Gilkey played basketball at St. Louis\'s University City High School and signed a letter of intent to play college basketball for Drake University. However, fearing that he was not tall enough to be a great basketball player, he chose to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals as an undrafted free agent after graduating from high school in 1984.\n', '

In 1989, Gilkey led the league with 53 stolen bases and 109 runs while playing for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers. In 1990, he led the league with 75 walks while playing with Triple-A Louisville Redbirds and eventually reached the MLB team. In 1991, he was the first rookie to start for the Cardinals on opening day in left field since Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst in 1945.\n', '

In 1992, Gilkey hit .302 in 131 games with the Cardinals. Gilkey batted over .300 twice more during his career.\n', '

Return to Bernard Gilkey Autograph Profile