| Earl Grace | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1907-02-24)February 24, 1907 Barlow, Kentucky, U.S. | |
| Died: December 22, 1980(1980-12-22) (aged 73) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 23, 1929, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 1937, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .263 |
| Home runs | 31 |
| Runs batted in | 251 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Robert Earl Grace (February 24, 1907 – December 22, 1980) was an American professionalbaseball player andcoach. He played as acatcher inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 1929 through 1937 for theChicago Cubs,Pittsburgh Pirates, andPhiladelphia Phillies. During World War II, 1LT Robert E. Grace served as baseball coach for servicemen assigned to the Welch Army Convalescent Center in Daytona Beach.[1]
Grace's professional career began in 1925, playing for theLincoln Links andLittle Rock Travelers. After playing for theMuskogee Athletics in 1927. He played for the Travelers again in 1928, then he was signed by theChicago Cubs organization, where he started the season with theReading Keystones.
Grace made his major league debut for theChicago Cubs in 1929, playing in 27 games and batting .250. After a season back in theminor leagues with the Keystones, he returned to the Cubs for 7 games in 1931 before being traded to thePittsburgh Pirates for fellow catcherRollie Hemsley.
After batting .280 in 47 games for the Pirates after the trade, Grace was made the Pirate's regular catcher in 1932. He finished the season having committed only 1error in 413total chances, to establish aNational League fielding record with a .998fielding percentage, breaking the record set byShanty Hogan just one year earlier.[2] Over the next three seasons, Grace's playing time decreased in favor ofTom Padden, and after the 1935 season, he was traded along with pitcherClaude Passeau for another fellow catcher,Al Todd.
Grace played two seasons for the Phillies, splitting time withJimmie Wilson andBill Atwood, Grace was traded a third time. Like each of the previous two trades, he was traded for another catcher, this time to theSt. Louis Browns forCap Clark. However, Grace never played for the Browns after the trade. Instead, he returned tominor league baseball, splitting the 1938 season between theMinneapolis Millers and theColumbus Red Birds. He continued to play in the minors until 1940.
· Baseball Almanac