The Surprisingly Effective Jim Gantner
- Jeremiah Edwards
- May 7, 2017
- 2 min read
Name: Jim Gantner
Card Company: Leaf
Year: 1991
Team: Milwaukee Brewers
Bats/Throws: L/R
Ht: 5'11
Jim Gantner is one of those players that nobody outside of Milwaukee will remember. And for good reason, Gantner spent his entire 17-year career with the Brewers. He was also born in Fond du Lac, WI just about an hour outside of Milwaukee. Oh, and in case you were wondering he still lives in Wisconsin today. For some reason or another Gantner was bound and determined to live his entire life in Wisconsin, but few can say it didn't work out for him.
Jim Gantner never made an All-Star team, never won a batting title or Gold Glove or anything really. However, he was one of the most consistent players of his day and a key piece of Milwaukee's 1982 team that made the World Series. Finishing with a .274 Career BA and a 22.3 Career Offensive WAR (Wins Above Replacement), Gantner was one of those players you could always rely on if you were a Milwaukee Brewers fan.
He was a part of one of the most underrated infields of all-time. An infield that included future Hall of Famers Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and 3x Silver Slugger and 2x Gold Glove winner Cecil Cooper. The 82' Brewers would go on to lose in 7 Games to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, a series in which Gantner had a .333 BA and knocked in 4 RBI's as well as 4 Doubles.
Gantner never was the star of the team nor did he need to be, he was a grinder who showed up every day and did whatever it took to help his team win. Called "Gumby" by his teammates because of the way he turned double plays, he would make a habit out of it going on to rank 27th All Time for Double Plays turned by a 2nd Baseman. Fun Fact, the only time Jim Gantner ever led the American League in an offensive category was when he led the AL in Hit by Pitches with 10 in 1989.
Gantner never will be in the MLB Hall of Fame but he is in the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame, and given he has lived there his entire life I'm sure that suits him just fine. In the end, Jim Gantner loved Wisconsin and Wisconsin loved him right back.
Comments