gold star for USAHOF

31. Kelly Gruber

31. Kelly Gruber
  1. General
  2. Awards
  3. Career Stats
  • Born: February 26, 1962 in Houston, TX USA
  • Weight: 180 lbs.
  • Height: 6'0"
  • Bats: R
  • Throws: R
  • Debut: April 20, 1984
  • Final Game: June 29, 1993
  • Gold Glove - 1990
  • Silver Slugger - 1990
  • TSN All-Star - 1990
  • MVP - 1990
 
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Plucked from the Cleveland Indians in the 1983 Rule 5 Draft, Third Baseman Kelly Gruber would work his way up the ranks to become a starter in 1987.

Beloved by the women of Toronto, Gruber had his breakout in 1988, with his first 150-Hit year, with 16 Home Runs and a .278 Batting Average.  He slightly improved his stats in 1989 (18 HR,.290) and was named to the AL All-Star Team.  This bled into Gruber's best year, where he had career-highs in Home Runs (31), RBIs (118), and OPS (.842), and was named a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove winner, as well as adding a second All-Star.  Gruber was fourth in MVP voting, and it appeared that he would get even better, but that was not the case.

Gruber began to deal with injuries afterward and was unable to build on his best year.  He was still the starting Third Baseman on Toronto's 1992 World Series Championship Team, but that would be his swansong as a Blue Jay, with the club trading him to the Angels after the season.

Gruber had an even 800 Hits with the Jays, 114 as Home Runs.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Third Base, Outfield
  • Acquired: Selected in the Rule 5 Draft from the Cleveland Indians 12/5/83.
  • Departed:

    Traded to the California Angels with Cash for Luis Sojo 12/8/92.

  • Games Played: 921
  • Notable Statistics:

    421 Runs Scored
    800 Hits
    145 Doubles
    24 Triples
    114 Home Runs
    424 Runs Batted In
    80 Stolen Bases
    .259/.307/.431 Slash Line
    16.1 bWAR

    22 Playoff Games
    8 Runs Scored
    15 Hits
    3 Doubles
    0 Triples
    2 Home Runs
    8 Runs Batted In
    3 Stolen Bases
    .190/.253/.304 Slash Line

  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    World Series Champion (1992)
    All-Star (1989 & 1990)
    Silver Slugger (1990)
    Gold Glove (1990)
    Most At Bats (2009)
    Most Putouts by a Third Baseman (1990)
    Most Assists by a Third Baseman (1990)
    Most Total Zone Runs by a Third Baseman (1988)
    Highest Range Factor per Game by a Third Baseman (1988 & 1989)

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