James Raymond Greengrass (October 24, 1927 – September 9, 2019) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who is ...

. A power-hitting

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

whose career was hindered by

phlebitis Phlebitis (or Venitis) is inflammation of a vein, usually in the legs. It most commonly occurs in superficial veins. Phlebitis often occurs in conjunction with thrombosis and is then called thrombophlebitis or superficial thrombophlebitis. Unlike ...

, Greengrass appeared in 504

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...

over five seasons (1952–56) in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds / Redlegs and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. He threw and batted

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

and was listed as tall and .

Baseball career

Minor leagues

Greengrass was born in

Addison, New York Addison is a town in Steuben County, New York. The population was 2,397 at the 2020 census. The name was selected to honor the author Joseph Addison. The Town of Addison includes a village, also called Addison, which is an interior town in the ...

, and attended Addison High School. In 1944, he signed with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

at age 16 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and his early minor league baseball career spanned almost seven full years, including a failed attempt as a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

and two years (1946–47) devoted to military duty. Finally, on August 28, 1952, the pennant-bound Yankees packaged Greengrass, who had spent the season in the Double-A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

, three other players and cash in a trade to Cincinnati for the Reds' former All-Star pitcher,

Ewell Blackwell Ewell Blackwell (October 23, 1922 – October 29, 1996) was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed "The Whip" for his sidearm, snap-delivery, Blackwell played for the Cincinnati Reds for most of his career ( ...

Cincinnati Redlegs

Away from the Yankees, Greengrass got his chance to play regularly in the major leagues. That September he started 17 games in the Cincinnati outfield, collected 24

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

with five

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, and batted .309. The following season, 1953, Greengrass started 153 of the Redlegs' 155 official

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

games in

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

, hit 20 homers, and with 100 RBI was one of three Redlegs (along with

Ted Kluszewski Theodore Bernard Kluszewski (September 10, 1924 – March 29, 1988), also known as "Big Klu", was an American professional baseball player known for his bulging biceps and mammoth home runs in the 1950s decade. He played from 1947 through 1961 wit ...

and

Gus Bell David Russell "Gus" Bell Jr. (November 15, 1928 – May 7, 1995) was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1950 through 1964, who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and Milwaukee Braves. He batted ...

) to hit the century mark in runs driven in. He finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year balloting. In 1954 his production fell off slightly, with 139 games played and 95 runs batted in, but Greengrass reached a personal best in home runs (27). Greengrass shares with

Pop Dillon Frank Edward Dillon (October 17, 1873 – September 12, 1931), known in later years as Pop Dillon, was an American baseball player and manager. He played 22 seasons in professional baseball from 1894 to 1915, including five years in Major League ...

the record for the most doubles hit on the

opening day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

of the Major League Baseball season, with his four two-baggers on April 13, 1954.

Philadelphia Phillies

In 1955, Greengrass collected only four

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

in his first 39

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

through April 29. On the following day, April 30, he was traded to the Phillies in a three-for-three deal, and celebrated his arrival by getting two hits and his first 1955 home run in his Philadelphia debut on May 1. He hit safely in his next five games as a Phillie as well. He eventually leveled off, however, to bat .272 with 12 homers in 94 games (including 79 starts in

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

) with the Phillies. However, 1955 was his last good year in the majors. His problems with

began that season and he struggled through the 1956 campaign, his last year in MLB, hitting .205 with five homers as a backup outfielder. Greengrass batted .269 lifetime during his big-league service, with his 482 hits including 82 doubles, 16

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

and 69 home runs. Despite his condition, he was able to continue his pro career in the higher levels of minor league baseball into 1961.

Death

Greengrass died in

Chatsworth, Georgia Chatsworth is a city in Murray County, Georgia, United States, specifically in the Dalton, Georgia Dalton metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 4,874 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is the cou ...

, on September 9, 2019.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greengrass, Jim 1927 births 2019 deaths Baseball players from New York (state) Beaumont Roughnecks players Binghamton Triplets players Cincinnati Redlegs players Cincinnati Reds players Houston Astros scouts Jacksonville Jets players Major League Baseball outfielders Miami Marlins (International League) players Muskegon Clippers players Muskegon Reds players Newark Bears (International League) players People from Addison, New York People from Chatsworth, Georgia Philadelphia Phillies players Portland Beavers players Sacramento Solons players San Diego Padres (minor league) players Wellsville Yankees players