Gid Gardner

Franklin Washington Gardner

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Weight 165 lb.

• Debut August 23, 1879
• Final Game May 29, 1888
• Born May 6, 1859 in Boston, MA USA
• Died August 1, 1914 in Cambridge, MA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Gid Gardner broke into the majors at age 20 in 1879 as a pitcher with the Troy Trojans. He was a year younger than fellow rookie Dan Brouthers. By 1880 he had appeared in one game in the outfield with the Cleveland Blues and when he came back with the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association in 1883, he was primarily an outfielder. Toward the end of his career he played a lot of second base.

As a pitcher, his record was 2-12, while as a hitter he was basically average with his best years in the American Association and Union Association. He was known as a heavy drinker, and nearly every club he played for had him suspended for drunkenness at one point.

He is the only major leaguer nicknamed "Gid".

Related Sites

• Gid Gardner at the SABR Bio Project