Benjamin Grieve (born May 4, 1976 in
Arlington, TexasArlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area. According to a U.S Census Bureau release, as of 2007 Arlington had an estimated population of 371,038...
) is a former
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
outfielderOutfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. He batted
left-handedLeft-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. Most left-handed people exhibit some degree of ambidexterity...
and threw
right-handedRight-handedness is the form of handedness in which one has greater coordination and dexterity in the right hand than in the left hand. Right-handed individuals will perform everyday tasks such as writing, cooking and carrying out one's personal hygiene with the right hand.A variety of studies...
. In his nine-season career, he played with the
Oakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the Oakland Coliseum....
(-),
Tampa Bay Devil RaysThe Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball franchise based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and are the defending American League champions. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League...
(-),
Milwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, and
Chicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago , the Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the...
(2004-).
Grieve won the American League Rookie of the Year award while playing for the
Oakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the Oakland Coliseum....
. His father,
Tom GrieveThomas Alan Grieve was a Major League Baseball player from 1970-1979 for the Washington Senators, Texas Rangers, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals...
, is a broadcaster for the
Texas RangersThe Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in Texas, representing the Dallas-Ft.Worth metropolitan area. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Rangers have played in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, located in...
and a former baseball player and general manager for the Rangers.
Benjamin Grieve (born May 4, 1976 in
Arlington, TexasArlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area. According to a U.S Census Bureau release, as of 2007 Arlington had an estimated population of 371,038...
) is a former
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
outfielderOutfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. He batted
left-handedLeft-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. Most left-handed people exhibit some degree of ambidexterity...
and threw
right-handedRight-handedness is the form of handedness in which one has greater coordination and dexterity in the right hand than in the left hand. Right-handed individuals will perform everyday tasks such as writing, cooking and carrying out one's personal hygiene with the right hand.A variety of studies...
. In his nine-season career, he played with the
Oakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the Oakland Coliseum....
(-),
Tampa Bay Devil RaysThe Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball franchise based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and are the defending American League champions. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League...
(-),
Milwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, and
Chicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago , the Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the...
(2004-).
Grieve won the American League Rookie of the Year award while playing for the
Oakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the Oakland Coliseum....
. His father,
Tom GrieveThomas Alan Grieve was a Major League Baseball player from 1970-1979 for the Washington Senators, Texas Rangers, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals...
, is a broadcaster for the
Texas RangersThe Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in Texas, representing the Dallas-Ft.Worth metropolitan area. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Rangers have played in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, located in...
and a former baseball player and general manager for the Rangers. Grieve's baseball career has been plagued by accusations of lack of motivation. Perhaps as a result, his career was very disappointing relative to his natural abilities.
Oakland Athletics and Rookie of the Year Award
Ben Grieve was once a highly regarded young prospect, born from a baseball family. He began his career with the Oakland Athletics. He put together a solid rookie season in 1998, hitting .288, with 18 HR and 89 RBI, earning him the Rookie of the Year. He followed up with a similar, yet more inconsistent, season, hitting .265 with 28 HR and 86 RBI, missing time due to injuries. His next season (2000) would statistically be his best. Grieve belted 27 HR, drove in 104 RBI, and hit .279. Talk spread throughout the league that Grieve could become a superstar. This talk, however, was short-lived. Following the 2000 season, the young Grieve was involved in a 3-team deal that sent him to Tampa Bay.
Career Since Trade to Tampa Bay
With The Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2001, he hit 11 HR with 72 RBI. Dropping his slugging percentage a full 100 points from the year before.The following season , Grieve battled injuries, but did manage to hit 19 HR and drive in 64 RBI in just 136 games. In 2003, in 55 games, he hit just .230, with 4 HR, and 17 RBI in 165 at bats.
Grieve signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Brewers in the offseason, and on August 31 of that season was then traded to the Chicago Cubs. He would serve primarily as a back-up outfielder for both the Cubs and the Brewers that season. In all, Grieve appeared in just 123 games between the two teams, hitting just 8 HR and driving in 35 RBI.
Grieve departed the
Chicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago , the Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the...
in the 2004-2005 offseason as a
free agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player, whose contract with a team has expired, who's eligible to sign with another franchise. The term came into wide use in North America after sports leagues stopped using a "reserve clause" after much acrimonious collective bargaining, which provided a...
, then signed with the
Pittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions, in addition to the distinction of playing in the first modern World Series. The Pirates are also often...
as a non-roster invitee to
spring trainingIn Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to audition for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
. He was then cut from the Pirates, which made him a free agent. Then at the beginning of the 2005 season Grieve was signed by the
Chicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago , the Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the...
to a minor league contract, which assigned him to the Triple-A
Iowa CubsThe Iowa Cubs are a Triple-A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, that plays in the Pacific Coast League. Their home games are played in Des Moines, Iowa, at Principal Park.-Franchise history:...
. He had two short call-ups during the regular season, and was again activated midway through September following roster expansion. In the 2005 season, Grieve bounced up-and-down between the minors and the Cubs. Playing in just 23 games with the Cubs, he hit 1 home run and had 5 RBIs.
Grieve spent the entire season in the White Sox minor league organization and started the season in the White Sox minor league organization, a member of the AAA
Charlotte KnightsThe Charlotte Knights are a minor league baseball team representing Charlotte, North Carolina. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox of the American League. The Knights currently play in Knights Stadium, located in Fort Mill, South...
.
Career Analysis
Grieve was never really able to live up to expectations held for him. Many believe that when he was traded from the A's to the Devil Rays, he was sent from an organization in which he had been just a piece of the puzzle to a struggling team that relied on him so much to become a superstar and carry them that he folded under the pressure. Others believe he lacks passion for the sport.
His father, former Major Leaguer and Rangers GM and current broadcaster
Tom GrieveThomas Alan Grieve was a Major League Baseball player from 1970-1979 for the Washington Senators, Texas Rangers, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals...
, once stated in an interview that he believed his son wasn't living up to his capabilities due to the immense pressure that had been put upon him to carry the entire Devil Rays organization, and that it was thereafter difficult for him to bounce back.
Grieve is currently out of baseball and living in Dallas with his wife and children. He was briefly referenced in a March 2009 Sports Illustrated article titled "How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke".
Awards
- American League Rookie Of The Year
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is annually given to one player from each league as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America . The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946...
(1998)
- Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
High School All-AmericaAn All-American "team" is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific All-America and typically referred to as All-American athletes, or simply...
n (1994)
External links