Grant McDonald

Grant McDonald

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 179 lb.

• Born September 23, 1973 in Brisbane, Queensland Australia

Grant McDonald was a mainstay of the Australian national team for several years.

McDonald hit .176/.176/.176 for Australia in the 1994 Baseball World Cup. He was an All-Star outfielder in the 1995-1996 Australian Baseball League for the champion Brisbane Bandits. In the 1996 Olympics, Grant hit .292/.320/.458. McDonald batted .354/?/.530 for Brisbane in 1996-1997 and again made the All-Star team. He was fifth in the ABL in average. During the 1997 Intercontinental Cup, Grant was only 4 for 23 with a double and two walks but Australia still won a Bronze Medal, its first Medal ever in a worldwide competition. McDonald did have two outfield assists while making no errors. In the 1997-1998 ABL, the Brisbane outfielder was again an All-Star with a .369 average and .765 slugging percentage. He was seventh in the ABL in average.

In the 1998 Baseball World Cup, McDonald hit .372/.429/.581, was error-free in center, stole 3 bases in 3 tries and scored 10 runs in 10 games. Grant starred in the 1998 Haarlem Baseball Week, winning the MVP, hitting .500/~.565/.900 with 9 RBI in six games for the runners-up. He was third in the tourney in slugging and tied Omar Linares for third in RBI.

In the 1998-1999 Australian season, McDonald hit .269 with 5 HR and 23 RBI for the champion Gold Coast Cougars

During the 1999 Intercontinental Cup, McDonald batted .300/.344/.433 for the champion Australians. In the 1999-2000 Claxton Shield competition, he made the All-Star team for the Queensland Rams, hitting .327/?/.429. During the 2000 Olympics, McDonald produced at a .304/.385/.478 clip and was again flawless afield. He also had a stint with the 2000 Cook County Cheetahs, hitting .301/?/.514 in his only season in the USA.

Sources

IBAF site, 1998 Haarlem Baseball Week stats, Australian baseball history, assorted Baseball Almanacs