Jim Gentile

Born: 6/3/1934 in San Francisco, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1957-09-10 | Final Game: 1966-09-30

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 210 lbs

Full name: James Edward Gentile

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Biography

Jim Gentile was a prominent American baseball player, celebrated for his power-hitting prowess during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Born in 1934, Gentile made his Major League Baseball debut on April 8, 1957, and concluded his career on September 30, 1966. Over the course of his nine-season tenure, he appeared in 936 games, racking up 759 hits, including 179 home runs and 549 runs batted in. With a career batting average of .26, Gentile showcased a combination of consistency and power, making him a formidable presence at the plate. Gentile was selected as an All-Star six times, underscoring his status as one of the elite players of his era. He played primarily as a first baseman and left fielder, where he was known for his strong offensive skills and ability to drive in runs. His career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, as the game was beginning to shift away from the deadball era, emphasizing more power-hitting and offensive production. Gentile's contributions to the game left a lasting impact, particularly as he helped pave the way for future generations of power hitters.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
936	2922	434	759	113	6	179	549	3	475	663	0.260	0.368	0.486	0.854	13765.6

Career AVG .260 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .368 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — +15.7% above league average.

Career SLG .486 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — +26.6% above league average.

Career OPS 0.854 vs. league average 0.702 across their career seasons — +21.7% above 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
1957	BRO	NL	4	6	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	1	1	0.167	—	—	—	—	0.0
1958	LAD	NL	12	30	0	4	1	0	0	4	0	4	6	0.133	—	—	—	—	0.0
1960	BAL	AL	138	384	67	112	17	0	21	98	0	68	72	0.292	.255 (+14%)	.323 (+24%)	.387 (+29%)	.711 (+27%)	2338.7
1961	BAL	AL	148	486	96	147	25	2	46	141	1	96	106	0.302	.258 (+17%)	.328 (+29%)	.399 (+62%)	.727 (+47%)	4934.1
1962	BAL	AL	152	545	80	137	21	1	33	87	1	77	100	0.251	.257 (-2%)	.326 (+6%)	.393 (+21%)	.719 (+14%)	1591.1
1963	BAL	AL	145	496	65	123	16	1	24	72	1	76	101	0.248	.246 (+1%)	.308 (+14%)	.371 (+15%)	.680 (+15%)	1669.3
1964	KC1	AL	136	439	71	110	10	0	28	71	0	84	122	0.251	.250 (avg)	.312 (+19%)	.377 (+23%)	.690 (+21%)	2096.2
1965	KC1	AL	38	118	14	29	5	0	10	22	0	9	26	0.246	.245 (avg)	.310 (-2%)	.371 (+46%)	.682 (+24%)	417.0
1965	HOU	NL	81	227	22	55	11	1	7	31	0	34	72	0.242	.245 (-1%)	.310 (+13%)	.371 (+5%)	.682 (+9%)	417.0
1966	HOU	NL	49	144	16	35	6	1	7	18	0	21	39	0.243	.248 (-2%)	.309 (+15%)	.376 (+18%)	.685 (+17%)	464.5
1966	CLE	AL	33	47	2	6	1	0	2	4	0	5	18	0.128	—	—	—	—	464.5

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	854	792	6725	564	73	671

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1957	BRO	1B	2	2	14	0	0	3
1958	LAN	1B	8	8	50	2	1	9
1960	BAL	1B	124	95	885	52	7	98
1961	BAL	1B	144	137	1209	100	14	129
1962	BAL	1B	150	149	1214	121	16	121
1963	BAL	1B	143	138	1185	110	6	122
1964	KC1	1B	128	128	1018	84	13	92
1965	KC1	1B	35	29	239	17	5	24
1965	HOU	1B	68	62	544	43	4	41
1966	HOU	1B	43	38	321	30	4	28
1966	CLE	1B	9	6	46	5	3	4