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Tomas Gustavo Gil
Seattle Pilots
Second Base
Born: April 19, 1939, Caracas, Venezuela
Signed: Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1967; Seattle Pilots 1969; Milwaukee Brewers 1970-71
Died: December 8, 2015, Phoenix, AZ (age 76)
While he only played sparingly in the major leagues in parts of four seasons, Gus Gil played 16 seasons in the minor leagues and 19 seasons in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Gil was a prototypical light hitting, but great fielding infielder, spending seven seasons climbing through the Reds' minor league farm system after they signed him in 1959. Signed by the Indians following the 1966 season, Gil would finally make his big league debut in 1967, serving as a back-up to Indians' regular second baseman, Vern Fuller (#291). He was one of the first players added to the Pilots' roster when the club acquired him from the Indians on May 13, 1968 for Chuck Cottier (#252) and cash. Gil appeared in a career-high 92 games for the Pilots in 1969, batting .222 as a back-up infielder. He was a member of the inaugural Brewers' team in 1970, and while he appeared in his final major league game in 1971, Gil continued to play in the minor leagues through the 1976 season.
While he only played sparingly in the major leagues in parts of four seasons, Gus Gil played 16 seasons in the minor leagues and 19 seasons in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Gil was a prototypical light hitting, but great fielding infielder, spending seven seasons climbing through the Reds' minor league farm system after they signed him in 1959. Signed by the Indians following the 1966 season, Gil would finally make his big league debut in 1967, serving as a back-up to Indians' regular second baseman, Vern Fuller (#291). He was one of the first players added to the Pilots' roster when the club acquired him from the Indians on May 13, 1968 for Chuck Cottier (#252) and cash. Gil appeared in a career-high 92 games for the Pilots in 1969, batting .222 as a back-up infielder. He was a member of the inaugural Brewers' team in 1970, and while he appeared in his final major league game in 1971, Gil continued to play in the minor leagues through the 1976 season.
He'd later manage in the Venezuelan and minor leagues and was inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. In 221 big league games, Gil batted .186 with 16 doubles, one lone home run and 37 RBIs.
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| 1967 Topps #253 |
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables. The aim was simple: Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664. In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and this is the 91st of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than $3.
The Card / Pilots Team Set / Accuracy Index +10
Gil appeared on one other Topps card during his career, his 1967 rookie card, shared with Indians prospect Bill Davis (#304). He appeared on quite a few Venezuelan baseball cards throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. Topps correctly states on the back that Gil "is a sensation with his glove."
Accuracy Index: Gil's card earns a +10 for the expansion uniform. This is one of six cards in the set showing the Pilots' new uniforms.
1969 Season
Gil was on the Pilots' roster all season, and of his 92 games played, 44 were starts - 27 at third base, 12 at second base and five at shortstop. He batted .278 (10 for 36) as a pinch-hitter. It's interesting to me that Gil wasn't given more of a chance, especially since the most frequently used shortstop by the Pilots, Ray Oyler (#178), batted just .165 for the season.
First Mainstream Card: 1967 Topps #253
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2): 1967, 1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #651
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 19 in the Beckett online database as of 7/13/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
#650 Ted Williams MG - Washington Senators / #652 Eddie Watt - Baltimore Orioles
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