Bobby Grich

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Bobby Grich
Runs batted in
864
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Robert Anthony Grich (born January 15, 1949) is an American former professional

California Angels (1977–1986).[1] In 1981, Grich led the American League in home runs and won a Silver Slugger Award. A six-time All-Star, he also excelled as a defensive player, winning four consecutive Gold Glove Awards
between 1973 and 1976.

In 1988, Grich became the first inductee into the California Angels Hall of Fame; he was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 1998.[2][3] Grich currently works in the Angels' front office.

Baseball career

Grich attended

flew out; in Rochester, he batted .383. [4] That October, the Orioles defeated the Cincinnati Reds to win the World Series
, with him on the playoff roster but not seeing any action.

From 1969 through 1974, the Orioles featured a loaded roster that resulted in five AL East Division titles in six seasons. In 1971, he excelled when with the Rochester Red Wings, winning the International League Most Valuable Player Award of the International League; so important was Grich that when he had obligations that didn't let him play (such as military service or a late promotion to Baltimore), the Red Wings went 1-11 without him.[5] Grich's emergence was blocked by incumbent second baseman Davey Johnson, but the Orioles thought highly of Grich and traded Johnson to the Braves following the 1972 season, when the Orioles finished third in the division.

In 1973, Grich set an all-time major league fielding record with a .995 fielding percentage, and 12 seasons later in 1985, he broke the record again (.997). He won four consecutive Gold Glove Awards and made the American League All-Star squad six times. He was an excellent fielder, with good range, soft hands, and a good arm, and he was steady turning the double play. He credited Orioles hitting instructor Jim Frey for instructing him in helping to inprove his swing.[6] He also learned infield defensive play from teammate Brooks Robinson, specifically positioning his feet close together to get a better jump on a batted ball.[7]

Grich became a free agent following the 1976 season and signed a multi-year contract with the California Angels. The Orioles offered him $1.2 million and the New York Yankees offered $2.2 million, but Grich accepted the Angels and their offer of $1.5 million due to a desire to play closer to home.[8] The Angels originally planned to move Grich to shortstop as they had Jerry Remy at second. However, Grich suffered a herniated disk in his back trying to move an air-conditioning unit during the 1977 season and played in only 52 games.[9] The Angels traded Remy to the Boston Red Sox for Don Aase and moved Grich back to second for the 1978 season. Grich batted .294 in 1979, adding 30 homers and 101 RBI as the Angels made the postseason in 1979 for the first time ever as champions of the American League West. So happy was the clubhouse in celebration that when former President Richard Nixon came out to the clubhouse to congratulate them, Grich dumped a can of beer over Nixon's head.[10]

In the strike-shortened

slugging average
(.543), and hit a career-high .304.

While with the Orioles, Grich appeared in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) in 1973 and 1974, when Baltimore lost to Oakland. The Angels made their first three postseason appearances during Grich's tenure, but fell in the ALCS each time; losing to the Orioles in 1979 and to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1982. Grich came closest in his final MLB season (1986), when the Angels led the ALCS 3-1 and needed just one more win to advance to the World Series. They blew a 5-2 lead to the Boston Red Sox in the ninth inning of Game 5, then lost the next two and were eliminated. Grich hit a home run in Game 5 that deflected off center fielder Dave Henderson's glove, putting the Angels on top 3-2. But with the Red Sox down to their final strike, Henderson hit a home run to put Boston ahead. In the post-game interviews following Game 7, Grich announced his retirement at the age of 37.

Over 17 major league seasons, Grich

stolen bases, and a .371 on-base percentage in 2,008 games played. Commenting on his baseball career, he stated: "I was short on talent so I had to be long on intensity."[11]

Highlights

Hall of Fame candidacy

Grich in 2008

Grich became eligible for the

BBWAA
ballots.

Using

OPS+
for second basemen that played 80% percent at the position with at least 1,000 games played, Grich is tied for fifth best alltime with a 125 OPS+.

In the 2019 edition of the Bill James Handbook, James listed Grich as the 5th best position player missing from the Hall, and MLB historian John Thorn has stated Grich as the one player deserving of being reconsidered for the honor of being considered for the Hall of Fame.[17]

References

  1. ^ "Bobby Grich Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  2. ^ McMurray, John. "The Baseball Biography Project: Bobby Grich". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame at MLB.com". mlb.com. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  4. ISBN 0-8362-0781-5
    .
  5. ^ "How good was Bobby Grich in 1971? The Red Wings couldn't win without him. Literally". Yahoo Finance. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Snubbed: The Hall of Fame case for Bobby Grich".
  7. ^ Shindel, Jake. "Bobby Grich: Learning From Brooks Robinson Made Me The Player I Was," PressBox (Baltimore, MD), Friday, October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  8. ^ "Catching up with ... Former Orioles second baseman Bobby Grich". 11 July 2015.
  9. ^ Murray, Jim (September 4, 1986). "The Grich Who Stole the Thunder". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  10. ^ "Angels Weekly: Bobby Grich once dumped beer on President Nixon".
  11. ^ Miller, Cameron (June 24, 2014). "Angels great Grich visits Sam Lynn as part of baseball tour". bakersfield.com. The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  12. ^ Jaffe, Jay (January 2, 2017). "JAWS and the Hall of Fame: All-Overlooked team". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  13. ^ "Career Leaders & Records for Wins Above Replacement". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  14. ^ "Second Base JAWS Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  15. ^ "Is Bobby Grich stealthily Hall of Fame worthy?". 15 January 2022.
  16. ^ "A Discussion about Bobby Grich and the Hall of Fame » Baseball Egg". 16 August 2021.
  17. ^ "Bobby Grich: The Hidden Game of Baseball Hall of Fame Candidate". 23 September 2019.

External links

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