Highlighted Year: Jim Gilliam, 1958

Outfielder, Los Angeles Dodgers

Age:  29

6^th season with Dodgers

Bats – Both, Throws – Right

Height: 5’10” Weight: 175 

Prior to 1958:

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 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 an upgrade in the leadoff spot in the lineup in 1953. Star second baseman Jackie Robinson was moved to left field to open a spot for Gilliam in the lineup. Gilliam responded with an outstanding rookie season, batting .278 with 31 doubles, a league-leading 17 triples, 6 home runs, 63 RBIs, 21 stolen bases (although he was caught stealing 14 times), and a .383 OBP thanks to his 100 walks drawn. His performance drew NL Rookie of the Year recognition. 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.

1958 Season Summary

Appeared in 147 games

LF – 70, 3B – 44, 2B – 33, PH – 7, RF – 6, CF – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 636 [9]

At Bats – 555 [11]

Runs – 81 [13]

Hits – 145

Doubles – 25 [14, tied with Frank Robinson & Willie Kirkland]

Triples – 5 [19, tied with nine others]

Home Runs – 2

RBI – 43

Bases on Balls – 78 [5, tied with Willie Mays]

Int. BB – 1

Strikeouts – 22

Stolen Bases – 18 [5]

Caught Stealing – 11 [3, tied with Orlando Cepeda]

Average - .261

OBP - .352 [12]

Slugging Pct. - .335

Total Bases – 186

GDP – 5

Hit By Pitches – 0

Sac Hits – 3

Sac Flies – 0

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 13, 3B – 5, HR – 1, RBI – 25, AVG - .260, OBP - .347

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Most hits, game – 3 on six occasions

Longest hitting streak – 11 games

Most HR, game – 1 (in 3 AB) at San Francisco 5/10, (in 4 AB) vs. Cincinnati 7/13

HR at home – 1

HR on road – 1

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 4 vs. Philadelphia 5/4

Pinch-hitting – 1 for 5 (.200) with 2 BB

Fielding (OF)

Chances – 149

Put Outs – 142

Assists – 5

Errors – 2

DP – 2

Pct. - .987

Awards & Honors:

19^th in NL MVP voting, tied with Bob Purkey, Cin. & Frank Robinson, Cin. (4 points, 1% share)

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The relocated Dodgers went 71-83 to finish seventh in the NL, 21 games behind the pennant-winning Milwaukee Braves while leading the league in stolen bases (73), fewest hits (1297), lowest batting average (.251), and lowest OBP (.317). The Dodgers were in the NL basement by May 12 following a 9-16 start, rose as high as fourth during a 17-14 August but dropped in September to finish out of the first division for the first time since 1944. They still drew 1,845,556 fans to their ill-suited temporary home at the LA Memorial Coliseum, some 800,000 more than their last year in Brooklyn.  

Aftermath of 1958:

The regular third baseman in 1959, Gilliam 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 NL 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. Gilliam 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.

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.