Kelly Gruber

Born: 2/26/1962 in Houston, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1984-04-20 | Final Game: 1993-06-29

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Kelly Wayne Gruber

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Biography

Kelly Gruber was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball, playing from 1984 until 1993. Born in 1962, Gruber made a significant impact during his career, particularly as a third baseman. He participated in 939 games and recorded 818 hits, showcasing his ability to contribute offensively with a batting average of .259. Gruber displayed power at the plate, hitting 117 home runs and driving in 443 runs, while also demonstrating speed with 80 stolen bases. His all-around game earned him two All-Star selections, highlighting his status as one of the top players of his era. Gruber was an essential part of the Toronto Blue Jays during the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period characterized by the team's rise to prominence in the American League. His defensive skills, coupled with his offensive productivity, helped the Blue Jays secure their first World Series title in 1992. Gruber's contributions to the team during this transformative era in baseball history cemented his legacy as a key figure in the franchise's success. After his retirement on June 29, 1993, Gruber remained a respected figure in the baseball community, remembered for his versatility and competitive spirit on the field.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
939	3159	431	818	148	24	117	443	80	197	504	0.259	0.307	0.432	0.739	2045.0

Career AVG .259 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .307 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 5.5% below league average.

Career SLG .432 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — +11.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.739 vs. league average 0.714 across their career seasons — near 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
1984	TOR	AL	15	16	1	1	0	0	1	2	0	0	5	0.062	—	—	—	—	0.0
1985	TOR	AL	5	13	0	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	0.231	—	—	—	—	0.0
1986	TOR	AL	87	143	20	28	4	1	5	15	2	5	27	0.196	.257 (-24%)	.325 (-32%)	.395 (-13%)	.720 (-22%)	-650.3
1987	TOR	AL	138	341	50	80	14	3	12	36	12	17	70	0.235	.262 (-11%)	.331 (-14%)	.415 (-4%)	.746 (-9%)	-687.8
1988	TOR	AL	158	569	75	158	33	5	16	81	23	38	92	0.278	.254 (+9%)	.317 (+3%)	.377 (+16%)	.695 (+10%)	1029.6
1989	TOR	AL	135	545	83	158	24	4	18	73	10	30	60	0.290	.254 (+14%)	.319 (+3%)	.375 (+19%)	.694 (+12%)	1042.2
1990	TOR	AL	150	592	92	162	36	6	31	118	14	48	94	0.274	.257 (+6%)	.324 (+2%)	.385 (+33%)	.710 (+19%)	1890.1
1991	TOR	AL	113	429	58	108	18	2	20	65	12	31	70	0.252	.255 (-2%)	.323 (-5%)	.384 (+15%)	.708 (+6%)	369.9
1992	TOR	AL	120	446	42	102	16	3	11	43	7	26	72	0.229	.255 (-11%)	.322 (-15%)	.377 (-7%)	.699 (-10%)	-986.6
1993	LAA	AL	18	65	10	18	3	0	3	9	0	2	11	0.277	.265 (+4%)	.332 (-7%)	.403 (+14%)	.735 (+5%)	37.7

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
22	79	8	15	3	0	2	8	7	14	0.190

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1992	ALCS	TOR	6	22	3	2	1	1	2	2	3	0.091
1992	WS	TOR	6	19	2	2	0	1	1	2	5	0.105
1991	ALCS	TOR	5	21	1	6	1	0	4	0	4	0.286
1989	ALCS	TOR	5	17	2	5	1	0	1	3	2	0.294

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2B	29	8	22	36	3	10
3B	846	756	619	1651	107	110
OF	38	22	55	2	1	1
SS	29	8	23	34	2	7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1984	TOR	3B	12	1	4	10	1	0
1984	TOR	OF	2	0	2	0	0	0
1984	TOR	SS	1	0	0	2	1	0
1985	TOR	2B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1985	TOR	3B	5	2	2	6	0	0
1986	TOR	2B	14	5	15	16	1	5
1986	TOR	3B	42	27	19	59	5	3
1986	TOR	OF	9	2	6	0	1	0
1986	TOR	SS	5	0	3	2	0	0
1987	TOR	2B	7	1	3	4	0	1
1987	TOR	3B	119	74	52	168	12	11
1987	TOR	OF	2	0	1	0	0	0
1987	TOR	SS	21	8	20	28	1	7
1988	TOR	2B	7	2	4	16	2	4
1988	TOR	3B	156	147	114	349	14	31
1988	TOR	OF	2	0	3	0	0	0
1988	TOR	SS	1	0	0	0	0	0
1989	TOR	3B	119	118	86	291	22	15
1989	TOR	OF	16	15	35	2	0	1
1989	TOR	SS	1	0	0	2	0	0
1990	TOR	3B	145	143	123	280	19	21
1990	TOR	OF	6	5	6	0	0	0
1991	TOR	3B	111	109	97	231	13	16
1992	TOR	3B	120	118	104	215	17	10
1993	CAL	3B	17	17	18	42	4	3
1993	CAL	OF	1	0	2	0	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Second Base	30
Third Base	846
Shortstop	29
Left Field	8
Center Field	6
Right Field	25
Designated Hitter	21

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
1990	Gold Glove	3B
1990	Player of the Month	September
1990	Player of the Week	Week of 1990-04-28
1990	Player of the Week	Week of 1990-09-15
1990	Silver Slugger	3B
1990	TSN All-Star	3B

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
1993	CAL	AL	$4,333,334
1992	TOR	AL	$3,633,333
1991	TOR	AL	$3,033,333
1990	TOR	AL	$1,150,000
1989	TOR	AL	$462,500
1988	TOR	AL	$130,000
1987	TOR	AL	$96,000
1986	TOR	AL	$88,000
Total Career Earnings			$12,926,500