1981 Topps

Essian spent 12 years catching in the big leagues, playing for five teams from 1973-1984. In 710 games he hit .244 with 33 home runs. He was primarily a reserve for most of his career, but was the Chicago White Sox main catcher in 1977, which would go down as the best season of his career. Essian appeared in 114 games for the ChiSox that season and hit .273 while setting career highs in home runs (10), RBIs (44) and runs scored (50). He played in 126 games for the Oakland A’s in 1978, but did not replicate his success at the plate. Essian also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians.

Following his playing career Essian coached for the Chicago Cubs. He was the team’s manager for 122 games in 1991 after they fired Don Zimmer.

Jim Essian –career stats 

1983 Donruss