Jim Gantner

Born: 1/5/1953 in Fond du Lac, WI, USA

MLB Debut: 1976-09-03 | Final Game: 1992-10-03

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: James Elmer Gantner

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Biography

Jim Gantner, born in 1953, was a prominent figure in Major League Baseball during his career that spanned from 1976 to 1992. Primarily known for his role as a position player, Gantner played a total of 1,801 games, primarily with the Milwaukee Brewers. Over his 16-season career, he compiled 1,696 hits, showcasing his consistency at the plate with a career batting average of .274. Gantner displayed versatility and durability, contributing significantly to his team's offensive efforts with 568 RBIs and 47 home runs. Additionally, he demonstrated speed on the base paths, amassing 137 stolen bases. Gantner played during an era that saw significant changes in the game, including the rise of power hitting and the integration of advanced defensive metrics. His steady presence in the infield and clutch hitting made him a fan favorite, and he was recognized for his work ethic and leadership qualities. Gantner's contributions helped the Brewers reach new heights during the 1980s, including their memorable run to the World Series in 1982. Retiring in 1992, he left behind a legacy as a reliable player who exemplified the heart and hustle of a bygone era in baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1801	6189	726	1696	262	38	47	568	137	383	501	0.274	0.319	0.351	0.671	-6574.8

Career AVG .274 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +5.8% above league average.

Career OBP .319 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .351 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 9.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.671 vs. league average 0.710 across their career seasons — 5.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1976	ATL	AL	26	69	6	17	1	0	0	7	1	6	11	0.246	.255 (-4%)	.320 (-1%)	.360 (-28%)	.681 (-15%)	-140.0
1977	ATL	AL	14	47	4	14	1	0	1	2	2	2	5	0.298	—	—	—	—	0.0
1978	ATL	AL	43	97	14	21	1	0	1	8	2	5	10	0.216	.257 (-16%)	.323 (-17%)	.378 (-32%)	.702 (-25%)	-386.9
1979	ATL	AL	70	208	29	59	10	3	2	22	3	16	17	0.284	.265 (+7%)	.329 (+2%)	.397 (-2%)	.727 (avg)	-25.9
1980	ATL	AL	132	415	47	117	21	3	4	40	11	30	29	0.282	.264 (+7%)	.326 (+1%)	.387 (-3%)	.714 (-1%)	-109.2
1981	ATL	AL	107	352	35	94	14	1	2	33	3	29	29	0.267	.255 (+4%)	.320 (+1%)	.368 (-11%)	.688 (-5%)	-280.4
1982	ATL	AL	132	447	48	132	17	2	4	43	6	26	36	0.295	.261 (+13%)	.324 (+3%)	.388 (-5%)	.712 (-1%)	-94.2
1983	ATL	AL	161	603	85	170	23	8	11	74	5	38	46	0.282	.260 (+8%)	.324 (+1%)	.389 (+3%)	.714 (+2%)	211.9
1984	ATL	AL	153	613	61	173	27	1	3	56	6	30	51	0.282	.259 (+9%)	.322 (-3%)	.384 (-11%)	.707 (-7%)	-931.2
1985	ATL	AL	143	523	63	133	15	4	5	44	11	33	42	0.254	.257 (-1%)	.323 (-7%)	.390 (-16%)	.714 (-12%)	-1276.7
1986	ATL	AL	139	497	58	136	25	1	7	38	13	26	50	0.274	.257 (+6%)	.325 (-4%)	.395 (-6%)	.720 (-5%)	-590.6
1987	ATL	AL	81	265	37	72	14	0	4	30	6	19	22	0.272	.262 (+3%)	.331 (avg)	.415 (-11%)	.746 (-6%)	-264.6
1988	ATL	AL	155	539	67	149	28	2	0	47	20	34	50	0.276	.254 (+9%)	.317 (+1%)	.377 (-11%)	.695 (-5%)	-543.5
1989	ATL	AL	116	409	51	112	18	3	0	34	20	21	33	0.274	.254 (+8%)	.319 (+1%)	.375 (-11%)	.694 (-6%)	-439.6
1990	ATL	AL	88	323	36	85	8	5	0	25	18	29	19	0.263	.257 (+2%)	.324 (+1%)	.385 (-17%)	.710 (-9%)	-456.2
1991	ATL	AL	140	526	63	149	27	4	2	47	4	27	34	0.283	.255 (+11%)	.323 (-1%)	.384 (-6%)	.708 (-4%)	-465.9
1992	ATL	AL	101	256	22	63	12	1	1	18	6	12	17	0.246	.255 (-4%)	.322 (-14%)	.377 (-17%)	.699 (-16%)	-782.0

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.0	2	0	0	0	0	0.00	0

Career ERA 0.00 vs. league average 4.00 across their career seasons — 100.0% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1979	ATL	AL	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.0	2	0	0	0	0.00	—	-

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
16	54	7	13	5	1	0	6	2	4	0.241

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1982	ALCS	ML4	5	16	1	3	0	0	2	1	1	0.188
1982	WS	ML4	7	24	5	8	4	1	4	1	1	0.333
1981	AEDIV	ML4	4	14	1	2	1	0	0	0	2	0.143

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	3	0	3	0	0	1
2B	1449	1379	3139	4347	115	1036
3B	360	278	212	573	36	64
P	1	0	0	1	0	0
SS	7	5	4	21	1	4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1976	ML4	3B	24	23	17	37	1	3
1977	ML4	3B	14	12	8	29	4	3
1978	ML4	1B	1	0	1	0	0	1
1978	ML4	2B	21	16	41	55	2	10
1978	ML4	3B	15	8	2	25	2	2
1978	ML4	SS	1	1	2	2	1	0
1979	ML4	2B	22	20	50	76	2	16
1979	ML4	3B	42	33	28	71	5	8
1979	ML4	P	1	0	0	1	0	0
1979	ML4	SS	3	3	2	13	0	2
1980	ML4	2B	66	62	118	203	4	53
1980	ML4	3B	69	51	41	126	11	15
1980	ML4	SS	1	1	0	6	0	2
1981	ML4	2B	107	100	251	352	10	95
1982	ML4	2B	131	127	307	398	13	104
1983	ML4	2B	158	158	374	512	14	128
1984	ML4	2B	153	150	362	469	13	111
1985	ML4	2B	124	121	262	402	8	89
1985	ML4	3B	24	18	16	34	3	5
1985	ML4	SS	1	0	0	0	0	0
1986	ML4	2B	135	130	304	347	10	87
1986	ML4	3B	3	3	5	6	0	0
1986	ML4	SS	1	0	0	0	0	0
1987	ML4	2B	57	51	95	153	4	36
1987	ML4	3B	38	25	24	40	2	8
1988	ML4	2B	154	149	325	428	11	92
1988	ML4	3B	1	0	0	2	0	0
1989	ML4	2B	114	109	241	362	8	88
1990	ML4	2B	80	76	164	220	7	54
1990	ML4	3B	9	9	3	20	2	2
1991	ML4	2B	59	53	109	190	7	31
1991	ML4	3B	90	83	51	155	5	15
1992	ML4	1B	2	0	2	0	0	0
1992	ML4	2B	68	57	136	180	2	42
1992	ML4	3B	31	13	17	28	1	3

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Pitcher	1
First Base	3
Second Base	1449
Third Base	360
Shortstop	7
Designated Hitter	9

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
1983	Player of the Week	Week of 1983-07-29
1982	Player of the Week	Week of 1982-07-16

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
1992	ML4	AL	$1,150,000
1991	ML4	AL	$1,000,000
1990	ML4	AL	$700,000
1989	ML4	AL	$900,000
1988	ML4	AL	$937,500
1987	ML4	AL	$375,000
1986	ML4	AL	$887,500
1985	ML4	AL	$687,500
Total Career Earnings			$6,637,500