Jim Gilliam
| Jim Gilliam | |||
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Gilliam with the Brooklyn Dodgers
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| Second baseman / Third baseman | |||
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Born: October 17, 1928 Nashville, Tennessee |
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Died: October 8, 1978 (aged 49) Inglewood, California |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 14, 1953, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 25, 1966, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .265 | ||
| Home runs | 65 | ||
| Runs batted in | 558 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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James William "Junior" Gilliam (October 17, 1928 – October 8, 1978) was an American second baseman, third baseman, and coach in Negro League and Major League Baseball who spent his entire major league career with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. 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. As the Dodgers' 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. Upon retirement, he became one of the first African-American coaches in the major leagues.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Gilliam began playing on a local semi-pro team at age 14 and dropped out of high school in his senior year to pursue his baseball career. He joined the Negro National League's Baltimore Elite Giants, with whom he played from 1946 to 1950. He received his nickname, "Junior", during this time. He was voted an All-Star three straight years from 1948 to 1950. Veteran George Scales taught him to switch hit.
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; he could not play for the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate, the Fort Worth Cats, as blacks were still barred from the Texas League. He led the International League in runs in both 1951 and 1952.
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