Bob Gilks, baseball player, 1887-1893

Bob Gilks

Born: 7/2/1864 in Cincinnati, OH, USA

Died: 8/20/1944 in Brunswick, GA, USA

MLB Debut: 1887-08-25 | Final Game: 1893-09-19

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'8" | Weight: 178 lbs

Full name: Robert James Gilks

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Biography

Bob Gilks was a professional baseball pitcher who made his mark in the late 19th century, an era characterized by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensive style of play. Born in 1864, Gilks played in Major League Baseball from 1887 until his retirement in 1893. His career, though relatively brief, showcased his abilities on the mound and contributed to the evolution of pitching during a time when the game was still in its formative years. Over the course of his career, Gilks recorded a win-loss record of 9-9, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.98. He struck out 36 batters and notched 1 save, demonstrating his capacity as a reliable pitcher in a competitive league. While his statistics may not reflect the dominance seen in later eras, Gilks played during a time when pitching was developing as a nuanced art, with strategies and techniques still being refined. His contributions to the game helped pave the way for future generations of pitchers as baseball continued to grow in popularity and complexity.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
9 9 21 18 17 1 1 160.7 164 71 2 59 36 3.98 0

Career ERA 3.98 vs. league average 3.69 across their career seasons — 7.8% worse 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
1887 CL3 AA 7 5 13 13 12 1 0 108.0 104 37 42 28 3.08 4.17 (+26%) -340.1
1888 CL3 AA 0 2 4 2 2 0 1 21.0 26 19 8 3 8.14 2.95 (-176%) -663.2
1890 CL4 NL 2 2 4 3 3 0 0 31.7 34 15 9 5 4.26 3.88 (-10%) 41.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
340 1385 163 320 33 9 1 142 47 49 104 0.231 0.265 0.270 0.535 -5093.7

Career AVG .231 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 11.7% below league average.

Career OBP .265 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 19.6% below league average.

Career SLG .270 vs. league average .355 across their career seasons — 23.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.535 vs. league average 0.684 across their career seasons — 21.8% 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
1887 CL3 AA 22 83 12 26 2 0 0 13 5 3 7 0.313 .270 (+16%) .331 (+6%) .373 (-10%) .705 (-2%) -10.8
1888 CL3 AA 119 484 59 111 14 4 1 63 16 7 36 0.229 .238 (-4%) .290 (-16%) .319 (-12%) .610 (-14%) -1259.2
1889 CL4 NL 53 210 17 50 5 2 0 18 6 7 20 0.238 .263 (-10%) .334 (-18%) .357 (-21%) .691 (-20%) -746.8
1890 CL4 NL 130 544 65 116 10 3 0 41 17 32 38 0.213 .260 (-18%) .336 (-21%) .351 (-31%) .687 (-26%) -2829.3
1893 BLN NL 16 64 10 17 2 0 0 7 3 0 3 0.266 .279 (-5%) .356 (-22%) .379 (-22%) .735 (-22%) -247.6

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 16 0 146 8 4 9
2B 5 0 12 7 2 2
3B 28 0 31 69 20 9
OF 258 0 453 41 33 6
P 21 0 11 37 6 2
SS 20 0 30 61 11 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1887 CL3 1B 6 0 50 2 1 2
1887 CL3 2B 1 0 3 1 1 1
1887 CL3 OF 3 0 4 1 0 1
1887 CL3 P 13 0 8 29 5 2
1888 CL3 2B 1 0 1 2 0 0
1888 CL3 3B 28 0 31 69 20 9
1888 CL3 OF 87 0 133 10 16 2
1888 CL3 P 4 0 2 3 0 0
1888 CL3 SS 4 0 5 10 2 1
1889 CL4 1B 10 0 96 6 3 7
1889 CL4 2B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1889 CL4 OF 29 0 53 5 0 0
1889 CL4 SS 13 0 21 43 6 2
1890 CL4 2B 2 0 6 4 1 1
1890 CL4 OF 123 0 237 20 16 2
1890 CL4 P 4 0 1 5 1 0
1890 CL4 SS 3 0 4 8 3 2
1893 BLN OF 16 0 26 5 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 21
First Base 16
Second Base 5
Third Base 28
Shortstop 20
Left Field 181
Center Field 56
Right Field 22