View source for Bobby Grich

{{Short description|American baseball player (born 1949)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|image=Bobby Grich Orioles.jpg
|name=Bobby Grich
|caption=Grich with the Baltimore Orioles in 1976
|position=[[Second baseman]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1949|1|15}}
|birth_place=[[Muskegon, Michigan]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=June 29
|debutyear=1970
|debutteam=Baltimore Orioles
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=October 2
|finalyear=1986
|finalteam=California Angels
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.266
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=224
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=864
|teams=
* [[Baltimore Orioles]] ({{mlby|1970}}–{{mlby|1976}})
* [[California Angels]] ({{mlby|1977}}–{{mlby|1986}})
|highlights=
* 6× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1972 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1972]], [[1974 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1974]], [[1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1976]], [[1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1979]], [[1980 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1980]], [[1982 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1982]])
* 4× [[Gold Glove Award]] (1973–1976)
* [[Silver Slugger Award]] (1981)
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders|AL home run leader]] (1981)
* [[Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame]]
* [[Angels Hall of Fame]]
}}
'''Robert Anthony Grich''' (born January 15, 1949) is an American former professional [[baseball]] player. He played in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) as a [[second baseman]] for the [[Baltimore Orioles]] ({{baseball year|1970}}–{{baseball year|1976}}) and the [[California Angels]] ({{baseball year|1977}}–{{baseball year|1986}}).<ref name=bbrefgrichmaj>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/grichbo01.shtml|title=Bobby Grich Stats|date=2019|publisher=Sports Reference|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=July 3, 2019}}</ref> 

In 1981, Grich led the American League in home runs and won a [[Silver Slugger Award]]. A six-time [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]], he also excelled as a defensive player, winning four consecutive [[Gold Glove Award]]s 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.<ref name="Bobby Grich at The Baseball Biography Project">{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/71bf380f|title=The Baseball Biography Project: Bobby Grich|last=McMurray|first=John|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|access-date=1 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/orioles/history/orioles-hall-of-fame |title=Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame at MLB.com |work=mlb.com |access-date=1 December 2019 }}</ref> Grich currently works in the Angels' front office.

==Early life==
{{expand section|date=March 2025}}
Grich attended [[Woodrow Wilson Classical High School|Woodrow Wilson High School]] in [[Long Beach, California]], and graduated in 1967. He was selected by the [[1967 Baltimore Orioles season|Baltimore Orioles]] in the first round (19th overall) of the [[1967 Major League Baseball draft]].

==Baseball career==
Grich made his major league debut with Baltimore midway through the [[1970 Baltimore Orioles season|1970]] season at the age of 21. He struggled early in his career and received "encouragement" from manager [[Earl Weaver]], who would say "Home run in Rochester" to him each time he [[Fly ball (baseball)|flied out]]; in Rochester, he batted .383.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Palmer|first1=Jim|last2=Dale|first2=Jim|title=Palmer and Weaver: Together We Were Eleven Foot Nine|year=1996|publisher=Andrews and McMeel|location=Kansas City|isbn=0-8362-0781-5|page=119}}</ref> That October, the Orioles defeated the [[1970 Cincinnati Reds season|Cincinnati Reds]] to win the [[1970 World Series|World Series]], with him on the playoff roster but not seeing any action.

From [[1969 Baltimore Orioles season|1969]] through [[1974 Baltimore Orioles season|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/good-bobby-grich-1971-red-210153883.html|title=How good was Bobby Grich in 1971? The Red Wings couldn't win without him. Literally.|website=Yahoo Finance|date=7 March 2022 |access-date=8 May 2023}}</ref> Grich's emergence was blocked by incumbent second baseman [[Davey Johnson]], but the Orioles thought highly of Grich and traded Johnson to the [[1973 Atlanta Braves season|Braves]] following the [[1972 Baltimore Orioles season|1972]] season, when the Orioles finished third in the division.

In [[1973 Baltimore Orioles season|1973]], Grich set the all-time major league fielding record at second base with a .995 [[fielding percentage]], and 12 seasons later in [[1985 California Angels season|1985]], he raised the record to .997. He won four consecutive [[Gold Glove Award]]s and made the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|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 helping him improve his swing.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1798941/2020/05/12/snubbed-making-the-hall-of-fame-case-for-bobby-grich/ | title=Snubbed: The Hall of Fame case for Bobby Grich | website=[[The Athletic]] }}</ref> He also learned infield defensive play from future Hall of Fame teammate [[Brooks Robinson]], specifically, positioning his feet close together to get a better jump on a batted ball.<ref>[https://pressboxonline.com/2023/10/20/bobby-grich-learning-from-brooks-robinson-made-me-the-player-i-was/ 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.</ref>

Grich became a free agent following the [[1976 Baltimore Orioles season|1976]] season and signed a multi-year contract with the [[1977 California Angels season|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.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-catching-up-grich-20150710-story.html | title=Catching up with ... Former Orioles second baseman Bobby Grich | date=11 July 2015 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-09-04-sp-13747-story.html|title=The Grich Who Stole the Thunder|last=Murray|first=Jim|date=September 4, 1986|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=July 3, 2019}}</ref> The Angels traded Remy to the [[Boston Red Sox]] for [[Don Aase]] and moved Grich back to second for the 1978 season. Grich [[Batting average (baseball)|batted]] .294 in [[1979 California Angels season|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 team 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.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.foxsports.com/watch/767275587681 | title=Angels Weekly: Bobby Grich once dumped beer on President Nixon }}</ref>

In the strike-shortened [[1981 California Angels season|1981]] season, Grich tied for the league lead in home runs (22, along with [[Tony Armas]], [[Dwight Evans (Baseball)|Dwight Evans]], and [[Eddie Murray]]), led in [[slugging average]] (.543), and hit a career-high .304.

While with the Orioles, Grich appeared in the [[American League Championship Series]] (ALCS) in [[1973 American League Championship Series|1973]] and [[1974 American League Championship Series|1974]], when Baltimore lost to Oakland.

===Retirement after 1986 ALCS===
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 American League Championship Series|1979]] and to the [[1982 Milwaukee Brewers season|Milwaukee Brewers]] in [[1982 American League Championship Series|1982]]. Grich came closest in his final MLB season ([[1986 American League Championship Series|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 [[1986 Boston Red Sox season|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. The Red Sox would go on to win the game in extra innings and take the final two games in Fenway Park to complete the comeback and win the AL pennant. In the post-game interviews following Game 7, Grich announced his retirement at the age of 37.

===Career stats===
Over 17 major league seasons, Grich [[Batting average (baseball)|batted]] .266, with 320 [[double (baseball)|doubles]], 47 [[triple (baseball)|triples]],  224 home runs, 864 runs batted in (RBI), 1,033 [[Run (baseball statistics)|runs]], 1,833 [[Hit (baseball statistics)|hits]], 1,087 [[bases on balls]], 104 [[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."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bakersfield.com/archives/angels-great-grich-visits-sam-lynn-as-part-of-baseball-tour/article_937c9fd8-a6be-598f-8272-21f391bc3157.html|title=Angels great Grich visits Sam Lynn as part of baseball tour|last=Miller|first=Cameron|date=June 24, 2014|publisher=[[The Bakersfield Californian]]|work=bakersfield.com|access-date=July 3, 2019}}</ref>

==Career highlights==
* 6-time All-Star (1972, 1974, 1976, 1979–80, 1982)
* 4-time Gold Glove (1973–1976)
* Twice top 10 in [[MLB Most Valuable Player award|MVP]] voting (1974, 1979)
* Led league in slugging percentage (1981)
* Led league in home runs (1981)
* First second baseman to lead AL in home runs since [[Nap Lajoie]] (1901) and in either league since [[Rogers Hornsby]] (1929).
* Hit three consecutive home runs in a game (1974)
* Set an [[American League|AL]] [[second baseman|2B]] record with 484 [[putout]]s in a season (1974)
* The first player elected to the Angels' Hall of Fame (1996)

==Hall of Fame candidacy==
[[File:BobbyGrich.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Grich in 2008]]
Grich became eligible for the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1992. In the [[Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1992|BBWAA election]], he received 11 votes, or 2.6% of the vote of the baseball writers eligible to vote who saw him play, below the 5% threshold needed to stay on the ballot. He was therefore removed from future [[BBWAA]] ballots.

Using statistics alone a [[sabermetric]] case for Grich can be built to be in the Hall of Fame. As of 2017, he has the highest [[Jaffe Wins Above Replacement Score]] (JAWS) of any eligible [[position player]] not in the Hall of Fame,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/01/02/jaws-hall-fame-overlooked-team|title=JAWS and the Hall of Fame: All-Overlooked team|last=Jaffe|first=Jay|date=January 2, 2017|publisher=[[Sports Illustrated]]|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=December 4, 2017}}</ref> although his total [[Wins above replacement|WAR]] is lower than that of [[Bill Dahlen]] and fellow second baseman [[Lou Whitaker]]; of the three second basemen inducted into the Hall of Fame (excluding Veterans Committee picks) since 1992, Grich has a higher WAR than all three.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/WAR_career.shtml|title=Career Leaders & Records for Wins Above Replacement|date=2019|publisher=Sports Reference|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=July 3, 2019}}</ref> There are more than ten Hall of Fame second basemen with a lower JAWS. The JAWS statistic is particularly compelling given that it incorporates both career and peak year statistics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/jaws_2B.shtml|title=Second Base JAWS Leaders|date=2019|publisher=Sports Reference|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=July 3, 2019}}</ref> His 224 home runs as a second baseman ranks highly among the Hall of Famers in the position, as he ranked fourth all-time upon his retirement. In fact, from 1970 to 1986 (the time in which Grich played his career), only [[Joe Morgan]] hit more than Grich (228), and Grich was second in additional categories such as RBI, runs scored, hits, doubles, and walks.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2022/1/15/22884570/bobby-grich-hall-of-fame-worthy-mlb-second-baseman | title=Is Bobby Grich stealthily Hall of Fame worthy? | date=15 January 2022 }}</ref> In [[OPS+]] for second basemen that played 80% percent at the position with at least 1,000 games played, Grich is tied for fifth best all-time 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 (baseball historian)|John Thorn]] has called Grich the one player deserving being reconsidered for the Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cooperstowncred.com/bobby-grich-the-hidden-game-of-baseball-hall-of-fame-candidate/ | title=Bobby Grich: The Hidden Game of Baseball Hall of Fame Candidate | date=23 September 2019 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{baseballstats|mlb=115130|espn=151|br=g/grichbo01|fangraphs=1005033|brm=grich-001rob|retro=G/Pgricb001}}
*{{SABR Baseball Biography Project|71bf380f}}

{{1970 Baltimore Orioles}}
{{Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame}}
{{Baltimore Orioles first-round draft picks}}
{{1967 MLB Draft}}
{{AL home run champions}}
{{AL 2B Silver Slugger Award}}
{{AL 2B Gold Glove Award}}
{{Angels Hall of Fame}}
{{Texas League Player of the Year}}
{{IL MVPs}}
{{The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year Award}}
{{Topps Minor League Player of the Year Award}}
{{2010–present International League Hall of Fame}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grich, Bobby}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American League home run champions]]
[[Category:Baltimore Orioles players]]
[[Category:California Angels players]]
[[Category:Gold Glove Award winners]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Muskegon, Michigan]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball second basemen]]
[[Category:American League All-Stars]]
[[Category:Bluefield Orioles players]]
[[Category:Stockton Ports players]]
[[Category:Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs players]]
[[Category:Rochester Red Wings players]]
[[Category:International League MVP award winners]]
[[Category:Silver Slugger Award winners]]
[[Category:Wilson Classical High School alumni]]