Bobby Grich
Grich might be the most underappreciated second baseman of his generation, a player whose defensive brilliance and power combination was decades ahead of its time. His 224 career home runs ranked among the highest totals ever for a second baseman when he retired, while his four Gold Gloves barely scratched the surface of his defensive impact.
The 1981 season showcased peak Grich: a .304 average with 22 homers and an OPS+ of 134 that made him one of the game's most valuable players. That campaign perfectly captured his unique skill set — elite defense paired with genuine pop from a premium position.
His career 111 OPS+ tells the story of sustained excellence over 17 seasons, consistently outperforming league average while manning second base at a Hall of Fame level. Modern analytics would have loved Grich's complete game long before WAR became common currency.
Career · Batting
17 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | BAL | 30 | 95 | 0 | 8 | .211 | .563 | 79 |
| 1971 | BAL | 7 | 30 | 1 | 6 | .300 | .800 | 117 |
| 1972 | BAL | 133 | 460 | 12 | 50 | .278 | .773 | 116 |
| 1973 | BAL | 162 | 581 | 12 | 50 | .251 | .760 | 108 |
| 1974 | BAL | 160 | 582 | 19 | 82 | .263 | .807 | 116 |
| 1975 | BAL | 150 | 524 | 13 | 57 | .260 | .787 | 112 |
| 1976 | BAL | 144 | 518 | 13 | 54 | .266 | .790 | 116 |
| 1977 | CAL | 52 | 181 | 7 | 23 | .243 | .762 | 104 |
| 1978 | CAL | 144 | 487 | 6 | 42 | .251 | .685 | 98 |
| 1979 | CAL | 153 | 534 | 30 | 101 | .294 | .903 | 124 |
| 1980 | CAL | 150 | 498 | 14 | 62 | .271 | .785 | 110 |
| 1981 | CAL | 100 | 352 | 22 | 61 | .304 | .921 | 134 |
| 1982 | CAL | 145 | 506 | 19 | 65 | .261 | .819 | 115 |
| 1983 | CAL | 120 | 387 | 16 | 62 | .292 | .874 | 122 |
| 1984 | CAL | 116 | 363 | 18 | 58 | .256 | .809 | 114 |
| 1985 | CAL | 144 | 479 | 13 | 53 | .242 | .727 | 102 |
| 1986 | CAL | 98 | 313 | 9 | 30 | .268 | .766 | 106 |
| Career | 2008 | 6890 | 224 | 864 | .266 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.