James Sloan Baumer was an American professional baseballplayer, scout, and front office executive. A right-handed-hitting infielder born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Baumer was a graduate of Broken Arrow Senior High. During his active career, he stood tall and weighed. Baumer had a highly unusual Major League playing career. A power-hitting shortstop, he was signed by the Chicago White Sox for $50,000 as a "bonus baby" at the age of 18 in 1949, days before the New York Yankees signed fellow Oklahoma prospect Mickey Mantle for $1,500. The bonus rule at the time forced Baumer to start his career in the major leagues with Chicago, where he hit.400. He then disappeared into the minor leagues for the decade of the 1950s, and did not return to MLB until, as a 30-year-old, he had a brief trial with the Cincinnati Reds. Baumer appeared in ten of Cincinnati's first 13 games, eight as the Reds' starting second baseman, but collected only three singles and batted.125. The day of his last MLB game, April 27, 1961, the Reds acquired second baseman Don Blasingame in a trade with the San Francisco Giants. Baumer was traded to the Detroit Tigers for first basemanDick Gernert on May 10, and returned to the minor leagues. Overall, Baumer batted.206 in 18 MLB games and 34 at bats, with two runs batted in. After his big league career, Baumer played for the Nishitetsu Lions in Japan from until. When his playing career ended, Baumer became a scout with the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers, and was promoted to Milwaukee's director of scouting in. The following season, he succeeded Jim Wilson as the Brewers' general manager. Baumer's most successful transaction during his three-year tenure as GM was his acquisition of first baseman Cecil Cooper from the Boston Red Sox following the season. However, the Brewers struggled on the field, and after their eighthstraight losing season in Milwaukee in, Baumer was fired and replaced by Harry Dalton. He then joined the Philadelphia Phillies as a scout, and was promoted to director of the Phils' scouting and farm system operations in 1981. Two laters later, Baumer was named a teamvice president. His role diminished after a front-office purge in, but he remained with the Phillies as an area scout. Baumer died at age 65 in the Philadelphia suburb of Paoli, Pennsylvania.
