Michael Lewis Greenwell (born July 18, 1963 in Louisville, Kentucky) is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Boston Red Sox (1985-96). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Career
In a 12-season career, Greenwell was a .303 hitter with 130 home runs and 726 RBI in 1269 games. In the postseason, he hit .146 (7-for-48) with one home run and three RBI in 17 games.
Throughout his Red Sox career, Greenwell suffered under the weight of lofty expectations for a Boston left fielder, as since 1940 the position had been occupied by Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice – all MVP winners and regular triple crown candidates. Although his play rarely reached the level of his predecessors, he provided a solid and reliable presence in the team's lineup for several seasons.
Highlights
Fact
- On September 2, 1996 in Seattle, Greenwell got all nine RBI in a Boston 9-8 victory over the Mariners in ten innings.
From the news
Greenwell was the runner-up to José Canseco in the 1988 American League MVP voting, and now that Canseco has admitted steroid use, Greenwell feels that award is rightfully his.
In 1988, Greenwell hit .325 with 22 home runs, 119 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Canseco hit .307 with 42 HRs, 124 RBI and 40 steals, becoming baseball's first 40-40 man. Canseco's unprecedented season garnered him 392 votes. Greenwell received 242, and third-place finisher Kirby Puckett got 219.
"Every time you renegotiate a contract, if you're an MVP, you have a different level of bargaining power. But in honesty, I don't care about the money. I respect what Jose did in the game. I don't respect that [he used steroids], but I do understand how these guys get caught up in it. There is so much pressure to perform that guys are willing to do anything to stay on top," Greenwell said. For more about it, see: Boston Herald.
External links
Last updated: 05-16-2005 21:04:40
