Age: 24
Bats – Both,
Throws – Right
Height: 5’10” Weight: 175
Prior to 1953:
A native of
Nashville, Tennessee, Gilliam began playing semipro baseball at 16, and the
following year, he joined the Nashville Black Vols of the Negro Southern
League. An intelligent student of the game, he advanced to the Baltimore Elite
Giants of the Negro National League where he was a reserve infielder. Due to
his difficulty with hitting curveballs by righthanded pitchers, the natural
righthanded batter was converted to a switch-hitter. With impressive speed,
Gilliam was a contact hitter with limited power who nevertheless tended to hit
to all fields. The manager of the Elite Giants nicknamed him “Junior”, one that
would prove long-lasting. A very determined player who, throughout his career,
was very selective at the plate, Gilliam batted .253 in 1948 and .302 in ’49.
In 1948, ’49, and ’50 he was selected to play for the East in the Negro League
East-West Games. He also played winter ball in Puerto Rico. Failing in a bid to
catch on with the Class AAA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs in 1950, Gilliam
played one more season with the Elite Giants and hit .265. The Dodgers bought
his contract in 1951 and assigned him to the Montreal Royals of the Class AAA
International League. He batted a solid .287 with 22 doubles, 9 triples, 7 home
runs, and 73 RBIs while scoring 117 runs. Back with Montreal in 1952 he had a
bigger season, hitting .301 with 39 doubles, 9 triples, 9 home runs, and 112
RBIs while scoring 111 runs. He was named league MVP. The Dodgers were coming
off a pennant-winning season and there was a feeling that there was a need for
un upgrade at the lead-off spot in the lineup. Star second baseman Jackie
Robinson was moved to left field to open a spot for Gilliam in the lineup.
1953 Season Summary
Appeared in 151
games
2B – 149, PH – 2,
PR – 1
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 710 [1]
At Bats – 605 [11]
Runs – 125 [4]
Hits – 168 [14,
tied with Granny Hamner & Joe Adcock]
Doubles – 31 [12,
tied with Ed Mathews]
Triples – 17 [1]
Home Runs – 6
RBI – 63
Bases on Balls
– 100 [2, tied with Ralph Kiner]
Int. BB – 4
Strikeouts – 38
Stolen Bases – 21
[3]
Caught Stealing
– 14 [1, tied with Carlos Bernier]
Average - .278
OBP - .383 [13]
Slugging Pct. -
.415
Total Bases – 251
GDP – 7
Hit By Pitches
– 3 [20, tied with seventeen others]
Sac Hits – 2
Sac Flies – N/A
League-leading
plate appearances were +8 ahead of runner-up Richie Ashburn
League-leading
triples were +3 ahead of runner-up Bill Bruton
Midseason
snapshot: 3B – 6, HR – 4, RBI – 31, AVG - .236, SLG - .348
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 6 AB) at Cincinnati 9/10 – 11 innings
Longest hitting
streak – 9 games
Most HR, game –
1 on six occasions
HR at home – 4
HR on road – 2
Multi-HR games
– 0
Most RBIs, game
– 4 vs. Cincinnati 6/11
Pinch-hitting –
1 of 2 (.500) with 1 R, 1 2B & 1 SB
Fielding
Chances – 777
Put Outs – 332
Assists – 426
Errors – 19
DP - 102
Pct. - .976
Postseason
Batting: 6 G (World Series vs. NY Yankees)
PA – 28, AB – 27,
R – 4, H – 8, 2B – 3,3B – 0, HR – 2, RBI – 4, BB – 0, IBB – 0, SO – 2, SB – 0,
CS – 1, AVG - .296, OBP - .321, SLG - .630, TB – 17, GDP – 0, HBP – 1, SH – 0,
SF – N/A
Awards & Honors:
NL Rookie of
the Year: BBWAA
NL ROY Voting:
Jim Gilliam,
Brook.: 11 of 24 votes, 46% share
Harvey Haddix,
StLC.: 4 votes, 17% share
Ray Jablonski,
StLC.: 3 votes, 13% share
Bill Bruton,
Mil.: 2 votes, 8% share
Rip Repulski,
StLC.: 2 votes, 8% share
Fred Baczewski,
ChiC/Cin.: 1 vote, 4% share
Jim Greengrass,
Cin.: 1 vote, 4% share
---
Dodgers went 105-49
to win NL pennant by 13 games over the Milwaukee Braves, while leading the
league in runs scored (955), hits (1529), home runs (208), RBIs (887), stolen
bases (90), bases on balls drawn (655), batting (.285), OBP (.366), slugging
(.474), and total bases (2545). Lost World Series to the New York Yankees, 4
games to 2.
Aftermath of ‘53:
Gilliam
followed up in 1954 by batting .282 with 28 doubles, 8 triples, 13 home runs,
and 52 RBIs, while scoring 107 runs, but he was less steady defensively. Still
usually at second base in 1955, he was occasionally utilized in the outfield.
The Dodgers returned to the top of the National League and Gilliam contributed
110 runs, 20 doubles, 8 triples, 7 home runs, and a .249 average along with a
.341 on-base percentage thanks to his 70 walks. In the seven-game World Series
triumph over the Yankees he produced a .469 OBP thanks to seven hits and eight
walks. The low-key and workmanlike Gilliam held off the challenge of young
Charley Neal and was an All-Star for the first time in 1956 as he batted .300
with 23 doubles, 8 triples, 6 home runs, and 43 RBIs along with 102 runs scored
and a .399 OBP. Brooklyn again won the pennant (but not the World Series) and Gilliam
placed fifth in league MVP voting. In the final Brooklyn season for the Dodgers
in 1957, “Junior” (who was also known by several other nicknames, such as “Junebug”
and “Devil”) dropped to .250 with 89 runs scored and a .323 OBP while appearing
almost exclusively at second base. Appreciated by manager Walt Alston for his
reliability and versatility, he saw significant action at third base as well as
second and the outfield in 1958, hitting .261 in the club’s first season in Los
Angeles. The regular third baseman in 1959, he led the NL with 96 walks while
batting .282 for the pennant-winning Dodgers. He had a .296 OBP in the World
Series victory over the White Sox. In 1960, his average dropped to .248 with a
still-solid .359 OBP as well as 96 runs scored and 40 RBIs. Still drawing walks
and rarely striking out in 1961, Gilliam’s average was .244 with a .358 on-base
percentage. The Dodgers nearly won the NL pennant in 1962 and, typically
batting second to base-stealing shortstop Maury Wills, Gilliam hit .270 while
drawing 93 walks for a .370 OBP. LA won the pennant and World Series in 1963
and Gilliam contributed 6 home runs, 49 RBIs, 19 stolen bases, and a .354 OBP. He
placed sixth in NL MVP voting. The Dodgers dropped to sixth in 1964 and Gilliam
found himself on the bench and often used as a late-inning defensive
replacement. He was made a coach in 1965 but was reactivated as a player in May
and returned to third base. He batted .280 with a .374 OBP as the light-hitting
Dodgers won the pennant. His outstanding defensive play in Game 7 of the World
Series against Minnesota helped to nail down a 2-0 win in what was the fourth
World Series title of Gilliam’s career. He spent one last year as a
player/coach in 1966 and retired to serve exclusively as a coach for the
Dodgers. For his major league career, spent entirely with the Dodgers, Gilliam
batted .265 with 1889 hits that included 304 doubles, 71 triples, and 65 home
runs. He further scored 1163 runs, 558 RBIs, 203 stolen bases, and 1036 bases
on balls for a .360 on-base percentage. Appearing in 39 World Series games, he
hit .211 with two home runs, 12 RBIs, and a .326 OBP. He served as a coach for
the Dodgers until his death in 1978 at age 49. A two-time All-Star whose
contributions to the team were much appreciated, the Dodgers retired his #19.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of
the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America
(1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from
its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major
league.
No comments:
Post a Comment