Mark Grace
From BR Bullpen
Mark Eugene Grace (Amazing)
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 2", Weight 190 lb.
- School Saddleback College, San Diego State University
- Debut May 2, 1988
- Final Game September 28, 2003
- Born June 28, 1964 in Winston-Salem, NC USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Mark Grace played sixteen years in the major leagues, posting a lifetime major league batting average of .303 and hitting 511 doubles. He also won four Gold Gloves for his defense at first base.
Grace played thirteen of his sixteen years with the Chicago Cubs, but appeared in the World Series only with the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks.
Although he was often in the top ten in the league in batting average and on-base percentage, he was never in the top ten in MVP voting.
Grace was almost never in the top ten in slugging, but hit a lot of doubles, placing # 39 on the all-time doubles list (as of June 2008) and leading the league in 1995 with 51. His highest home run total was 17 and his best RBI total was 98.
Grace stole some bases early in his career, with a high of 15 steals (with 6 times caught stealing) in 1990.
- Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in round 24 of the 1985 amateur draft.
- Led Eastern League in RBI with 101, slugging percentage with .545 in 1987. That year, he became the second Pittsfield player in two years to win the league's MVP award.
- When he was young, he used to be able to do the splits at first, thus allowing him to keep his foot on the bag while still spearing Shawon Dunston's off-target throws.
- Is now a broadcaster with the Arizona Diamondbacks and was rumored to be a managerial candidate before the 2005 season but was not hired.
- Was once romantically linked to actress Janine Turner of the TV show "Northern Exposure".
- No player had more hits in the decade of the 1990's, yet he never had a 200-hit season.
- Pummeled St. Louis Cardinal (and former Cub) reliever Frank DiPino after being beaned in a 1989 game.
- Is/was known for his smoking habit.
- Chose number 17 in honor of his boyhood baseball hero Keith Hernandez.
- Wore #28 early in his major league career with the Cubs.
- The two most similar players through 2006, according to the similarity scores method, are Keith Hernandez and Mickey Vernon.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 1988 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
- 3-time NL All-Star (1993, 1995 & 1997)
- 4-time NL Gold Glove (1992, 1993, 1995 & 1996)
- NL At Bats Leader (1991)
- NL Doubles Leader (1995)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1999)
- Won a World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001
