Jim Dorsey – Baseball Player Biography, Career, Net Worth Information

Jim Dorsey’s baseball career is one of those stories you don’t hear every day—a talented pitcher who spent most of his 11-year pro journey grinding in the minors, with only a few short shots in the big leagues. He was born in Chicago in 1955 and made his way from high school hopeful to professional baseball player at a time when minor league salaries barely covered your rent.

Dorsey, a right-handed pitcher, played three seasons in Major League Baseball with the California Angels and Boston Red Sox, hanging up his cleats in 1985 at just 30. He kicked off his pro career in 1975, finally signing with the Angels after bouncing around the draft with different teams. Even though he only managed a 1-3 record and a 9.19 ERA in the majors—yeah, not exactly Hall of Fame numbers—Dorsey’s story is a familiar one for players who poured everything into America’s pastime.

Dorsey’s career paints a real picture of what pro baseball was like in the ‘70s and ‘80s. He started off hot in Class-A ball, racking up a 15-3 record and a 2.12 ERA, but things got a lot tougher as he climbed the ladder. His time with the Angels and Red Sox, including that big trade that sent him to Boston with Fred Lynn, says a lot about how the business side of baseball worked back then.

Early Life and Amateur Baseball

James Edward Dorsey entered the world on August 2, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. He spent most of his childhood in California after his family moved west.

His baseball journey really started in the Los Angeles area. He built his skills through high school and junior college before jumping into professional baseball through the draft.

Childhood and Education

James Edward Dorsey III arrived in Chicago on August 2, 1955, born to James Jr. and Mabel (Mae) Dorsey. The family lived in Oak Park, Illinois, but only until Jim turned two.

His dad worked for Semtech, a company making diodes and other electronics. When Semtech expanded to Westlake, California, the Dorseys packed up and headed out west.

Jim was the middle kid of five. He had two older sisters, Linda and Debbie, plus a younger brother, Ed, and a younger sister, Donna.

When Jim was about 10 or 11, his dad passed away. That loss hit the family hard. His father had been Semtech’s top salesperson and was headed for a VP spot.

Mae Dorsey took over, raising five kids on her own. She worked as a travel agent and later as a secretary. Jim always credited his mom, saying, “She did a heck of a job. We all ended up doing pretty good.”

High School Baseball Career

Jim went to Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda, California, where he pitched right-handed for the baseball team. He got noticed by Major League Baseball scouts for his performance.

The California Angels drafted him in the 21st round (486th overall) of the June 1973 draft while he was still in high school. The Angels didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for him.

When they called after drafting him, they asked about his college plans. The team offered almost nothing, just a spot in rookie ball and no signing bonus. Dorsey later remembered, “We’re not giving you a bonus or anything. We’ll give you a pair of shoes.”

That offer didn’t cut it. He stuck with his college plans and decided to go to junior college instead of signing with the Angels.

College Baseball at Los Angeles Valley College

After high school, Dorsey enrolled at Los Angeles Valley Junior College. He could’ve gone to a four-year university, but he picked junior college for baseball reasons.

He admitted, “I wasn’t real studious. I didn’t care about school. I wanted to play baseball.” Junior college meant he could get drafted again in two years.

Unfortunately, he ran into trouble with tendinitis in his shoulder. He missed most of the season because of it.

That injury really hurt his chances when the Los Angeles Dodgers picked him in the second round of the January 1974 draft. The Dodgers didn’t know about his shoulder problems when they made their pick.

Draft Selections and Entry Into Professional Baseball

Dorsey’s road to pro baseball took him through three different drafts in two years. Each one came with its own headaches, thanks to how scouting and drafting worked in the mid-1970s.

After he said no to the Angels’ 21st-round offer in 1973, the Dodgers picked him in the second round in January 1974. His shoulder injury complicated things, though. When the Dodgers called, he explained his injury, and they decided to wait for him to get healthy.

The third time around, things got dramatic. Dorsey thought he’d sign with the San Francisco Giants, since their scout had been following him. The Angels tried to sign him before the January 1975 draft, sending scout Al Kubski to his house.

That signing didn’t happen. Kubski called the Angels’ GM and found out he was five minutes past the midnight deadline. Dorsey’s mom was furious, telling Kubski never to come back.

The Angels ended up picking Dorsey in the second round (26th overall) of the 1975 draft. Despite the earlier drama, he signed for $16,000 and finally started his pro career.

Professional Career Overview

James Edward Dorsey played 11 years of pro ball, moving through several teams before making it to the majors. His career stretched from 1975 to 1985, with three MLB appearances for the California Angels and time in the Boston Red Sox system.

Minor League Journey

Dorsey kicked off his pro career in 1975 with the Quad Cities Angels in the Class-A Midwest League. He came out firing, striking out all six batters he faced in his first two innings.

On May 20, 1975, he threw a seven-inning no-hitter against Clinton. That first season was a dream: 15-3 record, 2.12 ERA, with 161 strikeouts in 161 innings.

The California Angels moved him up the ladder over the next few years. He spent 1976 and 1977 with the El Paso Diablos in Double-A, posting 9-9 and 10-9 records.

In 1978, Dorsey jumped to Triple-A with the Salt Lake City Gulls. He improved, going 11-7 with a 3.34 ERA. That year, he earned a spot on the Angels’ 40-man roster.

He stayed with Salt Lake through 1979 and 1980. He struggled with control in 1979, walking 100 batters, but bounced back in 1980 with a 14-7 record and 4.01 ERA.

MLB Debut and Tenure

Dorsey made his MLB debut on September 2, 1980, at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. He started the game but had a rough outing, giving up six runs and taking the loss in a 10-2 game.

He got three more starts that season with the California Angels. His only major league win came on September 12, 1980, against the Texas Rangers. The Angels’ bats came alive with five runs in the first inning, giving him some room to work.

Dorsey finished his rookie year with a 1-2 record and 9.19 ERA in four starts. He struggled with control and couldn’t pitch deep into games, which hurt his chances in the majors.

In January 1981, the Angels traded him to the Boston Red Sox along with Joe Rudi and Frank Tanana for Fred Lynn and Steve Renko. That deal gave him a fresh start.

Retirement in 1985

After the trade, Dorsey spent the rest of his career in the Red Sox minor league system. He played three seasons with the Pawtucket Red Sox from 1981 to 1983.

The Red Sox started using him more as a reliever than a starter. In 1983, he closed 24 of 29 games, but a broken ankle kept him out for six weeks.

His final pro season came in 1985 with Pawtucket. He put up a 2.91 ERA, 6-4 record, and 13 saves—his best numbers since his rookie year.

Dorsey’s minor league totals: 102 wins, 85 losses, and a 4.05 ERA across 310 games. He called it a career after the 1985 season, wrapping up 11 years in pro baseball.

Notable Achievements and Stats

Jim Dorsey’s three-season MLB run with the California Angels and Boston Red Sox ended with a 1-3 record and an 11.79 ERA over 8 games. He started 4 games and struck out 14 batters in 23.2 innings.

Wins and Losses Overview

Dorsey got his only major league win during his 1980 rookie year with the Angels. He went 1-2 that season, starting 4 games—the most MLB action he’d ever see.

His win-loss percentage of .333 in 1980 was as good as it got for him in the majors. The Angels gave him a few shots as a starter, but he just couldn’t find his groove.

After four years away, Dorsey made it back to the majors with Boston in 1984 and 1985. He didn’t win any games for the Red Sox, finishing 0-1 there.

His career totals show 1 win and 3 losses, a .250 winning percentage. Those numbers really underline how tough the jump from minor league success to the big leagues can be.

ERA and Pitching Performance

Dorsey’s 11.79 career ERA kind of says it all about his struggles in the majors. In 1980 with the Angels, he put up a 9.19 ERA, which, believe it or not, was his best mark.

Things got tougher in Boston. In 1984, he posted a 10.13 ERA out of the bullpen. The next year, it shot up to 20.25 in just 5.1 innings.

Key Performance Metrics:

• Career WHIP: 2.662
• Strikeouts per 9 innings: 5.3
• Walks per 9 innings: 7.6
• Home runs allowed: 4 total

Control issues followed Dorsey everywhere. He walked 20 and struck out 14, so his strikeout-to-walk ratio was just 0.70.

Key Games and Milestones

Dorsey made his big league debut on September 2, 1980, for the California Angels at 25. That call-up came after five seasons in the minors.

His lone MLB win happened during his rookie year with the Angels. That game stands out as the brightest spot in his major league career.

He returned to the majors in 1984 with Boston after four years away. He pitched in 2 games for the Red Sox, mostly in relief.

His last MLB appearance came in 1985 with Boston. That outing marked the end of a career that spanned parts of three seasons over five years.

Dorsey’s final MLB stats: 8 games, 5 starts, 23.2 innings, 43 hits allowed, 31 earned runs, and 14 strikeouts.

Teams Played For and Affiliations

Jim Dorsey’s pro baseball career took him across several organizations and teams, both in the majors and minors. He started with the California Angels, moved through their minor league clubs, and eventually played for the Boston Red Sox.

California Angels and MLB Contributions

Dorsey kicked off his professional career with the California Angels after signing in January 1975. The Angels had actually drafted him out of Grover Cleveland High School back in 1973, but he waited until his third draft selection before finally signing.

He made his MLB debut on September 2, 1980, at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. Dorsey retired all three batters in the first inning, but things went downhill as the game continued, and he ended up taking the loss in a rough 10-2 game.

The pitcher started four games for the Angels that year. He got his only major league win on September 12 against the Texas Rangers at Anaheim Stadium. Larry Harlow hit a grand slam in the first inning, giving Dorsey an early 8-0 lead, but he “barely made it through the fifth” before getting pulled.

Dorsey wrapped up his time with the Angels with a 1-2 record and a 9.19 ERA. The Angels traded him to Boston on January 23, 1981, in a big deal that brought Fred Lynn and Steve Renko to California.

El Paso Diablos Minor League Highlights

The El Paso Diablos became Dorsey’s main Double-A stop during his development. He spent parts of three seasons (1976-1978) with the Texas League club, putting up numbers that were steady, if sometimes tough.

In 1976, he went 9-9 with a 4.50 ERA and struck out 101 batters over 164 innings. The next year didn’t go as smoothly—he finished 10-9 with a 5.00 ERA, and his control slipped, with 73 strikeouts but 70 walks.

One highlight came on June 24, 1976, when Dorsey and teammate Lamar Wright each won a game in a doubleheader against San Antonio. General Manager Jim Paul was so happy with their complete games that he handed them each a $20 bonus right then and there.

Dorsey started the 1978 season in El Paso on a high note, going 5-2, but his 5.80 ERA hinted at some trouble. After about six weeks, he moved up to Triple-A Salt Lake City, another step closer to the majors.

Boston Red Sox and Other Clubs

After the trade to Boston, Dorsey spent three full seasons (1981-1983) with the Pawtucket Red Sox, the team’s Triple-A affiliate. Venezuelan winter league manager Luis Aparicio apparently played a role in getting Boston interested in Dorsey.

The Salt Lake City Gulls gave Dorsey his first real shot at the majors while he was still in the Angels system. He went 11-7 with a 3.34 ERA in 1978 after moving up from El Paso. The following year was rougher—he finished 10-12 with a 5.52 ERA.

With Pawtucket, Dorsey shifted from mostly starting to pitching in relief. In 1981, he went 4-10, but his 3.35 ERA was actually pretty solid. “I couldn’t get any runs. I think I had four complete games, all four that I won. I was losing so many games 2-1, 1-0,” Dorsey said.

He made his last MLB appearance on July 7, 1985, facing the California Angels. Back in 1975, he had started his pro career with the Quad Cities Angels, where he put up an impressive 15-3 record and a 2.12 ERA.

Context in Baseball History

Jim Dorsey’s career, spanning from 1975 to 1985, lined up with some pretty big shifts in pro baseball—labor disputes, new salary negotiations, and the sport’s growing commercial side. Those years saw changes in how players got paid, talk about expanding the league, and baseball’s rise as an international event.

MLB Developments During Dorsey’s Era

The late ’70s and early ’80s brought some major changes to Major League Baseball. Free agency, which started in 1976, changed how players moved and how much they could earn—right as Dorsey was starting out.

The 1981 season stands out for its 50-day players’ strike that split the season in two. Dorsey was in his first full year with the Red Sox organization when that happened.

People kept talking about expanding the league in the early ’80s. MLB looked at cities like Denver and Miami, but those new teams wouldn’t show up until the ’90s.

TV money started changing the business side of baseball. National deals with networks like NBC brought in a lot more cash, and that would eventually affect player salaries too.

MLBPA, CBA, and Salary Cap Discussions

During Dorsey’s playing days, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) gained a lot of influence. Executive Director Marvin Miller led tough negotiations that really changed baseball’s economics.

The 1981 strike focused on free agent compensation. Owners wanted compensation for teams losing free agents, but players pushed back against any restrictions on movement.

Owners kept bringing up salary caps to control rising player costs, but the MLBPA shot those ideas down, saying they’d hold down wages.

Collective Bargaining Agreements from this era set up things like:

• Minimum salaries
• Better pension benefits
• Grievance procedures
• Service time rules

These talks set the stage for labor relations in the future. The tension between owners and players in the ’80s would shape baseball’s economics for a long time.

Notable Figures and Events in 1980s Baseball

The early ’80s had some legendary players and moments that really shaped baseball. Pete Rose chased hitting records, though his gambling issues came out later.

Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ran the league for most of Dorsey’s career, until Peter Ueberroth took over in 1984. Kuhn dealt with the 1981 strike and some messy player controversies.

In 1980, George Brett made his run at a .400 batting average, ending up at .390. That happened during Dorsey’s debut season with the Angels.

Drug scandals started popping up in the mid-’80s, leading to more testing and new treatment programs. The Pittsburgh drug trials in 1985 revealed how widespread cocaine use had become among players.

Stars like Rickey Henderson, Wade Boggs, and Tony Gwynn broke out during this time. Their rise stood in contrast to guys like Dorsey, who just couldn’t quite stick in the big leagues.

Baseball and the Los Angeles Olympics

The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics brought baseball back as a demonstration sport, sparking new international interest. This happened during Dorsey’s last pro seasons and showed off baseball’s potential to a global audience.

Eight teams played in the Olympic baseball tournament, and Japan took home the gold. The success of the 1984 Olympics set the stage for baseball to become a full Olympic sport later on.

Los Angeles really was the perfect place to show off baseball to the world. With California’s baseball culture and Hollywood’s flash, the sport got plenty of attention.

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will feature baseball again, carrying on the Olympic tradition that started in Dorsey’s era. It’s a sign that baseball still wants to grow its international presence.

The exposure from the 1984 Olympics helped baseball grow in Asia and Latin America. Pro leagues in those regions expanded a lot in the years that followed, thanks in part to that Olympic spotlight.

Legacy, Recognition, and Life After Baseball

Jim Dorsey retired in 1985, ending an 11-year run that took him through both the majors and minors. His impact in the big leagues was limited, but now people sometimes bring up his career in modern baseball analytics and fantasy sports circles.

Influence on Fantasy Baseball and Projections

Fantasy baseball analysts often use Jim Dorsey’s stats to talk about pitchers from the ’80s. His 1-2 record with a 9.19 ERA in the majors stands out as the kind of statistical outlier that today’s fantasy experts use to show why sample size matters in player evaluations.

Researchers sometimes point to Dorsey’s minor league success, especially his 15-3 record and 2.12 ERA in 1975 with Quad Cities. It’s a good example of how minor league stats can be misleading when you’re trying to predict major league results.

Modern team hitting rating systems sometimes use cases like Dorsey to fine-tune their algorithms. His struggles in the majors, despite dominating in the minors, help explain why experts now prioritize major league performance over minor league numbers.

Post-Retirement Activities

There’s not much public info about what Dorsey did after he retired from baseball in 1985. He finished his career with the Pawtucket Red Sox, but what happened next is mostly a mystery.

Unlike a lot of former players who go into coaching or broadcasting, Dorsey seems to have stepped away from baseball’s public eye. That wasn’t unusual for guys from his era who had short major league careers.

He grew up in California and played winter ball in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, so it’s possible those international ties shaped his life after baseball.

Recognition in Baseball Media

Jim Dorsey pops up every now and then in baseball reference materials and statistical databases, tucked into the historical record. You’ll see his name in transaction histories too, since he got included in trades with bigger names like Fred Lynn and Frank Tanana.

Baseball research groups, like the Society for American Baseball Research, have tracked his career in their player databases. These records keep his contributions alive in professional baseball history, even if his time in the majors was pretty limited.

His story feels familiar—it’s one of those examples of players who poured years into the game but never quite stuck in the big leagues. Sometimes, modern baseball media brings up guys like Dorsey when they talk about the tough jump from Triple-A to the majors.