John Wesley Gill (March 27, 1905 – December 26, 1984) was a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

who played for six seasons. He played for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

from 1927 to 1928, the Washington Senators in 1931 and 1934, and the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

from 1935 to 1936. He led the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

with 43 home runs in 1935. After his two seasons with the Indians, totaling 23 games in which he hit .217 with 1 home run, Gill played in 1929 for the

Albany Senators The Albany Senators was a name used by multiple minor league baseball teams representing Albany, New York, that existed between 1885 and 1959. The mid-20th century club played at Hawkins Stadium (Albany), Hawkins Stadium. The various editions of t ...

of the Class A Eastern League, where he hit .373 with 14 home runs. The Indians needed a right-handed hitting outfielder and were interested in bringing Gill back in 1930, but rookie Bob Seeds outperformed him in spring training and made the major-league club. Gill was then sold to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

of the Double-A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

, where he hit 34 home runs and batted .325 that year. After hitting .344 with 23 homers in 1931, he was purchased by the Washington Senators in September and appeared in 8 games as they battled with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

for second place in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

. He played full-time in the Class A

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cl ...

for the

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

for the next two seasons, hitting over .300, before returning to the Senators for 13 games in July 1934, where he hit 2 home runs and batted .245. Gill spent most of 1935 with the Double-A

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

, where he led the American Association with 43 home runs. He played three games that year as a September call-up with the pennant-winning

. The next season was his last one in the major leagues and his most extensive, as he played in 71 games for the Cubs, hitting .253 with 7 home runs and 28 RBIs. After the Cubs sold him to San Francisco Seals of the Double-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

for the 1937 season, he returned to Chattanooga in 1938, playing for Baltimore again and his hometown

Nashville Volunteers The Nashville Vols were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1901 to 1963. Known only as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers (often sh ...

in 1938–39. Gill then played for the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

of the PCL for six seasons before ending his career as a

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

for the

Union City Greyhounds Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

and Fulton Chicks in the Class D Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League from 1946 to 1947.

External links

Interview with Johnny Gill
conducted by

Eugene Murdock Eugene Converse Murdock (April 30, 1921 – July 23, 1992) was an historian and author best known for his research into baseball. Early life and education Eugene C. Murdock was born in Lakewood, Ohio, on April 30, 1921, and attended school ther ...

, August 2, 1977, in Nashville, Tennessee (60 minutes)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gill, Johnny 1905 births 1984 deaths Major League Baseball outfielders Cleveland Indians players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Chicago Cubs players Baseball players from Tennessee Portland Beavers players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Fulton Railroaders players Chattanooga Lookouts players Nashville Vols players Union City Greyhounds players Lexington Reds players Knoxville Smokies players Salisbury-Spencer Colonials players Shreveport Sports players Selma Selmians players Alexandria Reds players Decatur Commodores players Albany Senators players Baltimore Orioles (IL) players Clarksville Colts players Minor league baseball managers