Mail Day: Ben Grieve, of, Oakland Athletics
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Oakland outfielder Ben Grieve was part of the first wave of players who helped bring the Athletics back into prominence in the late-90’s. He was also on of the first players that I collected when I got into collecting baseball cards.
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In 1998 the Oakland Athletics went 74-88, their sixth season in the row with a losing record. But there were reasons for optimism. The roster was filled with promising young talent in A.J. Hinch, Jason Giambi, Scott Spiezio, Miguel Tejada, Eric Chavez, and Mark Bellhorn. But outfielder Ben Grieve probably shined the brightest. In his first full season, he ended the year with a 123 OPS+, an All-Star selection, and would win the AL Rookie of the Year award. He was only 22 years old, and there was no reason to think he wouldn’t be the cornerstone of the rebuilt Athletics.
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Grieve would only spend two more seasons in Oakland. From 1999-2000 he averaged 28 HR and a 117 OPS+. But in early 2001, Oakland traded him as part of a three-team trade that sent Grieve to Tampa Bay, closer Roberto Hernandez to Kansas City, and starting pitcher Cory Lidle to Oakland. The trade made sense. Oakland had plenty of bats in the line-up, but their starting pitching behind rookie Tim Hudson was in rough shape.
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Grieve was not the same hitting in Tampa, and during his three years with the club, he only averaged 11 HR a season, with a 106 OPS+. Making matters worse, he was not known for his defense, which made those numbers less appealing. When he left Tampa in 2004, he would only spend two more seasons in the majors before retiring.