Jeff Grotewold

Jeffrey Scott Grotewold

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 215 lb.
• School San Bernardino Valley College, University of San Diego
• High School Rim of the World High School
• Debut April 12, 1992
• Final Game July 4, 1995
• Born December 8, 1965 in Madera, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Jeff Grotewold was signed by scout Jay Robertson as a free agent for the Philadelphia Phillies. He played two major league seasons, with the Phillies in 1992 and with the Kansas City Royals in 1995. He appeared in 72 games the first of these and 15 the second, but only had a total of 101 at-bats (and 121 plate appearances) as his main position was pinch-hitter. He had 69 games in the role in 1992, and 3 more in 1995, also adding 11 appearances at DH the second year (his games with the Phillies were before the introduction of interleague play, so there was no opportunity to use him as a DH in his rookie year). When he did take the field, he had two games at catcher, two in left field, and two at first base, with his only start in a position other than DH coming in left field with the Phils. Pinch-hitting full-time is a tough assignment, and he ended up at .200 in 1992, with 3 homers and 5 RBIs, but did better with more frequent plate appearances in Kansas City, where he batted .278 with an OBP of .422; however, by then, he was already 29 with no defensive value, so the Royals sent him down to the minors around the All-Star break.

One other thing that worked against him was that the Royals had signed him as a replacement player that spring when the 1994 strike was still unsettled and teams were preparing for possibly fielding a team of such "strike-breakers" if the situation perdured any longer. Most of these players were then released, but a few like Grotewold were kept on board, but those that were called up to the big league team were resented by the players who had been striking, creating tensions. Most teams did not bring up any replacement players unless they had skills that no one else could supply, which was not the case for Jeff.

In addition to his brief major league career, he played ten seasons in the minors from 1987 to 1996. He was a good line drive hitter with some power, batting .263 in 872 games, with 166 doubles and 87 homers, including four seasons when he was in double figures in homers. In the minors, he was a first baseman and catcher, with a few games in the outfield.