Gil Hodges, baseball player, 370 home runs, 1943-1963

Gil Hodges

⭐ Hall of Fame 2022

Born: 4/4/1924 in Princeton, IN, USA

Died: 4/2/1972 in West Palm Beach, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1943-10-03 | Final Game: 1963-05-05

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: Gilbert Ray Hodges

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Biography

Gil Hodges was a prominent figure in Major League Baseball, known for his significant contributions as a first baseman and manager. Born in 1924, he played his entire career from 1943 to 1963, spanning two decades that encompassed the post-World War II era through the early 1960s, a transformative period for the sport. Hodges competed in 2,071 games and recorded 1,921 hits, showcasing his consistent offensive capabilities with a batting average of .273. His power at the plate was evident as he hit 370 home runs and drove in 1,274 runs, making him one of the top sluggers of his time. In addition to his hitting prowess, he stole 63 bases, demonstrating a surprising speed for a player of his stature. Hodges was selected as an All-Star eight times, a testament to his excellence and popularity among fans and peers alike. He played a crucial role in the success of the Brooklyn Dodgers, helping the team secure its first World Series championship in 1955. Following his playing career, Hodges transitioned into a managerial role, further solidifying his legacy in baseball. His contributions to the game were recognized when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022, ensuring that his remarkable achievements would be celebrated by future generations of baseball enthusiasts.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2071 7030 1105 1921 295 48 370 1274 63 943 1137 0.273 0.359 0.487 0.846 24713.1

Career AVG .273 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — +5.7% above league average.

Career OBP .359 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — +8.7% above league average.

Career SLG .487 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — +26.3% above league average.

Career OPS 0.846 vs. league average 0.716 across their career seasons — +18.2% 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
1943 BRO NL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1947 BRO NL 28 77 9 12 3 1 1 7 0 14 19 0.156 .262 (-41%) .336 (-15%) .376 (-31%) .712 (-23%) -292.0
1948 BRO NL 134 481 48 120 18 5 11 70 7 43 61 0.249 .263 (-5%) .340 (-9%) .379 (-1%) .719 (-4%) -536.2
1949 BRO NL 156 596 94 170 23 4 23 115 10 66 64 0.285 .262 (+9%) .343 (+5%) .384 (+18%) .727 (+12%) 1424.6
1950 BRO NL 153 561 98 159 26 2 32 113 6 73 73 0.283 .265 (+7%) .346 (+6%) .401 (+26%) .747 (+17%) 1994.2
1951 BRO NL 158 582 118 156 25 3 40 103 9 93 99 0.268 .260 (+3%) .336 (+11%) .385 (+37%) .721 (+25%) 3059.6
1952 BRO NL 153 508 87 129 27 1 32 102 2 107 90 0.254 .252 (+1%) .326 (+18%) .369 (+35%) .696 (+27%) 3060.7
1953 BRO NL 141 520 101 157 22 7 31 122 1 75 84 0.302 .264 (+14%) .335 (+17%) .397 (+38%) .733 (+29%) 3117.7
1954 BRO NL 154 579 106 176 23 5 42 130 3 74 84 0.304 .261 (+16%) .333 (+12%) .390 (+48%) .723 (+32%) 3568.1
1955 BRO NL 150 546 75 158 24 5 27 102 2 80 91 0.289 .258 (+12%) .332 (+14%) .393 (+27%) .726 (+21%) 2389.5
1956 BRO NL 153 550 86 146 29 4 32 87 3 76 91 0.265 .258 (+3%) .331 (+7%) .397 (+28%) .728 (+18%) 2052.8
1957 BRO NL 150 579 94 173 28 7 27 98 5 63 91 0.299 .257 (+16%) .323 (+13%) .391 (+31%) .715 (+23%) 2618.7
1958 LAD NL 141 475 68 123 15 1 22 64 8 52 87 0.259 .257 (avg) .324 (+2%) .394 (+10%) .719 (+6%) 606.9
1959 LAD NL 124 413 57 114 19 2 25 80 3 58 92 0.276 .256 (+8%) .323 (+13%) .392 (+31%) .715 (+23%) 1916.3
1960 LAD NL 101 197 22 39 8 1 8 30 0 26 37 0.198 .255 (-22%) .323 (-10%) .387 (-4%) .711 (-7%) -286.4
1961 LAD NL 109 215 25 52 4 0 8 31 3 24 43 0.242 .258 (-6%) .328 (-5%) .399 (-7%) .727 (-6%) -247.6
1962 NYN NL 54 127 15 32 1 0 9 17 0 15 27 0.252 .257 (-2%) .326 (+2%) .393 (+20%) .719 (+12%) 266.2
1963 NYN NL 11 22 2 5 0 0 0 3 0 3 2 0.227 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
39 131 15 35 2 1 5 21 17 22 0.267

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1959 WS LAN 6 23 2 9 0 1 1 2 1 2 0.391
1956 WS BRO 7 23 5 7 2 0 1 8 4 4 0.304
1955 WS BRO 7 24 2 7 0 0 1 5 3 2 0.292
1953 WS BRO 6 22 3 8 0 0 1 1 3 3 0.364
1952 WS BRO 7 21 1 0 0 0 0 1 5 6 0.000
1949 WS BRO 5 17 2 4 0 0 1 4 1 4 0.235
1947 WS BRO 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1908 889 15344 1281 126 1614
2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
3B 32 24 34 57 6 10
C 64 0 242 24 8 7
OF 79 53 102 3 5 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1943 BRO 3B 1 0 1 2 2 1
1947 BRO C 24 0 79 12 4 2
1948 BRO 1B 96 0 830 60 13 85
1948 BRO C 38 0 160 12 4 5
1949 BRO 1B 156 0 1336 80 7 142
1950 BRO 1B 153 0 1273 100 8 159
1951 BRO 1B 158 0 1365 126 12 171
1952 BRO 1B 153 0 1322 116 11 152
1953 BRO 1B 127 0 1025 99 8 105
1953 BRO OF 24 0 37 2 1 1
1954 BRO 1B 154 154 1381 132 7 129
1955 BRO 1B 139 136 1274 105 12 126
1955 BRO OF 16 14 17 1 2 0
1956 BRO 1B 138 121 1190 103 10 105
1956 BRO C 1 0 2 0 0 0
1956 BRO OF 30 30 42 0 2 0
1957 BRO 1B 150 148 1317 115 14 115
1957 BRO 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1957 BRO 3B 2 2 2 2 0 1
1958 LAN 1B 122 99 907 69 8 134
1958 LAN 3B 15 13 18 34 1 3
1958 LAN C 1 0 1 0 0 0
1958 LAN OF 9 9 6 0 0 0
1959 LAN 1B 113 106 891 66 8 77
1959 LAN 3B 4 4 5 8 0 3
1960 LAN 1B 92 41 403 33 2 40
1960 LAN 3B 10 5 8 11 3 2
1961 LAN 1B 100 48 454 37 1 44
1962 NYN 1B 47 30 315 32 5 23
1963 NYN 1B 10 6 61 8 0 7

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 64
First Base 1908
Second Base 1
Third Base 32
Left Field 53
Center Field 1
Right Field 26

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1959 Gold Glove 1B
1959 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1958 Gold Glove 1B
1957 Gold Glove 1B
1949 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
St. Joseph's College Rensselaer IN 1942, 1943

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1959 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 4.0 336 0
1957 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 54.0 336 0
1954 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 40.0 336 0
1953 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 13.0 336 0
1952 Most Valuable Player NL 19th 15.0 336 0
1951 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 10.0 336 0
1950 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 55.0 336 0
1949 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 29.0 336 0
1948 Most Valuable Player NL 30th 1.0 336 0