Mark Grace

Mark Grace was a fan favorite in the Chicago Cubs organization for more than a decade. After being drafted by the club in 1985, he played with the team from 1988 through 2000, a fantastic thirteen year stretch during which time he played first base. He is often overlooked in the history and record books, and even on the Cubs team there were bigger stars, whether it was Ryne Sandberg or Sammy Sosa. However, Mark Grace has his own unique set of accomplishments and is still widely appreciated by fans both for what he did on the field, and the way he behaved off the field and in the club house.

 

After playing 13 years with the Chicago Cubs he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he played his last three seasons. During that time he won the World Series in 2001, although of course he was never able to reach that far in the postseason with Chicago. Since finishing his playing days, he has been a broadcaster for the Diamondbacks as well as for Fox Sports. However, it is his overlooked accomplishments from his decade and a half in the game that are truly worth mentioning.

 

Mark Grace finished his career with nearly 2,500 hits and over 500 doubles. He added in over 1,100 RBIs and 173 homeruns for good measure. All of this came along with a career .303 batting average and .383 on base percentage, both great measures. He led the league in doubles in 1995 with 51, a season in which he hit .326. His best season with average at the plate was the next year, 1996 when he finished with a .331 average, while his career high in on base percentage came the year following, with a .409 measure in 1997.

 

One stat that might surprise many individuals about Mark Grace and his performance on the field was that he had the most hits of any player in the 1990s, finishing with 1,754. That showcases his durability, consistency and top level performance. He also had the most doubles and most sacrifice flies in the decade, with 364 and 73, respectively. Another distinction for Mark Grace is that he's the last Chicago Cubs player to hit for the cycle, having done so on Sunday, May 9, 1993.

 

He was also a solid player in the field, where he racked up four Gold Gloves at first base. He went to three All-Star games, and he still has a strong fan base at Wrigley, where he has come back on several occasions to sing during the 7th inning stretch. Despite his great accomplishments and his standout performance in the 1990s, he won't make it to the Hall of Fame, in fact he will be only one of two players in history to have the most hits for a decade without making it to the hall. But despite all of that, he was a great player and a great off the field presence, and he will always have the support and love from the loyal fans of the Chicago Cubs.

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