Paul Gillespie

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1942-1945)

Paul Gillespie was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1945 for the Chicago Cubs, a span of 4 seasons. In 89 career games, he hit .283 with 58 hits, 6 home runs, and 31 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 311.

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 .283
HR 6
RBI 31
H 58
OPS .763
PIV 311
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 195 lb
Born
9/18/1920 in Sugar Valley, GA, USA
Died
8/11/1970 in Anniston, AL, USA
MLB Debut
1942-09-11
Last Game
1945-09-30

Full name: Paul Allen Gillespie

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Career Batting Statistics

Paul Gillespie — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
89 205 17 58 7 0 6 31 2 22 14 .283 .358 .405 .763 311

Career AVG .283 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +9.4% above league average.

Career OBP .358 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — +9.9% above league average.

Career SLG .405 vs. league average .354 across their career seasons — +14.4% above league average.

Career OPS .763 vs. league average .680 across their career seasons — +12.2% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Paul Gillespie — 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
1942 CHN NL 5 16 3 4 0 0 2 4 0 1 2 .250 — — — — 0.0
1944 CHN NL 9 26 2 7 1 0 1 2 0 3 3 .269 — — — — 0.0
1945 CHN NL 75 163 12 47 6 0 3 25 2 18 9 .288 .260 (+10%) .328 (+11%) .354 (+7%) .683 (+9%) 311.0
Career · 3 seasons 89 205 17 58 7 0 6 31 2 22 14 .283 — — — — 311

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Paul Gillespie — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Paul Gillespie — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1945 WS CHN 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (89 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Paul Gillespie — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home408432509.298
Away491211433622.273

Last 10 Games — Batting

Paul Gillespie — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1945-09-30 CHCPITW 000000000
1945-09-29 CHCPITW 211001200
1945-09-27 CHCCINW 321000000
1945-09-27 CHCCINW 400000000
1945-09-26 CHCSTLL 100000020
1945-09-18 CHCSTLL 302200010
1945-09-17 CHCBROL 301000000
1945-09-16 CHCBROW 300000000
1945-09-15 CHCBROW 211000010
1945-09-14 CHCPHIL 101000100

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Paul Gillespie — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 56 0 196 28 5 1
OF 1 0 1 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Paul Gillespie — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1942 CHN C 4 0 13 2 0 0
1944 CHN C 7 0 22 6 3 0
1945 CHN C 45 0 161 20 2 1
1945 CHN OF 1 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Paul Gillespie — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Catcher 56
Right Field 1

Paul Gillespie: the record in brief

Between the debut on September 11, 1942 and the final game on September 30, 1945, Paul Gillespie built the record summarized on this page. Every season row on the page belongs to the Chicago Cubs, from 1942 through 1945. Born on September 18, 1920, in Sugar Valley, GA, USA, Gillespie is listed as a catcher and hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Gillespie's listed size is 6'3" and 195 pounds. Gillespie's death is recorded on August 11, 1970, in Anniston, AL, USA. Paul Gillespie was the playing name; the full given name is Paul Allen.

In 89 games and 205 at bats, Gillespie batted .283 with 58 hits, along with 6 home runs and 31 RBI. Reaching base at a .358 clip and slugging .405, Gillespie finished with a .763 OPS. Over the seasons Gillespie played, league hitters batted .259; the .283 career figure is 9.4% above that. In OPS terms, Gillespie's .763 stands 12.2% above the league's .680. The hits column peaks at 47, in 1945.

Frequently Asked Questions about Paul Gillespie

What years did Paul Gillespie play?
Paul Gillespie played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1945.
Was Paul Gillespie a pitcher?
No. Paul Gillespie was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Paul Gillespie hit?
Paul Gillespie hit 6 career home runs with 58 hits.
What teams did Paul Gillespie play for?
Paul Gillespie played for one team, the Chicago Cubs (1942, 1944–1945).
What were Paul Gillespie's career stats?
In 89 games, Paul Gillespie had 58 hits, 6 home runs, 31 RBI, 17 runs, and 2 stolen bases, with a .283 batting average.
What position did Paul Gillespie play?
Paul Gillespie played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Paul Gillespie and how much did he weigh?
Paul Gillespie was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 195 pounds.
How many home runs did Paul Gillespie hit each season?
Paul Gillespie's home runs by season: 2 in 1942, 1 in 1944, and 3 in 1945. His most in one season was 3, in 1945.
What was Paul Gillespie's career batting average?
Paul Gillespie batted .283 over his career, with 58 hits in 205 at bats.
How many RBI did Paul Gillespie have?
Paul Gillespie drove in 31 runs in his career.
Is Paul Gillespie in the Hall of Fame?
No. Paul Gillespie has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.