Gilly Campbell

William Gilthorpe Campbell

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7½", Weight 182 lb.
• Debut April 25, 1933
• Final Game October 2, 1938
• Born February 13, 1908 in Kansas City, KS USA
• Died February 21, 1973 in Los Angeles, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Gilly Campbell was a backup catcher for five years during the 1930s in the National League. As a rookie, with the Chicago Cubs in 1933, he backed up Gabby Hartnett, from 1935-1937 he backed up Ernie Lombardi with the Cincinnati Reds, and, in 1938, he shared catching duties on the Brooklyn Dodgers with Babe Phelps and Merv Shea. His best year with the bat was his rookie year, when he hit .281 in 46 games. He played in the first night baseball game in the majors in May 1935.

Campbell played in the minors for Monroe, Beaumont, Shreveport, El Dorado and Memphis from 1927 through 1930. He played for the Los Angeles Angels in 1931, 1932, and 1934, hitting over .300 each time; the 1934 Angels won 137 games. He played for Syracuse in 1937 and for Seattle from 1939-1941, came back to the Angels in the middle of 1941 and stayed in 1942, and played for Louisville, Memphis, Portland, and Oakland in 1943 and 1944. While with the Angels, he had a small role in the movie Pride of the Yankees.

One key source: 1934 Los Angeles Angels.