Chicago Cubs: The Heroes of Wrigley Series presents Mark Grace

When you think of the greatest hitters of the 1990s, Mark Grace might not come to mind. But make no mistake, the former Chicago Cubs star warrants noting.

Thinking about that decade in baseball history, you probably immediately think of the long ball heroes who were swatting dingers to the moon.  Players like Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and former Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa.  It was the era of the home run that is referred to as, what we notoriously dubbed, “The Steroid Era.”

In the midst of this scandalous era, one beloved player opted for dugout cigarettes over performance-enhancing drugs and doubles over home runs.

Out of all the most popular, muscle-riddled superstars, none of them are known for having the most hits or doubles out of any player through the decade of the 1990s.  Those statistics belong to Mark Grace.

Grace’s simplistic approach at the plate of “just reacting to the ball… seeing it… hitting it,” produced 1,754 base hits and 364 doubles from 1990 to 1999 with one of the sweetest swings you will ever see.  When other players of the era were fueled by “juice,” Gracie was fueled only by booze, nicotine, his libido and the pure joy and love of the game.

Chicago Cubs: Oh, Amazing Grace – how sweet the swing

Originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 15th round of the 1984 amateur draft, Grace decided not to sign, opting to play another year of amateur ball to work on his game.  The following year, in 1985, he was drafted again once more.  This time, it was the Chicago Cubs who selected Grace.  It was a marriage that lasted for the next 15 years.

Grace quickly rose through the Cubs farm system in the 1986 season, hitting for a .342 average for Peoria.  That year, he became the first player to win the Midwest League batting title in his first year as a professional ballplayer.

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Since 1981, Leon Durham was the stalwart player who manned first base for the Chicago Cubs.  However, with his bat declining and the impending emergence of Grace, it quickly became clear by 1988 that Durham’s days of playing at Wrigley were numbered.  He started the season struggling to keep his average just over the dreaded Mendoza Line and after just 24 games, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds and Grace was quickly called up to ‘the Show.’

Grace put together a successful rookie campaign, hitting .296 with an on-base percentage of .371.  He eventually finished runner-up for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, trailing only behind Cincinnati’s Chris Sabo in the voting.

By the end of the 1980s, Grace, now affectionately nicknamed “Amazing Grace,” became a clubhouse leader and a reliable player, touted by all of baseball, players and managers alike, as a stellar talent with the bat and the glove.

In 1989, he helped the Cubs clinch the National League East Division title and led the team into the National League Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants.

The Cubs eventually fell short of their first pennant victory since 1945 in just five games but Grace was nothing short of, well, amazing, as he hit .647 with one home run and three doubles.  He also drove in eight of the team’s 16 total runs scored in the series.

It was a heartbreaking end to the promising season but Grace’s play foreshadowed what was to come heading into the 1990s.

Chicago Cubs: The epitome of a ballplayer

Throughout the following decade, Grace and the #17 on his back became as much of a staple at Wrigley as the green ivy that climbed and covered the red brick of the outfield wall.

Wrigley was a throwback stadium, a reminder of years past, and Grace was a throwback ballplayer.  His flashback appearance was complete with his knee-high blue stirrup socks, eye black marked across his face and sans batting gloves that connect the grip of flesh to wood.  He was superstitious just like the pastime heroes of the olden days, providing this infamous (and hilariously candid) “slump-busting” technique.  He played unselfishly and for his teammates.

While he never was a player who hit 20 home runs or knock in 100 runs in a single season, he did everything he had to do in order to raise the “W” flag high above that iconic Wrigley scoreboard.

During the decade, Grace collected four Gold Gloves and was named to the National League All-Star team three times (1993, 1995, 1997). Arguably, his best season came in 1995, when Grace hit .326 with a .395 OBP and hitting a league-high 51 two-baggers.

Chicago Cubs: Life after Wrigley and the North Side

Grace’s tenure with the Chicago Cubs officially came to an end in December of 2000 when he signed a two-year, six million dollar contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  He continued to wear #17 on the back of his jersey but, for the first time, not as a member of the Cubs.

The following season, Arizona won the 2001 World Series against the dynastic New York Yankees.  Playing in the first World Series of his long, storied career, he had several key moments including a pivotal Game 4 home run at Yankee Stadium.  He was also responsible for starting Arizona’s epic ninth-inning comeback in Game 7 when he hit a leadoff single against Yankee closer Mariano Rivera.  He was lifted for a pinch runner but that became the tying run of the game.

Grace saw a fall in production the following seasons but was still having fun playing the game he loved so much.  On Sept. 2, 2002, he made his first and only pitching appearance of his career.  Doing his best impression of reliever, teammate and staredown extraordinaire Mike Fetters, Grace retired the first two batters of the inning before then rookie (and future Grandpa Cub) David Ross hit his first career home run.

After 16 years in the majors, Grace eventually retired following the 2003 season.

Chicago Cubs: An”Amazing” legacy for Gracie

Though we see another fan favorite Cub in Kris Bryant donning the #17 nowadays, it’s hard for Cubs fans to see that and not be reminded of the memories and footprints left behind by Mark Grace.  For fans who were able to watch Grace play, he was a joy to watch and will always be cherished by a nation of Cubs fans.

He was one of the greatest ballplayers of the 1990s.  He joins Pete Rose as the only two players in Major League Baseball history to lead a decade in hits and not be in the Hall of Fame.

Grace eventually found another career post-baseball as a broadcaster for the Diamondbacks.  In 2006, during a doubleheader at Wrigley against Arizona, Grace led the screaming Cubs fans in the singing of the seventh inning stretch.

He was welcomed back with open arms and tremendous ovations with a plethora of “I love you, Gracie!” being shouted every few minutes. During that brief moment, his swan song, if you will, Mark Grace was a Cub again.

In 2007, after years of purgatory since leaving the franchise, Grace attended the annual Cubs Convention, telling fans that, “It’s really great to come home.”