:Jim Stoops

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Jim Stoops

| image =

| position = Pitcher

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1972|6|30}}

| birth_place = Edison, New Jersey

| death_date =

| bats = Right

| throws = Right

|debutleague = MLB

| debutdate = September 9

| debutyear = 1998

| debutteam = Colorado Rockies

|finalleague = MLB

| finaldate = September 26

| finalyear = 1998

| finalteam = Colorado Rockies

|statleague = MLB

| stat1label = Win–loss record

| stat1value = 1–0

| stat2label = Earned run average

| stat2value = 2.25

| stat3label = Strikeouts

| stat3value = 0

| teams =

Colorado Rockies ({{mlby|1998}})

}}

James Wellington Stoops (born June 30, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for one season with the Colorado Rockies in three games during the 1998 season.

Stoops attended Franklin High School in the Somerset section of Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey.[http://thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=18510 Jim Stoops], The Baseball Cube. Accessed December 3, 2019. "High School: Franklin (Somerset, NJ)" He did not receive any scholarship offers to play college baseball but was able to walk on to the baseball team at the University of South Carolina. Stoops was never selected in the Major League Baseball draft but signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants; he had impressed a Giants scout by pitching a scoreless relief outing against the top-ranked 1995 Clemson Tigers baseball team.{{cite news |last1=Skara |first1=Mike D. |title=FHS grad Stoops signs contract with Giants |url=http://www.digifind-it.com/franklin/data/news-record/1995/06%20June/06-08-1995.pdf |access-date=1 July 2021 |work=Franklin Focus |date=June 8, 1995}}

On July 31, 1998, the Giants traded Stoops to the Rockies along with Darryl Hamilton and a player to be named later in exchange for Ellis Burks.{{cite news |last1=Demarco |first1=Tony |title=It's Padres' turn to bumble |url=https://extras.denverpost.com/rock/grox0801.htm |access-date=30 June 2021 |work=Denver Post |date=August 1, 1998}} Prior to the trade, he had never played above High-A and was 3.5 years older than his average teammate on the 1999 San Jose Giants.{{cite web |title=Jim Stoops Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics & History |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=stoops001jam |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=30 June 2021 |language=en}} On September 7, 1998, Stoops was added to the Rockies' Major League roster along with Lariel González, Edgard Clemente, Derrick Gibson and Mark Strittmatter.{{cite news |title=BaseballAL: Named Rangers OF Juan Gonzalez Player... |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1998-09-09-1998252035-story.html |access-date=30 June 2021 |work=Baltimore Sun |date=September 9, 1998}} He made his Major League debut on September 9, pitching a scoreless inning in relief of Curt Leskanic against the Florida Marlins at Coors Field.{{cite web |title=Jim Stoops Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stoopji01.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=30 June 2021 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Florida Marlins at Colorado Rockies Box Score, September 9, 1998 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL199809090.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=1 July 2021 |language=en}} Stoops appeared in just two more games that season and in his Major League career. His only win came on September 11 against his original team, the Giants.{{cite web |title=Jim Stoops 1998 Pitching Game Logs |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=stoopji01&t=p&year=1998 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=1 July 2021 |language=en}}

Stoops returned to the minor leagues following the 1998 season. In 2001, he joined the farm system of the New York Yankees. He was out of baseball in 2002 and 2003 before signing with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League in May 2004 in a comeback attempt.{{cite news |title=Long Island signs Jim Stoops |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/long-island-signs-jim-stoops/n-3040026 |access-date=30 June 2021 |publisher=OurSports Central |date=May 27, 2004 |language=en}} The 2004 season would be his last as a professional baseball player.