Jerry Grote, baseball player, 1963-1981

Jerry Grote

Born: 10/6/1942 in San Antonio, TX, USA

Died: 4/7/2024 in Austin, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1963-09-21 | Final Game: 1981-10-03

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Gerald Wayne Grote

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Biography

Jerry Grote, born in 1942, was a prominent baseball player whose career spanned from 1963 to 1981. Known primarily for his role as a catcher, Grote made a significant impact in Major League Baseball during an era characterized by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensive-minded game. Over the course of his career, he played in 1,421 games, accumulating 1,092 hits and finishing with a batting average of .252. His ability to contribute to his teams' success was evidenced by his 404 RBIs and 39 home runs, along with 15 stolen bases, showcasing a blend of offensive prowess and base-running agility. Grote was selected as an All-Star twice, a testament to his skills behind the plate and his leadership on the field. His defensive capabilities and game management were highly regarded, making him an essential part of the teams he played for, including the New York Mets, with whom he spent the majority of his career. As a player who bridged different styles of play, Grote's contributions and resilience left a lasting legacy, particularly during a time when the dynamics of baseball were evolving. He retired on October 3, 1981, leaving behind a career that reflected both individual achievement and the collective spirit of the game.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1421 4339 352 1092 160 22 39 404 15 399 600 0.252 0.316 0.326 0.642 -4369.2

Career AVG .252 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .316 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .326 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 12.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.642 vs. league average 0.689 across their career seasons — 6.9% below 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
1963 HOU NL 3 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1964 HOU NL 100 298 26 54 9 3 3 24 0 20 75 0.181 .250 (-28%) .312 (-23%) .377 (-31%) .690 (-27%) -1510.5
1966 NYN NL 120 317 26 75 12 2 3 31 4 40 81 0.237 .248 (-5%) .309 (+6%) .376 (-16%) .685 (-6%) -224.4
1967 NYN NL 120 344 25 67 8 0 4 23 2 14 65 0.195 .242 (-20%) .306 (-26%) .357 (-29%) .663 (-28%) -1792.9
1968 NYN NL 124 404 29 114 18 0 3 31 1 44 81 0.282 .236 (+19%) .298 (+19%) .340 (+3%) .638 (+10%) 940.1
1969 NYN NL 113 365 38 92 12 3 6 40 2 32 59 0.252 .248 (+2%) .320 (-2%) .369 (-5%) .689 (-4%) -274.5
1970 NYN NL 126 415 38 106 14 1 2 34 2 36 39 0.255 .253 (+1%) .325 (-4%) .385 (-20%) .711 (-13%) -991.5
1971 NYN NL 125 403 35 109 25 0 2 35 1 40 47 0.270 .249 (+8%) .316 (+7%) .365 (-5%) .682 (+1%) 124.2
1972 NYN NL 64 205 15 43 5 1 3 21 1 26 27 0.210 .243 (-14%) .310 (-2%) .353 (-19%) .664 (-11%) -317.3
1973 NYN NL 84 285 17 73 10 2 1 32 0 13 23 0.256 .256 (avg) .325 (-11%) .378 (-17%) .703 (-14%) -747.2
1974 NYN NL 97 319 25 82 8 1 5 36 0 33 33 0.257 .256 (avg) .324 (avg) .369 (-9%) .693 (-5%) -233.1
1975 NYN NL 119 386 28 114 14 5 2 39 0 38 23 0.295 .257 (+15%) .327 (+9%) .374 (avg) .701 (+4%) 346.6
1976 NYN NL 101 323 30 88 14 2 4 28 1 38 19 0.272 .255 (+7%) .320 (+9%) .360 (+1%) .681 (+5%) 381.9
1977 NYN NL 42 115 8 31 3 1 0 7 0 9 12 0.270 .264 (+2%) .329 (+1%) .401 (-22%) .730 (-11%) -191.4
1977 LAD NL 18 27 3 7 0 0 0 4 0 2 5 0.259 — — — — -191.4
1978 LAD NL 41 70 5 19 5 0 0 9 0 10 5 0.271 .257 (+5%) .323 (+9%) .378 (-9%) .702 (-1%) 6.0
1981 KCR AL 22 56 4 17 3 1 1 9 1 3 2 0.304 .255 (+19%) .320 (+8%) .368 (+21%) .688 (+15%) 114.8
1981 LAD NL 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 114.8

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
26 81 8 18 3 0 0 4 4 11 0.222

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1978 NLCS LAN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1978 WS LAN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1977 NLCS LAN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
1977 WS LAN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1973 NLCS NYN 5 19 2 4 0 0 0 2 1 3 0.211
1973 WS NYN 7 30 2 8 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.267
1969 NLCS NYN 3 12 3 2 1 0 0 1 1 4 0.167
1969 WS NYN 5 19 1 4 2 0 0 1 1 3 0.211

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 27 10 16 31 4 5
C 1348 1234 8081 635 78 76
OF 3 2 6 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1963 HOU C 3 2 10 0 0 0
1964 HOU C 98 88 522 52 9 5
1966 NYN 3B 2 1 3 0 0 1
1966 NYN C 115 101 516 55 11 7
1967 NYN C 119 111 609 62 7 8
1968 NYN C 115 109 754 60 5 8
1969 NYN C 112 100 718 63 7 11
1970 NYN C 125 121 855 46 8 12
1971 NYN C 122 118 892 41 9 4
1972 NYN 3B 3 1 1 1 0 0
1972 NYN C 59 58 405 42 1 5
1972 NYN OF 1 1 1 0 0 0
1973 NYN 3B 2 0 1 3 1 1
1973 NYN C 81 76 545 34 3 0
1974 NYN C 94 92 549 36 7 1
1975 NYN C 111 108 706 55 4 8
1976 NYN C 95 88 617 49 5 6
1976 NYN OF 2 1 5 0 0 0
1977 NYN 3B 11 8 7 14 2 2
1977 NYN C 28 23 124 15 0 0
1977 LAN 3B 2 0 2 4 0 1
1977 LAN C 16 4 47 7 0 1
1978 LAN 3B 7 0 2 9 1 0
1978 LAN C 32 15 123 12 2 0
1981 KCA C 22 20 87 6 0 0
1981 LAN C 1 0 2 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1348
Third Base 27
Left Field 1
Right Field 2

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Trinity University San Antonio TX 1962