Dick Greco

Richard Anthony Greco

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 220 lb.
• High School Stadium High School
• Born July 2, 1925 in Tacoma, WA USA
• Died July 5, 2012 in Tacoma, WA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical information

Dick Greco was a minor league baseball outfielder who played from 1946 to 1957. He played as high as AAA but never made it to the majors. He won three home run crowns in the minors, going deep over 300 times in his career.

He began his professional career at the age of 19, playing for the Visalia Cubs (55 games) and his hometown Tacoma Tigers (67 games), hitting .332 for both teams. Combined, he had 26 home runs and nine triples in 122 games. In 1947, he played for Tacoma, hitting .313 with 21 home runs and 102 RBI in 133 games. He tied for 4th in the Western International League in homers.

The following year, he played for Tacoma again (133 games, .346 average) and the PCL San Diego Padres (26 games, .244 average), hitting a combined .333 with 25 home runs, 37 doubles, 11 triples and 203 hits in 610 at-bats. He was 3rd in the WIL in average and sixth in circuit clouts.

1949 was spent mostly with the Tigers (149 games), though he also spent four games with the Oklahoma City Indians and San Diego Padres. He hit .330 with 33 home runs, 32 doubles and nine triples combined. He finished second in the WIL with 32 homers. Mostly with the Tigers again in 1950 - though he did spend one game with the Padres - Greco hit .361 with 36 home runs, 30 doubles, 11 triples and 204 hits in 149 games. He finished second in the WIL in average behind Glenn Stetter, was 3rd with 126 runs, led with 203 hits, led in homers (12 more than anyone else), drew 98 walks, was second in OBP and led with 154 RBI.

He split the 1951 season between the Montgomery Rebels (110 games) and Birmingham Barons (27 games), hitting a combined .312 with 36 home runs. He led the South Atlantic League with 33 long balls, 13 ahead of runner-up Jim Dickey. The following year, spent entirely with the Montgomery Grays, Greco hit .298 with 24 home runs and 135 RBI in 151 games. He led SAL outfielders with 14 errors but also won the homer title (by one), tied for 3rd with 31 doubles, led in RBI (by 19) and coaxed 90 walks (4th in the SAL).

With the Williamsport A's (69 games) and Ottawa A's (64 games) in 1953, Greco slumped, hitting a combined .258 with 12 home runs in 133 games while getting his first significant action in AAA. He rebounded at a lower level in 1954, hitting .346 with 19 home runs in 97 games for the Vancouver Capilanos. He tied for 4th in the WIL in dingers.

In 1955, he played for the Thetford Mines Miners, hitting .305 with 22 home runs in 76 games. He was third in the Provincial League in homers, two behind leader Bill Causion. He spent 1956 with the Modesto Reds, hitting .356 with a career-high 44 home runs and 39 doubles in 140 games. He also managed them part of the year. It should be noted that the California League was one high-flying circuit; Greco was only 4th in average, 2nd in homers (7 behind Harry Heslet) and his 162 RBI were also second, 10 behind Heslet.

Though he hit .364 with 30 home runs in 112 games for the Missoula Timberjacks in 1957 - spending some time with the Veracruz Aguila (.367, 5 HR) that year as well - that season proved to be his last. He led the Pioneer League in average and home runs and placed 5th with 108 RBI.

Overall, Greco spent 12 seasons in the minors, hitting around .326 with 333 home runs, at least 318 doubles and 1,824 hits in at least 1,565 games. He also pitched 26 games in his career, posting a 3-7 record.

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1956	Modesto Reds	California League		4th	New York Yankees		replaced Al Lyons