Bob Gilks

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1887-1893)

Bob Gilks was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1887 to 1893 for the Cleveland Blues, the Cleveland Spiders, and the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 7 seasons. In 340 career games, he hit .231 with 320 hits, 1 home runs, and 142 RBI. He also pitched in 21 games, going 9-9 with a 3.98 ERA.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .231
HR 1
RBI 142
H 320
OPS .535
PIV -4,137
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 178 lb
Born
7/2/1864 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
Died
8/20/1944 in Brunswick, GA, USA
MLB Debut
1887-08-25
Last Game
1893-09-19

Full name: Robert James Gilks

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Career Batting Statistics

Bob Gilks — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
340 1,385 163 320 33 9 1 142 47 49 104 .231 .265 .270 .535 -4,137

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 .535 vs. league average .684 across their career seasons — 21.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Gilks — 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 .313 .270 (+16%) .331 (+6%) .373 (-10%) .705 (-2%) -10.3
1888 CL3 AA 119 484 59 111 14 4 1 63 16 7 36 .229 .238 (-4%) .290 (-16%) .319 (-12%) .610 (-14%) -1003.3
1889 CL4 NL 53 210 17 50 5 2 0 18 6 7 20 .238 .263 (-10%) .334 (-18%) .357 (-21%) .691 (-20%) -670.6
1890 CL4 NL 130 544 65 116 10 3 0 41 17 32 38 .213 .260 (-18%) .336 (-21%) .351 (-31%) .687 (-26%) -2212.9
1893 BLN NL 16 64 10 17 2 0 0 7 3 0 3 .266 .279 (-5%) .356 (-22%) .379 (-22%) .735 (-22%) -239.4
Career · 5 seasons 340 1,385 163 320 33 9 1 142 47 49 104 .231 — — — — -4,137

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Pitching Statistics

Bob Gilks — 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 1 160.2 164 71 2 59 36 3.98 -950.5

Career ERA 3.98 vs. league average 3.69 across their career seasons — 7.8% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Gilks — 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%) -331.6
1888 CL3 AA 0 2 4 2 2 0 1 21.0 26 19 8 3 8.14 2.95 (-176%) -659.9
1890 CL4 NL 2 2 4 3 3 0 0 31.2 34 15 9 5 4.26 3.88 (-10%) 41.1
Career · 3 seasons 9 9 21 18 17 1 1 160.2 164 71 59 36 3.98 — -950

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bob Gilks — 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

Bob Gilks — 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 Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bob Gilks — 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

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Bob Gilks (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Leech Maskrey
    .225 avg, 2 HR
  2. 93
    Harry Lyons
    .234 avg, 7 HR
  3. 92
    Joe Kelly
    .224 avg, 6 HR
  4. 92
    Jake Evans
    .238 avg, 1 HR
  5. 88
    Eddie Booth
    .239 avg, 1 HR
  6. 87
    Harry Wheeler
    .228 avg, 2 HR

Bob Gilks: the record in brief

August 25, 1887 and September 19, 1893 bracket Bob Gilks's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Gilks's seasons break down as the Cleveland Blues (1887 through 1888), the Cleveland Spiders (1889 to 1890), and the Baltimore Orioles (1893). Born on July 2, 1864, in Cincinnati, OH, USA, Gilks is listed as an outfielder and both batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 5 feet, 8 inches and 178 pounds. The bio records the death on August 20, 1944, in Brunswick, GA, USA. Gilks's full given name, per the bio, is Robert James Gilks.

Gilks finished with 320 hits from 1,385 at bats in 340 games, which works out to .231; the totals also include 1 home run, 142 RBI, and 47 stolen bases. Gilks got on base at a .265 rate and slugged .270 (.535 OPS). Over the seasons Gilks played, league hitters batted .262; the .231 career figure is 11.7% below that. No season topped the 116 hits of 1890.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bob Gilks

What years did Bob Gilks play?
Bob Gilks played in Major League Baseball from 1887 to 1893.
Was Bob Gilks a pitcher?
Both. Bob Gilks pitched in 21 games, going 9-9 with a 3.98 ERA, but spent most of his career as an Outfielder.
How many home runs did Bob Gilks hit?
Bob Gilks hit 1 career home run with 320 hits.
What teams did Bob Gilks play for?
Bob Gilks played for 2 teams: the Cleveland Spiders (1887–1890) and the Baltimore Orioles (1893).
What were Bob Gilks's career stats?
In 340 games, Bob Gilks had 320 hits, 1 home runs, 142 RBI, 163 runs, and 47 stolen bases, with a .231 batting average. As a pitcher, in 21 games, he went 9-9 with a 3.98 ERA, 36 strikeouts, 160.2 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
What position did Bob Gilks play?
Bob Gilks played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bob Gilks and how much did he weigh?
Bob Gilks was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 178 pounds.
How many home runs did Bob Gilks hit each season?
Bob Gilks's home runs by season: 0 in 1887, 1 in 1888, 0 in 1889, 0 in 1890, and 0 in 1893. His most in one season was 1, in 1888.
What was Bob Gilks's career batting average?
Bob Gilks batted .231 over his career, with 320 hits in 1,385 at bats.
How many RBI did Bob Gilks have?
Bob Gilks drove in 142 runs in his career.
What was Bob Gilks's career ERA?
Bob Gilks finished with a 3.98 career ERA, going 9-9 with 36 strikeouts.
Is Bob Gilks in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bob Gilks has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.