Mark Grace, baseball player, 173 home runs, 1988-2003

Mark Grace

Born: 6/28/1964 in Winston-Salem, NC, USA

MLB Debut: 1988-05-02 | Final Game: 2003-09-28

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Mark Eugene Grace

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Biography

Mark Grace, born in 1964, was a prominent first baseman who enjoyed a successful Major League Baseball career from 1988 to 2003. Known for his exceptional hitting ability and defensive skills, Grace played a total of 2,245 games, amassing 2,445 hits and finishing his career with a commendable batting average of .303. His offensive prowess contributed significantly to his teams, as he recorded 173 home runs and drove in 1,146 runs batted in (RBIs). Additionally, Grace showcased his speed on the bases, stealing 70 bases over his career. Grace was a three-time All-Star and earned the TSN Rookie Player of the Year award, which highlighted his immediate impact upon entering the league. He was celebrated for his consistent performance during the late 1980s and 1990s, an era marked by a transition towards more power-oriented play in baseball. His ability to blend contact hitting with situational awareness made him a valuable player for the Chicago Cubs, where he spent the majority of his career, as well as the Arizona Diamondbacks. Grace's legacy in the game is characterized not only by his impressive statistics but also by his leadership and influence on and off the field.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2245 8065 1179 2445 511 45 173 1146 70 1075 642 0.303 0.383 0.442 0.825 21695.3

Career AVG .303 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — +15.1% above league average.

Career OBP .383 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — +15.3% above league average.

Career SLG .442 vs. league average .410 across their career seasons — +7.8% above league average.

Career OPS 0.825 vs. league average 0.743 across their career seasons — +11.1% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1988 CHC NL 134 486 65 144 23 4 7 57 3 60 43 0.296 .254 (+17%) .317 (+17%) .377 (+7%) .695 (+11%) 1213.9
1989 CHC NL 142 510 74 160 28 3 13 79 14 80 42 0.314 .254 (+23%) .319 (+27%) .375 (+22%) .694 (+24%) 2682.5
1990 CHC NL 157 589 72 182 32 1 9 82 15 59 54 0.309 .257 (+20%) .324 (+15%) .385 (+7%) .710 (+11%) 1379.5
1991 CHC NL 160 619 87 169 28 5 8 58 3 70 53 0.273 .255 (+7%) .323 (+7%) .384 (-3%) .708 (+2%) 316.6
1992 CHC NL 158 603 72 185 37 5 9 79 6 72 36 0.307 .255 (+20%) .322 (+18%) .377 (+14%) .699 (+16%) 2032.6
1993 CHC NL 155 594 86 193 39 4 14 98 8 71 32 0.325 .265 (+23%) .332 (+18%) .403 (+18%) .735 (+18%) 2305.4
1994 CHC NL 106 403 55 120 23 3 6 44 0 48 41 0.298 .269 (+10%) .338 (+9%) .424 (-2%) .763 (+3%) 315.2
1995 CHC NL 143 552 97 180 51 3 16 92 6 65 46 0.326 .266 (+22%) .337 (+17%) .417 (+24%) .755 (+21%) 2388.2
1996 CHC NL 142 547 88 181 39 1 9 75 2 62 41 0.331 .269 (+23%) .340 (+16%) .426 (+7%) .767 (+11%) 1405.6
1997 CHC NL 151 555 87 177 32 5 13 78 2 88 45 0.319 .266 (+20%) .336 (+21%) .419 (+11%) .756 (+16%) 2108.6
1998 CHC NL 158 595 92 184 39 3 17 89 4 93 56 0.309 .266 (+16%) .335 (+20%) .420 (+12%) .755 (+15%) 2243.4
1999 CHC NL 161 593 107 183 44 5 16 91 3 83 44 0.309 .271 (+14%) .344 (+13%) .433 (+11%) .778 (+12%) 1613.7
2000 CHC NL 143 510 75 143 41 1 11 82 1 95 28 0.280 .270 (+4%) .344 (+14%) .437 (-2%) .782 (+5%) 860.3
2001 AZ NL 145 476 66 142 31 2 15 78 1 67 36 0.298 .263 (+13%) .332 (+16%) .426 (+9%) .758 (+12%) 1410.0
2002 AZ NL 124 298 43 75 19 0 7 48 2 46 30 0.252 .261 (-4%) .331 (+6%) .416 (-7%) .747 (-2%) 6.9
2003 AZ NL 66 135 13 27 5 0 3 16 0 16 15 0.200 .264 (-24%) .332 (-16%) .422 (-28%) .754 (-23%) -587.0

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 1 1 0 0 9.00 0

Career ERA 9.00 vs. league average 4.28 across their career seasons — 110.4% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
2002 AZ NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 1 0 0 9.00 — -

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
25 82 5 27 5 1 2 13 13 8 0.329

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2002 NLDS2 ARI 2 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.250
2001 NLCS ARI 5 16 1 6 0 0 0 1 2 1 0.375
2001 NLDS2 ARI 4 14 0 3 1 0 0 0 2 3 0.214
2001 WS ARI 6 19 1 5 1 0 1 3 4 1 0.263
1998 NLDS1 CHN 3 12 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0.083
1989 NLCS CHN 5 17 3 11 3 1 1 8 4 1 0.647

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2162 2074 18503 1665 110 1533
P 1 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1988 CHN 1B 133 126 1182 87 17 91
1989 CHN 1B 142 137 1230 126 6 93
1990 CHN 1B 153 146 1324 180 12 116
1991 CHN 1B 160 155 1520 167 8 106
1992 CHN 1B 157 157 1580 141 4 119
1993 CHN 1B 154 153 1456 112 5 134
1994 CHN 1B 103 100 925 78 7 91
1995 CHN 1B 143 142 1211 114 7 93
1996 CHN 1B 141 139 1259 107 4 120
1997 CHN 1B 148 147 1202 120 6 93
1998 CHN 1B 156 154 1279 122 8 82
1999 CHN 1B 160 157 1335 93 8 115
2000 CHN 1B 140 136 1098 103 4 99
2001 ARI 1B 135 127 995 62 5 99
2002 ARI 1B 98 70 649 34 7 58
2002 ARI P 1 0 0 0 0 0
2003 ARI 1B 39 28 258 19 2 24

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 1
First Base 2162
Designated Hitter 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2002 This Year in Baseball Oddity of the Year MLB.com GIBBY
1996 Gold Glove 1B
1995 Gold Glove 1B
1995 Player of the Week Week of 1995-09-30
1993 Gold Glove 1B
1992 Gold Glove 1B
1989 Player of the Month July
1989 Player of the Week Week of 1989-07-22
1988 TSN Rookie Player of the Year

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2003 ARI NL $1,750,000
2002 ARI NL $3,000,000
2001 ARI NL $3,000,000
2000 CHN NL $5,300,000
1999 CHN NL $4,100,000
1998 CHN NL $4,225,000
1997 CHN NL $4,525,000
1996 CHN NL $4,175,000
1995 CHN NL $4,400,000
1994 CHN NL $4,400,000
1993 CHN NL $3,100,000
1992 CHN NL $2,262,500
1991 CHN NL $1,200,000
1990 CHN NL $325,000
1989 CHN NL $140,000
Total Career Earnings $45,902,500

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Saddleback College Mission Viejo CA 1983, 1984
San Diego State University San Diego CA 1985

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1995 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 14.0 392 0
1993 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 8.0 392 0
1992 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 6.0 336 0
1989 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 9.0 336 0
1988 Rookie of the Year NL 2nd 61.0 120 7