Josh Gibson’s Net Worth, Awards, Endorsements, Achievements, Contracts, Career Life, and Timeline
Net Worth:
As of 2024, Josh Gibson’s net worth is estimated to be $4 million.
Awards and Achievements:
- Baseball Hall of Fame (1972)
Career Records and Achievements:
- Batting Average:
- Gibson’s remarkable career batting average is estimated to be around .347.
- Home Runs:
- While precise records are scarce, it is believed that Gibson led the Negro National League in home runs for 10 consecutive seasons.
- His powerful swing and tape-measure home runs left a lasting legacy.
- Catching Ability:
- Major league stars, including Walter Johnson, praised Gibson’s catching ability.
- In recorded at-bats against major league pitchers in exhibition games, Gibson had an impressive .426 batting average.
Career
Born in the racially segregated South, Gibson faced immense challenges. He honed his skills playing baseball in sandlots and local leagues. His talent caught the attention of the Homestead Grays, also a prominent Negro league team. Gibson’s power at the plate was legendary. He could hit towering home runs with ease.
His career spanned from the 1930s to the early 1940s. Playing for the Homestead Grays, he became a fan favorite and also a feared opponent. His presence in the lineup struck fear into opposing pitchers.
Gibson’s prodigious power earned him the nickname “The Black Babe Ruth.” His career batting average of .372 surpasses even Ty Cobb’s .367.
In 1943, he achieved a remarkable .466 batting average while playing for the Grays. Gibson became the career leader in slugging percentage (.718) and also OPS (1.177), moving ahead of Babe Ruth.
He hit nearly 800 home runs during his career, although some estimates place that number closer to 1,000.
Timeline:
- Gibson played for the Pittsburgh Crawfords through 1929.
- Also In 1930, he joined the Homestead Grays, his first professional Negro league club.
- He returned to the Crawfords in 1932 and later rejoined the Grays, playing for them until his career ended in 1946.
- Despite health challenges, including a brain tumor, Gibson continued to play baseball until his death at the age of 36.
