Curtis Granderson, Right Field, Retired


Date of Birth: 3/16/1981
Birthplace: Blue Island, Illinois
College: University of Illinois
Nickname: Grandy Man

Curtis Granderson, retired right fielder, was a star player in college when he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2002. He played in the Tigers' minor league system from 2002 through 2005, playing in just nine games with the Tigers in 2004 and in 47 games in 2005.

In 2006, his first full season in the major leagues, Granderson batted .260 with 155 hits, 31 doubles, 19 home runs, and 68 RBIs in 159 games. His best season was perhaps the following one when he led major league baseball in triples with 23. In 2007, he had career highs in hits with 185, doubles with 38, triples with 23, stolen bases with 26, and batting average with .302.

After the 2007 season ended, Granderson signed a five-year, $30.25 million contract with the Tigers that included a sixth year club option. In 2008, he again led major league baseball in triples with 13. He had 155 hits in 141 games that year.

In December, 2009, Granderson was traded to the New York Yankees. He won his only Silver Slugger award in 2011, when he led the American League in RBIs. That season, he batted .262 with 153 hits, 26 doubles, 10 triples, 41 home runs, and a career high 119 RBIs in 156 games.

Granderson had a career high 43 home runs in 2012 and he tied Josh Hamilton for the second most home runs in major league baseball that year. Only Miguel Cabrera had more with 44.

In 2013, Granderson was hit on the hand by pitches twice and he spent most of the season on the DL. He played in just 61 games with the Yankees in 2013. He became a free agent after the season ended and he signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the New York Mets in December, 2013. He finished the 2014 season with 128 hits, 27 doubles, 20 home runs, 66 RBIs, and a .227 batting average in 155 games.

Granderson had a strong 2015 season, leading the Mets in games played, runs scored, hits, stolen bases, and walks. He finished the season with 150 hits, 33 doubles, 26 home runs, 11 stolen bases, 70 RBIs, 151 strikeouts to 91 walks, and a .259 batting average in 157 games. As the Mets' right fielder, he made 279 putouts and 5 errors in 149 games. He had a good postseason, batting .283 with 15 hits, including 2 doubles and 3 home runs, 4 stolen bases, and 12 RBIs in 53 at-bats in 14 games.

In 2016, Granderson batted .237 with 129 hits, 24 doubles, 30 home runs, and 59 RBIs in 150 games. in the postseason, he had no hits in 4 at-bats in 1 game. Defensively, as a right fielder during the regular season, he made 206 putouts and no errors in 110 games. He also played 36 games in center field and 7 games in left field.

Granderson was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 19, 2017. He finished the 2017 season with 95 hits, 24 doubles, 26 home runs, 64 RBIs, 123 strikeouts to 71 walks, and a .212 batting average in 111 games with the Mets and 36 games with the Dodgers. Defensively, he played 33 games in left field, 65 games in center field, and 38 games in right field. In the postseason, he had 1 hit in 15 at-bats in 6 games.

Granderson became a free agent on November 2, 2017. He signed with the Toronto Blue Jays on January 23, 2018. He was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on August 31, 2018. He finished the 2018 season with 83 hits, 22 doubles, 13 home runs, 38 RBIs, and a .242 batting average in 104 games with the Blue Jays and 19 games with the Brewers. In the postseason, he had one hit in 7 at-bats in 7 games.

Granderson became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins on February 5, 2019. He finished the 2019 season with 58 hits and a .183 batting average in 138 games. Defensively, he played 85 games in left field and he made 135 putouts and no errors.

Granderson became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He announced his retirement on January 30, 2020.

Statistics for Granderson in thirteen full seasons (2006-2012, 2014-2019) in the major leagues include:

  • 6 seasons with 150 or more hits, with a high of 185 in 2007
  • 3 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 38 in 2007
  • 3 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 23 in 2007
  • 10 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 43 in 2012
  • 2 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 119 in 2011

Career batting statistics for Granderson through 2019 include:

  • 2,057 games played
  • 1,800 hits
  • 346 doubles
  • 95 triples
  • 344 home runs
  • 153 stolen bases
  • 937 RBIs
  • 1,916 strikeouts to 924 walks
  • .249 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Granderson as a center fielder through 2019 include:

  • 1,254 games played
  • 2,989 putouts
  • 20 errors
  • .993 fielding percentage

Charitable Work

Granderson, known for his charitable work, established the Grand Kids Foundation to aid the education of inner city children. Information on the foundation is available at thegrandkidsfoundation.org.

In 2013, Granderson gave five million dollars to help build a new baseball stadium at his alma mater, the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Granderson was awarded both the Roberto Clemente award and the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award in 2016 for his charitable work.

Personal Life

Granderson wrote a children's book, "All You Can Be," in 2009. The book is illustrated by New York City school children.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Curtis Granderson
ESPN - Curtis Granderson