WHY I THINK JIM GILLIAM SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK JIM GILLIAM SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Jim Gilliam was really an ideal second baseman in that he did everything that one might expect out of one. He was a consistent contact hitter who rarely struck out, a good bunter, a potent base thief, a solid fielder who could also play third base, and was skilled at getting on base. He was also one of the few players who successfully made the transition from the Negro Leagues to the recognized Major Leagues. Allowing black players into the Majors was a very unpopular movement, and Gilliam must have felt intense racial pressures. It wasn’t his fault that he was black; why shouldn’t he realize his dream and make his living at the same time? At any rate, he started out with the Baltimore Elite Giants in 1946, batted .304 in 19 games, and established himself as one of the NN2’s biggest stars over the next two seasons. In 1953, he got his shot at the Brooklyn Dodgers and he wound up the NL Rookie of the Year. He scored 125 runs that season and also topped 100 in each of the next three seasons. He was a big part of the Dodgers’ World Champion in 1955, batting .292 with eight walks in the World Series. The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles after the 1957 season, and the switch actually seemed to stimulate Gilliam’s career for a little while. You see, what most people might not realize is that Ebbets Field was a relatively hitter friendly park, while the Coliseum in L.A. was a really bad hitters’ park, as the mound was much taller than regulation height. That the new scenery positively affected his performance is a little peculiar. In 1959, Gilliam batted .282 and led the NL with 96 walks; he duplicated that total in 1960 and additionally scored 96 runs, the closest that he would get to 100 again. In 1962, he batted .270 with 93 walks and led the league in sacrifices. He had his last truly great year in 1963, but was off and on after that, as his average slid to .228 in 1964. He had a little bit of a resurgence in 1965 (.280/.374/.384 in 111 games), but was through following a poor 1966 season. Jim Gilliam was a fine leadoff hitter, a strong fielder, and one of the few former Negro Leaguers who rose to the occasion in the Bigs. For this accomplishment and for all of his contributions to some fine Dodger teams, I would have liked to see Gilliam in Cooperstown already. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 2,090 season high: 160 in 1962 

At Bats career: 7,583 season high: 617 in 1957 

Hits career: 2,016 season high: 178 in 1956 

Doubles career: 324 season high: 31 in 1953 

Triples career: 80 season high: 17 in 1953 led NL: 17 in 1953 

Home Runs career: 65 season high: 13 in 1954 

Runs career: 1,254 season high: 125 in 1953 

Runs Batted In career: 618 season high: 63 in 1953 

Stolen Bases career: 220 season high: 26 in 1957 

Walks career: 1,102 season high: 100 in 1953 led NL: 96 in 1959 

Strikeouts career: 416 season high: 39 in 1956 (Gilliam’s strikeout information from his time in the Negro Leagues is unavailabe) 

Batting Average career: .266 season high: .300 in 1956 

On Base Percentage career: .360 season high: .399 in 1956 

Slugging Percentage career: .355 season high: .418 in 1954 

Total Bases career: 2,695 season high: 254 in 1954 

Sacrifice Hits career: 115 season high: 15 in 1962 led NL: 15 in 1962 

Fielding Percentage career: .972 season high: .987 in 1957 led NL 2B: .986 in 1957 

Double Plays career: 806 season high: 102 in 1953 led NN2 2B: 24 in 1947, 37 in 1948 led NL LF: 2 in 1958 

Putouts career: 3,480 season high: 416 in 1957 led NN2 2B: 122 in 1947, 123 in 1948 led NL 2B: 407 in 1957 

Assists career: 4,368 season high: 426 in 1953 NN2 2B: 152 in 1947, 191 in 1948 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-nicknamed “Junior” 

-was a switch hitter 

-was famous for helping Maury Wills break Ty Cobb’s single season stolen base record in 1962 by fouling off pitches that that catchers could make a good throw on and obstructing his view with his bat (he batted second that season, behind Wills) 

-won four World Series rings 

-was a four time all-star 

-finished fifth in the NL MVP Award voting in 1956, sixth in 1963, 19th in 1958, and 30th in 1965 

-led the NL in plate appearances (710) in 1953 and in times on base (277) in 1956 

-batted .333 in the 1948 NN2 Championship Series and .296 with three doubles and two home runs in the 1953 World Series 

-stole five World Series bases 

-was the hardest batter in the NL to strike out in five different seasons 

-led the NN2 in assists at any position in 1948 

-led NN2 second basemen in games in 1947 and 1948 and NL second basemen in 1953 

-hit two home runs each off of Hall of Famers Warren Spahn and Robin Roberts 

-also played 224 games in the outfield, eleven at shortstop, two at first base, 113 as a pinch hitter, and eight as a pinch runner 

-coached from 1964 until his death in 1978 

-his uniform number 19 is retired by the Dodgers