Jim Gilliam
James William "Junior" Gilliam was an American second baseman, third baseman, and coach in Negro league and Major League Baseball. He began his baseball career in the Negro leagues in 1946 and became an All-Star second baseman with the Baltimore Elite Giants. He was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951 and joined the major leagues in 1953. He was named the 1953 National League Rookie of the Year and was a key member of ten National League championship teams from 1953 to 1978 that spanned their time in Brooklyn and later Los Angeles. As the leadoff hitter for most of the 1950s, he scored over 100 runs in each of his first four seasons and led the National League in triples in 1953 and walks in 1959. In his time as a major league player, he collected over 2,000 hits. In 1964, Gilliam became one of the first African American coaches while still an active player and became a full-time coach at first base in 1966, where he resided until his death.
Early life
Gilliam was born on October 17, 1928, in Nashville, Tennessee to James Sr. and Katherine Gilliam. He attended Pearl High School in Nashville, playing baseball and starring at halfback in football, but dropped out during his junior or senior year to pursue playing professional baseball.Negro leagues
Gilliam began playing on a local semi-pro team at age 14. In 1943 and/or 1944, he played for a local Nashville baseball team called the Crawfords. In 1945, Crawfords' owner Paul Jones put together a team, the Nashville Black Vols, as a Negro League farm team of the Negro National League's Baltimore Elite Giants. Jones paid Gilliam to play for the team, and Gilliam got permission from his mother to leave high school at 16. The Elite Giants originally brought Gilliam up as a reserve infielder in 1946. He would play on the team from 1946 to 1950. He received his nickname, "Junior", at 16-years old because he was the Giants' youngest player.He played in only 21 games with 48 at bats in 1946, but had a.257 batting average in 59 games the following season. In these first two seasons, Gilliam was a weak right-handed hitter against curveballs thrown by right-handed pitchers. His manager George "Tubby" Scales worked with Gilliam to learn batting left-handed as well as right-handed, successfully making Gilliam a switch hitter. Scales also managed Gilliam in Puerto Rican winter baseball, where Gilliam played three seasons.
In 1948, his batting average rose to.289, and he made the East All-Star team. In 1949, Gilliam's average was.302. He was voted an All-Star for the East three straight years from 1948 to 1950.
The Brooklyn Dodgers purchased Gilliam's contract rights from the Elite Giants for $4,000.
Minor leagues
In 1951, he was signed as an amateur free agent by the Brooklyn Dodgers, who sent him to play for their Triple-A International League farm team, the Montreal Royals. The Royals were managed by Walter Alston during Gilliam's two years playing for them. In 1951, he played in 152 games, both at second base and in the outfield, batting.287, with 117 runs scored, 117 bases on balls, a.413 on base percentage, and 15 stolen bases. In 1952 for the Royals, he hit.301, with nine home runs, nine triples, 39 doubles, 111 runs, 112 runs batted in, 100 bases on balls, a.411 OBP, 18 stolen bases, and an.862 OPS. He played the vast majority of his games at second base. He led the International League in runs in both 1951 and 1952, and was the IL's most valuable player in 1952.After signing with the Dodgers, Gilliam could not play for the team's Double-A affiliate, the Fort Worth Cats, as blacks were still barred from the Texas League. In 1952, pitcher Dave Hoskins became the first black player in the Texas League.
Brooklyn Dodgers
Gilliam made his debut with the Dodgers in April 1953, with the formidable task of taking over second base from future Hall of fame second baseman Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in major league baseball in 1947. In 1953, Robinson was shifted to the outfield and third base. Robinson made the effort to teach Gilliam how to properly play second base. Teammate and future Hall of Fame shortstop Pee Wee Reese was also an inspiration to Gilliam, and treated his black teammates with respect, making Gilliam feel relaxed on the team. Gilliam led all NL players in games played at second base and his.976 fielding percentage was third in the league in 1953.Gilliam also proved capable as a hitter, batting.278 with a team-leading 125 runs for the National League champions. His 17 triples led all major league hitters, and remain the most by a Dodger since 1920. Gilliam also led the league in plate appearances and was second in the NL with 100 walks, and third with 21 stolen bases ; though he was also caught stealing a league leading 14 times. He was the first rookie to draw 100 walks. For his excellent season he earned National League Rookie of the Year honors, as well as The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award.
He continued to play well during the team's Brooklyn years. In 1954, Walter Alston took over as the Dodgers manager. Gilliam hit.282 with a career-high 13 home runs, scoring 107 runs. He played 143 games at second base, with a.977 fielding percentage. In 1955, the Dodgers defeated the Yankees four games to three in the World Series. During the regular season, Gilliam's average slipped to.249, but he scored over 100 runs for the third consecutive year. He hit.292 in the World Series.
The Dodgers won the NL pennant in 1956, losing to the Yankees 4–3 in the World Series. During the regular season, Gilliam batted a career-best.300, with 95 walks and a.399 OBP. He scored over 100 runs for the fourth consecutive year. He played 102 games at second base and 56 in the outfield. Gilliam made his first major league All-Star team, though he did not get in the game, on a NL team managed by Walter Alston. He also finished fifth in voting for the National League's League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award, won by teammate Don Newcombe.
He was again second in the league in walks and steals. Snider finished just above him in OBP for league best, both at.399; and he was fifth in the NL in runs. On July 21 of that year, he tied John Montgomery Ward's 1892 major league record of 12 assists in a game by a second baseman, a record since tied, by seven other second basemen.
By 1957, he was considered the best leadoff hitter in the NL. After proving himself in Brooklyn, his teammates no longer called him Junior, but Jim. He was the full-time second baseman again. In the Dodgers' last season in Brooklyn in 1957, he batted.250 but led the National League in putouts and fielding percentage and again finished second behind Mays with 26 stolen bases. He scored 89 runs, the first time in the major leagues he had less than 100 in a season. Jackie Robinson had retired before the season started, after being traded to the New York Giants. The Dodgers finished the season in third place, with an 84–70 record.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles before the 1958 season. Gilliam continued to star with the team after their 1958 move to Los Angeles, though he gradually shifted to third base. In 1958, he played 75 games in the outfield, 44 at third base and 32 at second base; the first time he played third base since his early days with the Elite Giants. In 1959, he was the Dodgers' full-time third baseman.In 1958, he hit.261, with 81 runs, 18 stolen bases and was 19th in NL MVP voting. The Dodgers were in the World Series again in 1959, defeating the Chicago White Sox four games to two. During the season, Gilliam hit.282, with 96 walks, 91 runs, a.387 OBP and 23 stolen bases. His 96 bases on balls led the National League, and he was tied for second in stolen bases, and sixth in OBP. In his first season at third base, his.958 fielding percentage was fifth best in the NL. In 1959, Gilliam was again an All-Star, but this time as a third baseman. He played in the second All-Star game that year, on August 3, hitting a home run off of Billy O'Dell.
In 1960, he played 130 games at third base and 30 at second base. He hit only.248, but had 96 walks and 96 runs. In 1961, he played 74 games at third base, but started only 35 games there, while starting 66 at second base and nine in the outfield; batting.244, with 79 walks and 74 runs. In 1962, he started 96 games at second base and 60 at third base, batting.270, with 93 walks and 83 runs.
Maury Wills became the Dodgers full-time shortstop in 1960. Wills became the team's leadoff hitter, and Gilliam moved to the second spot in the batting order, behind Wills. In 1962, Wills set an all-time record for stolen bases with 104, the first player ever to steal more than 100 bases in a season. Wills credited Gilliam's self-sacrifice and discipline as the second hitter, as being critical to his setting the stolen base record. Major league player and manager Dusty Baker, who had been mentored by Gilliam as a young player, described Gilliam's role: "'That second hitter has to be a double leadoff man, patient. You hope he can run, take pitches, so the guy ahead of him can steal. He almost has to be your smartest guy in the lineup....'"
The Dodgers won the National pennant again in 1963, with Gilliam once again the starting second baseman. At 34-years old, he batted.282, with 77 runs, 60 walks and 19 stolen bases. He placed sixth in that year's NL MVP vote. The Dodgers swept the 104-win New York Yankees 4–0 in the 1963 World Series.
The Dodgers fell to 6th place in 1964, with an 80–82 record. Gilliam started only 79 games, with only 390 plate appearances and a.228 average. This was his first major league season with less than 531 plate appearances. At the end of the season, Gilliam was named a coach by Dodgers manager Walter Alston, replacing Leo Durocher, becoming the third African-American to hold a major league coaching position. Gilliam intended 1964 to be his last playing year, but team injuries resulted in his seeing substantial play at third base in 1965 and 1966, with the team again winning the National League championship in both seasons. He also played 22 games in the outfield and five games at second base in 1965.
In 1965 he was part of the major leagues' first all-switch-hitting infield, with shortstop Wills, first baseman Wes Parker, and second baseman Jim Lefebvre. On September 5, Gilliam hit a 2-run pinch triple in a road game against the Houston Astros, giving the Dodgers a 3–2 lead in the ninth inning. The Los Angeles Rams were playing a preseason home game against the Philadelphia Eagles at the Coliseum. The Rams were playing so poorly despite their 10–0 win that the biggest cheer from the stands came from people listening to portable radios tuned to the Dodger game who cheered when Gilliam got the hit.
He finally retired as a player following the 1966 season with a.266 career batting average, 2,021 hits, 1,255 runs, 65 home runs, 625 runs batted in, 325 doubles, 80 triples, 1,036 walks, and 219 stolen bases over 17 seasons. Defensively, he recorded an overall.973 fielding percentage.
He was also nicknamed the "Devil" on the Dodgers because of his pool hall prowess.