| Marquis Grissom | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Grissom as a coach for theWashington Nationals in 2009 | |
| Center fielder | |
| Born: (1967-04-17)April 17, 1967 (age 57) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 22, 1989, for the Montreal Expos | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 31, 2005, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .272 |
| Hits | 2,251 |
| Home runs | 227 |
| Runs batted in | 967 |
| Stolen bases | 429 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Marquis Deon Grissom (born April 17, 1967) is an American former professionalbaseballcenter fielder. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theMontreal Expos,Atlanta Braves,Cleveland Indians,Milwaukee Brewers,Los Angeles Dodgers, andSan Francisco Giants between 1989 and 2005.
With the Expos, Grissom led theNational League (NL) instolen bases in 1991 and 1992, and represented the NL in theMLB All-Star Game in 1993 and 1994. He won the1995 World Series as a member of the Braves. Grissom won four consecutiveGold Glove Awards from 1993 to 1996.
Grissom was born inAtlanta,Georgia, the second-youngest of sixteen children of Marion and Julia Grissom. Grissom was one of fifteen children who survived infancy.[1] He grew up inRed Oak, Georgia, in a house which his father built from scratch while working on theassembly line at theAtlanta Assembly, aFord plant.[1] Grissom could not afford to play organized baseball in early childhood. When Grissom was 8 or 10 years old, he struck a police officer'sCadillac with a rock thrown from a great distance. The officer, who was impressed by the throw, agreed not to charge Grissom if later he would join his youth baseball team.[2]
Grissom attended Lakeshore High School inCollege Park. He was offered college scholarships in baseball,football andtrack and field.[2][1]
Grissom played baseball atFlorida A&M University as apitcher and outfielder. He played two seasons with theRattlers in 1987 and 1988 during which time he posted a .408batting average. In 1988, he scored moreruns per game and hit moretriples per game than any other player inDivision I. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of that season'sMid-Eastern Athletic Conference baseball tournament after pitching twocomplete games and maintaining a .643 batting average. He was inducted into the MEAC Hall of Fame in 2014.[3]
In1988, theMontreal Expos selected Grissom with the 76th overall pick in the amateur draft, as part of that draft's third round. He had been considered a prospect as both a pitcher and an outfielder, but the Expos decided to have him work solely as a position player. He made his professional debut with theJamestown Expos of theNew York–Penn League that fall and advanced quickly through the system, first appearing in the majors on August 22, 1989. He showed steady improvement for the next few seasons, gradually developing into a star as Montreal'sleadoff hitter andcenter fielder. He led theNational League in stolen bases in 1991 and 1992, was a member of theNL All-Star team in1993 and1994, and won four consecutiveGold Gloves, the first coming in 1993.
Against theLos Angeles Dodgers on July 28, 1991, Grissom caughtChris Gwynn's fly ball for the final out ofDennis Martínez's perfect game.[4]
TheExpos enjoyed success on the field, but astrike ended the 1994 season before the playoffs, and after baseball resumed the team was forced to trade many of their stars for financial reasons. Grissom was the last of the three highest-paid Expos players at the time to be traded when he was acquired by theAtlanta Braves forTony Tarasco,Roberto Kelly andEsteban Yan on April 6, 1995. The Braves beat out theFlorida Marlins andBoston Red Sox to land the deal.[5] The Braves were just beginning a run of dominance in the NL East, and in his first season in Atlanta, they won theWorld Series with Marquis (the only player on that Braves team who actually was born and raised in Atlanta) securing the final out by catching a fly ball byCarlos Baerga. They returned to the Fall Classic the next season, but failed to defend their title against theNew York Yankees.
Teams' financial motivations continued to affect the course of Grissom's career, and in March 1997, he was involved in a blockbuster trade with theCleveland Indians. Hoping to save money that had been committed to long-term contracts, Atlanta traded Grissom and two-time All-StarDavid Justice to the Indians, receiving in return three-time All-StarKenny Lofton and setup manAlan Embree. The deal worked out well for Cleveland, as the team went all the way to the World Series, ultimately losing to theFlorida Marlins in seven games. Grissom performed exceptionally well in that postseason, winning the MVP award in theALCS, and completing a 15-gameWorld Series consecutive gamehitting streak spanning 3 World Series, the 2nd longest of all time next toHank Bauer of theNew York Yankees.
That offseason, however, the Indians re-signed Lofton as a free agent, subsequently trading Grissom and pitcherJeff Juden to theMilwaukee Brewers for pitchersBen McDonald,Ron Villone, andMike Fetters. Grissom's production declined as he spent three seasons with the struggling club, and a trade in the spring of 2001 made him aLos Angeles Dodger, sendingDevon White to the Brewers in return. Grissom continued to struggle that year, but he enjoyed a strong bounce-back season as a part-time player in 2002. On September 16, 2002, the Dodgers had a crucial game against theSan Francisco Giants. In the top of the 9th inning, he robbedRich Aurilia of a potential game-tying home run to protect the 7–6 victory. The Giants went on to make the playoffs and the Dodgers did not. As a free agent he subsequently attracted the attention of theSan Francisco Giants, who had just been defeated in theWorld Series. San Francisco signed Grissom, and he enjoyed two more productive seasons as their starting center fielder. The Giants were successful as well, winning the NL West in2003 and missing thewild card by one game in2004. Marquis won the 2003Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership. On April 8, 2004, Grissom hit the first home run ever at San Diego'sPetco Park.[6] Grissom's production dipped again in 2005, and in a season of struggles by the Giants, he was released. On January 3, 2006, theChicago Cubs signed him to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training as a non-roster player.[7]
On March 28, 2006, Grissom retired after a 17-year career.[8] He toldThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he knew it was time for him to retire when he began spending more time preparing for games than playing in the games themselves.[9]
In 2011, Grissom received four votes in theBaseball Hall of Fame balloting.[10]
Following his retirement, Grissom became a youth baseball coach.[11] Among other Atlanta-area prospects, Grissom worked with family friendMichael Harris II from his youth through his early professional career. When Harris won the 2022National League Rookie of the Year Award, he dedicated it to Grissom.[12][13]
Grissom was hired to become theWashington Nationals first base coach for the 2009 season on October 24, 2008.[14] In November 2009, he was replaced on the coaching staff byDan Radison.[15]
As of 2024, Grissom lives with his wife, Sharron, inFayetteville andSandy Springs, Georgia. He has five children, Micah, D'monte, Tiana,Marquis, Jr. and Gabriella.[9] Marquis Jr. is a pitcher in theWashington Nationals organization, having been drafted out ofGeorgia Tech in the2022 MLB Draft.[16] During his playing career, Grissom bought houses for his parents and every one of his fourteen siblings.[2]
One year after retiring, Grissom founded the Marquis Grissom Baseball Association, a nonprofit which helps underprivileged youths in theAtlanta area play baseball.[2]
Grissom's younger brother, Antonio, played in thefarm systems of the Expos andPhiladelphia Phillies.[17][18]