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Bobby Grich
From BR Bullpen
Robert Anthony Grich
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 190 lb.
- High School Woodrow Wilson Classical High School
- Debut June 29, 1970
- Final Game October 2, 1986
- Born January 15, 1949 in Muskegon, MI USA
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Biographical Information
Bobby Grich never got the respect he really deserved. During his 17-year major league career, he was known as a good player, but he didn't get the kind of MVP votes that one might expect for a four-time Gold Glove winner who had a career OPS+ of 125 and who managed an excellent .371 OBP at a time when high walk totals were not as common as today. He did finish as high as eighth once and ninth once in MVP voting. In 1981, when he had the highest OPS+ in the league and tied for the league lead in home runs, he was 14th in MVP voting.
Grich was a high school teammate of Ed Crosby. Bobby attended the same high school as Jeff Burroughs, who was two years younger.
A first-round pick, Bobby played five seasons in the minors. He hit as high as .383 in 63 games with Rochester in 1970. The following year he had 32 home runs for Rochester. He had to be good, because his competition at the major league level was Mark Belanger at shortstop and Davey Johnson at second base. In 1972 he became a regular without a position, getting over 500 plate appearances while playing several positions in the field. Johnson was then traded after the season, and went on to hit 43 home runs for the1973 Braves.
Grich played for only two major league teams. He was with Baltimore through 1976 and then the California Angels through 1986. He was named to six All-Star teams, three while with each of his two major league teams. In 1972 he was named to the All-Star team as a shortstop while in the other years he was named as a second baseman.
There is one Hall of Famer on his similarity scores list, that one being Joe Gordon. The most similar player is Toby Harrah, although Harrah was not prominent a hitter or fielder. Harrah did, however, steal more bases.
His stepson, Brandon Lodge, was drafted in 2007 but did not sign and is on the UCLA team which played in the 2010 College World Series.
Notable Achievements
- 1971 Minor League Player of the Year, Rochester Red Wings, International League,
- 1969 co-MVP Texas League, Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs
- 1971 MVP International League, Rochester Red Wings
- 6-time AL All-Star (1972, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1980 & 1982)
- 4-time AL Gold Glove Winner (1973-1976)
- AL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1981)
- AL Slugging Percentage Leader (1981)
- AL Home Run Leader (1981)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 2 (1979 & 1981)
- 30-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1979)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1979)
- Won a World Series with the Baltimore Orioles in 1970 (he did not play in the World Series)
Further Reading
- Bobby Grich (as told to George Vass): "The Game I'll Never Forget," Baseball Digest (February 1986), pp. 63-65
Related Sites
- Halos Heaven Top 100 Angels page
- Matt Welch makes the case for Bobby Grich as a Hall of Famer based on a revised look at his offense in a deadball era.
