Bernard Gilkey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bernard Gilkey |
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Gilkey in 1988
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| Left fielder | |||
| Born: September 24, 1966 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 4, 1990, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 7, 2001, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .275 | ||
| Home runs | 118 | ||
| Runs batted in | 546 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Bernard Gilkey, born on September 24, 1966, is a former American professional baseball player. He was a talented left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bernard played for several well-known teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves. Today, he works as a coach for the Palm Beach Cardinals.
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Bernard Gilkey's Baseball Journey
Bernard Gilkey was a great athlete from St. Louis, Missouri. In high school, he played basketball at University City High School. He even planned to play college basketball at Drake University.
Switching to Baseball
But Bernard decided basketball wasn't his best path. He thought he might not be tall enough to be a top basketball player. So, after high school in 1984, he chose baseball. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as a free agent. This means he wasn't picked in the draft.
Rising Through the Ranks
Bernard quickly showed his skills in the minor leagues.
- In 1989, playing for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, he led the league. He had 53 stolen bases and scored 109 runs.
- The next year, 1990, he played for the Triple-A Louisville Redbirds. He led the league with 75 walks. Soon after, he made it to the MLB team.
- In 1991, Bernard made history for the Cardinals. He was the first rookie since 1945 to start on opening day in left field. That's a big deal!
Major League Success
Bernard Gilkey had some excellent seasons in the MLB.
- In 1992, he hit for a .302 batting average in 131 games with the Cardinals.
- He managed to hit over .300 two more times in his career.
Time with the New York Mets
In 1996, Bernard was traded to the New York Mets. This was arguably his best year ever.
- His batting average was .317, which was the eighth best in the National League.
- He also hit 44 doubles, ranking fourth in the league. This set a new single-season record for the Mets!
- Bernard was so good that year, he finished fourteenth in the voting for the National League MVP award.
- He and center fielder Lance Johnson were a powerful duo for the Mets.
- Bernard also led the league with 18 outfield assists that year. An assist is when an outfielder throws the ball to help get a runner out. He had 19 assists in 1993, which was his career high.
Later Career Years
After his amazing 1996 season, Bernard's stats dipped a bit.
- In 1998, he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
- Even though his hitting numbers were lower later in his career, he still hit .294 in 1999.
- He played for the Boston Red Sox in 2000.
- Bernard made it to the playoffs with the Diamondbacks in 1999. He also played in the playoffs with the Atlanta Braves in 2001.
- His professional baseball career ended after the 2001 season.
Bernard Gilkey's Career Stats
Over 12 seasons and 1239 games, Bernard Gilkey had some impressive numbers:
- His overall batting average was .275.
- He scored 606 runs.
- He hit 244 doubles and 24 triples.
- Bernard hit 118 home runs.
- He had 546 Runs Batted In (RBI).
- He also stole 115 stolen bases.
- In the outfield, his fielding percentage was .983, which means he was very good at catching and throwing the ball without errors.
Bernard's Life Off the Field
Bernard Gilkey lives in St. Louis with his wife, Patrice. They have two sons, Jaelen and Caeven. Both of his sons followed in his footsteps and played college baseball. Jaelen played at Miles College, and Caeven played at High Point University.
Movie Star Moment
Bernard even had a small part in the 1997 movie Men in Black! The movie's big ending scene takes place near Shea Stadium, which was the home of the Mets. Bernard appeared as himself, a Mets outfielder. In the movie, he gets distracted by a huge alien spacecraft above the stadium and gets hit on the head by a fly ball!
