Luther Gilyard
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Luther Gilyard was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Stars, the Chicago American Giants, and the Birmingham Black Barons. In 78 career games, he hit .259 with 68 hits, 1 home runs, and 28 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- 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
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- — / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'6" / 171 lb
- Died
- 9/20/1976 in Detroit, MI, USA
Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78 | 263 | 35 | 68 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 28 | 1 | 16 | 11 | .259 | .309 | .350 | .658 | -244 |
Career AVG .259 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .309 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 8.6% below league average.
Career SLG .350 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — 8.7% below league average.
Career OPS .658 vs. league average .721 across their career seasons — 8.7% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | SL2 | NAL | 15 | 61 | 17 | 26 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .426 | .276 (+54%) | .342 (+35%) | .398 (+65%) | .740 (+51%) | 492.4 |
| 1937 | CAG | NAL | 29 | 101 | 7 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 7 | .198 | .276 (-28%) | .342 (-25%) | .398 (-43%) | .740 (-35%) | 492.4 |
| 1938 | CAG | NAL | 18 | 52 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 4 | .212 | .272 (-22%) | .341 (-14%) | .392 (-27%) | .734 (-21%) | -176.5 |
| 1939 | CAG | NAL | 4 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .267 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1942 | BBB | NAL | 12 | 34 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .206 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 78 | 263 | 35 | 68 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 28 | 1 | 16 | 11 | .259 | — | — | — | — | 808 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (20 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 9 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .105 |
| Away | 7 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | .333 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Away | 3 | 7.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.17 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938-06-13 | CAG | MEM | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-06-12 | CAG | MEM | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-06-12 | CAG | MEM | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-06-04 | CAG | JAX | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1938-05-29 | CAG | KCM | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1938-05-29 | CAG | KCM | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-05-28 | CAG | KCM | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-05-15 | KCM | CAG | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-06-11 | MEM | DT2 | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-06-07 | MEM | IN6 | W | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Last 4 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938-06-13 | CAG | MEM | — | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-06-12 | CAG | MEM | — | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-06-11 | MEM | DT2 | W | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-05-30 | MEM | CAG | L | 6.0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 76 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Luther Gilyard: the record in brief
Luther Gilyard's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1937 to 1942. Gilyard played for the St. Louis Stars (1937), the Chicago American Giants (1937 through 1939), and the Birmingham Black Barons (1942). The bio lists Gilyard's primary position as first baseman. Gilyard is listed at 5-foot-6 and 171 pounds. Gilyard was born on February 20, 1910, in Fort Smith, AR, USA. The bio records the death on September 20, 1976, in Detroit, MI, USA.
Gilyard collected 68 hits in 263 at bats across 78 games, good for a .259 batting average; the totals also include 1 home run and 28 runs batted in. Gilyard got on base at a .309 rate and slugged .350 (.658 OPS). The .259 career average is close to the .269 the league hit across the same seasons. In OPS terms, Gilyard's .658 stands 8.7% below the league's .721. The hits column peaks at 26, in 1937. In 1937, a season of regular play, Gilyard hit .426 while the league hit .276.
Frequently Asked Questions about Luther Gilyard
- Was Luther Gilyard a pitcher?
- No. Luther Gilyard was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Luther Gilyard hit?
- Luther Gilyard hit 1 career home run with 68 hits.
- What teams did Luther Gilyard play for?
- Luther Gilyard played for 3 teams: the St. Louis Stars (1937), the Chicago American Giants (1937–1939), and the Birmingham Black Barons (1942).
- What were Luther Gilyard's career stats?
- In 78 games, Luther Gilyard had 68 hits, 1 home runs, 28 RBI, 35 runs, and 1 stolen bases, with a .259 batting average.
- What position did Luther Gilyard play?
- Luther Gilyard played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Luther Gilyard and how much did he weigh?
- Luther Gilyard was listed at 5 feet 6 inches and 171 pounds.
- How many home runs did Luther Gilyard hit each season?
- Luther Gilyard's home runs by season: 1 in 1937, 0 in 1938, 0 in 1939, and 0 in 1942. His most in one season was 1, in 1937.
- What was Luther Gilyard's career batting average?
- Luther Gilyard batted .259 over his career, with 68 hits in 263 at bats.
- How many RBI did Luther Gilyard have?
- Luther Gilyard drove in 28 runs in his career.
- Is Luther Gilyard in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Luther Gilyard has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.