter during his lone full year with the club. ^[2] Slaton's time in Detroit concluded at the end of the 1978 campaign, after which he returned to the Milwaukee Brewers via free agency in 1979. ^[2]

Return to Milwaukee Brewers (1979–1983)

Slaton returned to the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent prior to the 1979 season, signing a six-year contract worth $1.46 million. ^[2] He resumed a starting role and recorded a 15–9 mark with a 3.63 ERA that year. ^[3] He missed the entire 1980 season due to a rotator cuff injury. In 1981, he posted a 4.37 ERA with no complete games before transitioning to the bullpen late in the season. By 1982, Slaton had shifted to a full-time relief position, delivering a career-best 3.29 ERA along with 6 saves while playing a pivotal role in helping the Brewers capture the American League pennant. ^[2] In the postseason, he contributed 4⅔ innings of work allowing 1 earned run during the AL Championship Series against the California Angels. ^[3] Against the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, Slaton pitched 2⅔ scoreless innings and earned a relief victory in Game 4. ^[6] Slaton remained in the bullpen in 1983, securing 14 relief wins despite a 4.33 ERA. ^[3] His contributions across both tenures with Milwaukee helped establish several franchise records detailed in the career statistics section. ^[2]

California Angels and Final Seasons (1984–1986)

After the 1983 season, Jim Slaton was traded to the California Angels, where he spent the next three seasons primarily as a starting pitcher. ^[3] He contributed to the team's rotation during this period, appearing in games across the 1984, 1985, and 1986 campaigns before a mid-1986 transaction. ^[3] In mid-1986, Slaton was released by the Angels and briefly re-signed with the Detroit Tigers, the team he had played for in 1978. ^[3] He made a limited number of appearances for the Tigers before being released following the season, effectively concluding his Major League Baseball career. ^[3] Several years later, Slaton returned to professional baseball for one season (1989–1990) in the Senior Professional Baseball Association, playing for the Fort Myers Sun Sox. ^[2] This stint marked the end of his playing days. ^[7] Over his 16-season MLB career, Slaton compiled a record of 151 wins and 158 losses with a 4.03 ERA, accumulating 1,191 strikeouts and over 2,600 innings pitched. ^[3]

Career Statistics, Records, and Achievements

Jim Slaton concluded his Major League Baseball career with a record of 151 wins and 158 losses, a 4.03 earned run average, 1,191 strikeouts, and 14 saves across 16 seasons. ^{[3] [7]} He pitched 2,683 2/3 innings in total, appearing in 496 games. ^[3] With the Milwaukee Brewers, Slaton remains the franchise's all-time leader in wins with 117, innings pitched with 2,025 1/3, games started with 268, and shutouts with 19. ^{[7] [8]} These marks highlight his significant role during the team's formative years in Milwaukee following the relocation from Seattle. Slaton earned selection to the American League All-Star team in 1977. ^[3] During the 1982 postseason with the Brewers, he recorded a 1.23 earned run average, contributing to the team's World Series run. ^[3]

Post-Playing Career

Pitching Coach and Organizational Roles

After retiring from his Major League playing career, Jim Slaton transitioned into coaching roles within professional baseball organizations. He served as a pitching coach or bullpen coach for the Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, and Los Angeles Dodgers.^[2] Slaton worked with Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates as pitching coach for the Daytona Cubs from 1995 to 1996 and for the Lancaster JetHawks from 1997 to 1998.^[7] He then moved to the Seattle Mariners organization, where he was pitching coach for Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers from 1999 to 2003, followed by a stint as roving pitching instructor in 2004 and bullpen coach at the major league level from 2005 to 2007.^[7] In later years, Slaton joined the Los Angeles Dodgers organization as pitching coach for their Triple-A affiliate Las Vegas 51s, then continued in that role with the Albuquerque Isotopes beginning in 2009 after the franchise relocated.^[9]

Personal Life

Media Appearances

Sports Broadcasts and Documentaries

Jim Slaton has made limited appearances as himself in sports broadcasts and documentaries, primarily in connection with his contributions to the Milwaukee Brewers' 1982 postseason run.^[10] He appeared as Self - Milwaukee Brewers Pitcher in two episodes of the 1982 American League Championship Series (TV Series).^[11] He had a similar credit in two episodes of the 1982 World Series (TV Mini Series), where he was listed as Self - Milwaukee Brewers Pitcher.^[12] More recently, Slaton was featured as himself in the 2024 documentary Just a Bit Outside: The Story of the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers, which examines the team's historic season.^[13] These self-appearances are his only known credits in such media formats.^[10]