Gregg Jefferies’ Unique Feat of Drawing Rookie of the Year Votes in Two Different Seasons

Gregg Jefferies dominated the minors and burst onto the major league scene like few prospects before him

Gregg Jefferies generated a considerable amount of buzz coming up through the New York Mets farm system.  As the Mets first round draft pick in the June 1985 Amateur Draft and Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year for both 1986 and 1987, Jefferies was one of the most highly-touted prospects during the latter half of the 1980s.  With an excellent stint as a late season call up in 1988 followed by a respectable full-length 1989 campaign, Jefferies accomplished the unique feat of drawing Rookie of the Year votes in two different seasons.  Although Jefferies was not the recipient of either the 1988 or 1989 Rookie of the Year Award, the slugger’s initial campaigns represented the start to a fine career.  Going into the 2021 season, Jefferies remains the only player in the nearly 75 year history of the award to garner support in multiple years.

On June 3, 1985 the Mets selected the switch-hitting Jefferies out of Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, California with the twentieth overall pick of the Amateur Draft.  Jefferies split his first professional season between Rookie League Kingsport and Single-A Columbia, batting a combined .326 and showcasing his speed by going 28 for 29 in base stealing attempts.  Jefferies followed up his debut campaign with a superb 1986, hitting a sizzling .353 with 111 RBI in 125 games, this time making stops at Single-A Columbia, High Single-A Lynchburg, and Double-A Jackson.  He further displayed his speed with 11 triples and 57 stolen bases.  At season’s end, Jefferies was named Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America.  Jefferies spent 1987 at Double-A Jackson and continued to dominate minor league pitching, raising his batting average to .367 while adding more power to his game with 48 doubles and 20 home runs.  Once again, Jefferies was named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year, making him the first to two-time winner of the award.  Jefferies’ outstanding season earned the budding prospect his first promotion to the majors.  Just over a month after celebrating his twentieth birthday, Jefferies made his major league debut for the defending World Champion Mets on September 6 at Dodgers Stadium.  Jefferies entered the game as a pinch hitter during the top of the 14th inning in a losing effort against the Los Angeles Dodgers—coincidentally, the team he rooted for during his childhood.  In his first major league at bat, Jefferies faced Dodgers reliever Brian Holton, who got the slugger to pop out to third baseman Phil Garner in foul territory.  Two nights later, Jefferies entered his first home game at Shea Stadium as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 5th inning.  Jefferies singled off Philadelphia Phillies starter Bruce Ruffin for his first career hit and was subsequently lifted from the game for pinch runner Keith Miller.  Jefferies made four additional late season appearances, each as pinch hitter, collecting two more hits to bat .500 over his first six career trips to the plate.

Now a two-time Minor League Player of the Year, Jefferies began drawing significant attention from the media.  The young phenom was profiled in the March 21, 1988 issue of Sports Illustrated which focused on the innovative and intense 17-part offseason training program designed by Jefferies’ father, Rich.  The unique regimen included such activities as standing chest-deep in a pool while swinging a sawed-off bat underwater, a practice that targeted quickening bat speed by building arm and wrist strength through resistance.  Another drill involved hitting tennis balls thrown from a 20-foot distance to improve concentration.  Sports Illustrated also highlighted the comparisons Jefferies was drawing to all-time great players such as Mickey Mantle and Pete Rose.  

After a late season call up to New York, the young slugger started the 1988 season in Triple-A Tidewater

Jefferies started the 1988 season in Triple-A Tidewater, primarily to work on his defense which was, at times, error prone.  For his first three years in the minors, Jefferies was mainly played at shortstop while also seeing limited action at both second and third base.  However, with Jefferies’ move to Triple-A, the organization decided to focus on playing him at third base.  During his first couple of months in Tidewater, Jefferies found himself in an unfamiliar position as he struggled to hit .200.  Nevertheless, by late August, Jefferies had raised his average to .282 when he earned his second call up to New York after an aggravated hamstring sent Mets second baseman Wally Backman to the 15-day disabled list.

Jefferies joined a veteran club, the majority of which had been members of the franchise’s 1986 championship team.  After finishing runner-up to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1987, the Mets appeared poised to return to the playoffs in 1988.  New York sat atop the NL East with a 76-52 record and a seven and a half game edge over the second place Pittsburgh Pirates on August 28 when Jefferies made his return to the Mets line up against the San Francisco Giants.  Although New York lost the game, 7-4, Jefferies immediately announced his presence by stroking a single and a double off veteran pitcher Mike Krukow in his first two at bats.  The following day, Jefferies took San Diego Padres hurler Eric Show deep for his first career home run.  In addition to his longball, Jefferies helped lead New York to a 6-0 rout of San Diego by smacking both a double and a triple to collect nine total bases and finish a single away from hitting for the cycle.  On September 2, Jefferies slugged career home run number two during New York’s 8-0 drubbing of the Dodgers as part of a three-hit night in which he finished a triple shy of the cycle.  Jefferies was then named NL Player of the Week for a six-game stretch between September 5 and September 10 in which he batted .440, collected 11 hits, clubbed 3 home runs, and posted a scorching 1.460 OPS.  The California native’s award-winning week included a September 9 game where he once again finished a single shy of hitting for the cycle.  After going 4 for 4 in a September 12, 3-2 victory over the second place Pirates, Jefferies brought his batting average up to a robust .462 since his call up.

Jefferies dominated NL pitching after being recalled to New York in late August 1988

During his first couple of weeks in New York, Jefferies split time between second and third base on defense.  When Backman returned from injury, the Mets settled on using Jefferies at the hot corner and moved the club’s regular third baseman Howard Johnson to short.  Since recalling Jefferies in late August, New York had generally hit him second in the batting order.  However, when the team’s number three hitter, Keith Hernandez missed a few games in mid-September, the club showed their confidence in Jefferies by temporarily moving him into the three-hole to replace Hernandez.  On September 16, Jefferies went 3 for 5 with his two out, 9th inning walk-off single leading the Mets to a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Expos.  Jefferies’ banner night snapped a three-game hitless stretch for the young phenom and effectively eliminated the third place Expos from contention as the Mets inched closer toward the NL East Division title.  Although Jefferies’ came back down to Earth in the season’s final weeks, he finished the year batting .321 with 6 home runs and 17 RBI in 118 plate appearances over 29 games.  New York clinched the Division title on September 22 and finished the campaign 15 games ahead of the second place Pirates with a 100-60 record.

The Mets were upset by the 94-67 Dodgers in a closely-contested, seven-game NLCS.  Jefferies batted .333 with a .438 OBP against Los Angeles, collecting 9 hits and drawing 4 walks.  The slugger hit safely in five of the seven games, including three multi-hit games.  Jefferies’ solid NLCS hitting was tempered by a fielding error at third base during the nightmarish 2nd inning of Game 7 in which New York allowed five runs.  In spite of that, Jefferies was the only Mets player with more than one hit against Dodgers Game 7 starter Orel Hershiser, who shutout New York to clinch the NL Pennant.

Following his late August call up, Jefferies’ assault on NL pitching was in-line with the game’s most dominant hitters.  While Jefferies’ 118 plate appearances were well shy of the 502 required to qualify for league leader categories, nevertheless, his .321 average was higher than the .313 mark of NL batting champion Tony Gwynn.  Moreover, Jefferies’ .596 slugging percentage, .961 OPS, and 178 OPS+ were each higher than the respective .545, .911, and 165 totals of teammate Darryl Strawberry, the NL leader for these three categories.  All of this came during a season which saw a significant drop in offense following the “Rabbit Ball”-fueled scoring outburst of 1987.  Indeed, the 3.88 average runs scored per game in the NL was not only down from 1987’s 4.52 but also the Senior Circuit’s lowest since 1968—a season which is commonly referred to as the “Year of the Pitcher.”

Jefferies placed sixth in the 1988 NL Rookie of the Year vote while Chris Sabo edged Mark Grace in a close election to win the award

Even though Jefferies had appeared in barely a month’s worth of games, the wunderkind slugger drew support in the NL Rookie of the Year election, picking up a second-place tally from one of the 24 voters.  Under the 5-3-1 voting format for first, second, and third, Jefferies’ 3 points tied him for sixth place with Chicago Cubs catcher Damon Berryhill.  Cincinnati Reds third baseman Chris Sabo edged Cubs first baseman Mark Grace, 79 points to 61, in a close election to take NL Rookie of the Year honors.  Sabo and Grace drew 11 and 7 first place votes, respectively.  The remaining 6 first place votes were split between Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tim Belcher, Atlanta Braves infielder Ron Gant, and San Diego Padres second baseman Roberto Alomar who completed the top-five finishers.  Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ricky Jordan rounded out the results with 2 points from a pair of third place finishes.  Jefferies’ 109 at bats were the fewest ever by a position player who drew Rookie of the Year support.  Prior to Jefferies, the position player with the lowest number of at bats to garner support was Bob Hazle with 134 in 1957.  Since Jefferies’ 115 career at bats from his 1987 and 1988 call ups did not exceed the 130 at bat threshold and he had spent less than 45 days on the Mets roster prior to September 1, the young phenom’s rookie status stayed intact for the 1989 season.  Thus, Jefferies was eligible for and the prohibitive favorite to win the 1989 NL Rookie of the Year Award.

The emergence of Jefferies created a logjam in the Mets infield.  Jefferies’ profile in the March 1988 Sports Illustrated featured a quote from Mets Vice President of Baseball Operations Joe McIlvaine who stated, “When Gregg’s ready, we'll create a position for him.”  Faced with the likelihood of seeing reduced playing time, veteran second baseman Wally Backman expressed interest in being traded.  On December 7, the Mets honored Backman’s request and sent the keystoner to the Minnesota Twins, thus opening up second base for Jefferies.  Even after trading Backman it appeared New York might be willing to deal third baseman/shortstop Howard Johnson, provided the team could land a power-hitting slugger or frontline starting pitcher as part of a package for the infielder.  Johnson’s name appearing in trade rumors was not shocking since he was coming off a difficult 1988 campaign in which he struggled during both the regular season and the playoffs, resulting in his benching for Games 6 and 7 of the NLCS.  A trade involving “HoJo” could have potentially opened up both second and third base as options for Jefferies.  However, the trade never materialized and the Mets broke camp with Jefferies manning second base and Johnson back at the hot corner.  With just 24 minor and 10 major league games as a second baseman, Jefferies would be learning the position on the job.  Mets manager Davey Johnson, a former 3-time Gold Glove-winning second baseman, volunteered to teach Jefferies the nuances of the keystone as the skipper was content to keep “HoJo” at third and preferred the smooth glovework of Kevin Elster covering short.

Plugged into the number two spot in the batting order, Jefferies started 1989 off by picking up a pair of hits and scoring the Mets’ first run of the season en route to an 8-4 Opening Day victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.  However, Jefferies struggled mightily over his next 10 games, going 4 for 44.  By the end of April, Jefferies—now sporting an abysmal .176 average—was moved from the two-hole and batted later in the order, primarily out of the six spot.  Jefferies also began losing playing time to Tim Teufel.  The month of May was not any kinder to Jefferies as the youngster hit .195.  In fact, Jefferies sported a sub .200 batting average as late as June 9.  An additional cause for concern was the lack of power from Jefferies who had yet to hit a home run in 1989.  Jefferies had experienced a similar slump the year before at Triple-A Tidewater only this time, his struggles were taking place under the high-pressure environment of New York.  Jefferies’ difficulties at the plate began taking their toll on the beleaguered slugger.  Mets hitting instructor Bill Robinson commented on Jefferies’ frustration, “He’s eating himself up a little bit every day.  Every time he makes an out, he acts like it’s the end of the world.  He comes back to the dugout muttering to himself, then proceeds to step on his lower lip.  He’s trying too hard and not having enough fun out there.”

The young phenom experienced growing pains on both offense and defense during the 1989 season

Jefferies finally broke out of his slump with a series of multi-hit games during the first half of June which comfortably rose his batting average over the Mendoza Line.  Most notable was a three-hit June 15 game that concluded with Jefferies stroking a bottom of the 12th inning walk-off single to defeat the Cubs.  This was a particularly important win for the Mets since Chicago, along with New York, St. Louis, and Montreal, was one of four teams emerging as contenders for the NL East Division Title.  The following day on the road in Philadelphia, Jefferies drove in four runs, a pair of which came on his first home run of the season as the Mets beat the Phillies, 15-11.  Jefferies rode a six-game hitting streak into the All-Star break, however, his first half of the season had been well below expectations as his average through 73 games was still just .230 supported by a meager .284 OBP and .318 slugging percentage.  Jefferies did have 18 doubles but only the one home run while grounding into 12 double plays.  New York finished the first half in 3rd place with a 45-39 record.  The Mets sat right in the thick of a closely-packed four-team race for the NL East, a mere two and half games back of the Division-leading Expos, a single game behind the Cubs, and a half game in front of the Cardinals.

After a solid June which saw Jefferies bat .284, he slid back to .247 in July but hit 3 home runs and added 13 RBI.  Although Jefferies was able to avoid the prolonged slumps he experienced in April and May, he was not immune to occasionally being benched and platooned during the second half of the season.  With the club mired in a seven-game losing streak, Jefferies was sat in favor of Keith Miller at the beginning of August.  After seeing little action for the next two weeks, Jefferies was written into the lineup as the starting second baseman and leadoff hitter on August 17.  Jefferies responded by putting together an 11-game hitting streak during which he batted .396 and reclaimed his role as the team’s full-time second baseman.  However, the Mets only managed to go 4-7 during Jefferies’ hitting streak and had fallen to 4th place, three and a half games behind the Division-leading Cubs.

While Jefferies was flourishing as the club’s leadoff hitter and re-establishing himself on offense, his defense was still a work in progress.  Even with the tutoring of skipper Davey Johnson, the rookie keystoner was prone to make errors and had difficulty turning the double play.  Fortunately, most of those miscues had little effect on the outcome of the game.  However, one particularly costly error came on September 6 in the top of the 8th of a 2-2 tied game against the Cardinals when Jefferies’ miscue on a ground ball allowed Ozzie Smith to reach base.  Smith scored the go-ahead run later in the inning to hand New York the 3-2 loss.  Jefferies somewhat redeemed himself the following day when he hit a pair of longballs and drove in five runs during a 13-1 rout of St. Louis.  Those two games essentially summed up the final month of the season for Jefferies and the Mets.  The switch-hitter resembled the breakout star of the prior year by batting .300 with 8 home runs and 17 RBI.  Yet, Jefferies’ offensive outburst was offset by 5 errors including the costly September 6 miscue.  New York was unable to make up ground in the Division race, going 15-15 to close the campaign with an 87-75 record in 2nd place, 6 games behind the NL East Champion Cubs.  For the Mets, the 1989 season was particularly frustrating after coming off a 100-win 1988 in which they easily won the division.  New York’s disappointing 1989 also brought an end to a streak of five-straight seasons with at least 90 victories.

Jefferies' 1989 campaign ended with a bench-clearing brawl involving former teammate Roger McDowell

Unfortunately, Jefferies’ 1989 campaign did not end without controversy.  On September 25, in what was New York’s final homestand of the year, Phillies closer Roger McDowell retired Jefferies with a ground out to second base.  After McDowell broke Jefferies’ bat with one his pitches, the hurler made a point of screaming at the rookie.  Two nights later, during the last meeting between the two clubs—and by which point the Mets had been mathematically eliminated from the NL East race—McDowell was brought in to face Jefferies with two outs in the bottom of the 9th.  Once again, McDowell induced Jefferies to ground out to second.  After the two players exchanged words while Jefferies was running out the play, Jefferies raced toward McDowell and upended the pitcher who in turn landed a few blows to the slugger’s forehead as the two players went to the ground and the benches emptied.  Jefferies and McDowell had been teammates together prior to the pitcher’s trade from New York to Philadelphia on June 18.  It is likely McDowell’s behavior toward Jefferies stemmed from animosity the pitcher felt toward the rookie while the two shared the Mets locker room.  Phillies manager Nick Leyva said of the fight, “There were 30 of our guys rooting for Roger and 20 guys on their side rooting for Roger.”

Leyva’s quote highlighted a growing problem for Jefferies.  In addition to his slumps in the batter’s box and struggles on defense, he was also experiencing difficulties in the Mets clubhouse.  Jefferies had become unpopular with several of his teammates for a variety of reasons, many of which were out of his control:  The excessive attention and lavish praise bestowed upon him by the media and the Mets front office played a role in alienating him from some of his teammates.  Replacing popular veteran Wally Backman at second base had also created some resentment towards Jefferies.  Others took umbrage with what they perceived to be coddling from manager Davey Johnson.  However, some of Jefferies’ actions made the rookie a target of scorn:  The youngster’s displays of emotion after making outs were often viewed as immature pouting and selfish brooding.  Jefferies also raised eyebrows in the clubhouse when he requested that his custom-made black SSK bats be packed separately from his teammates.  Jefferies took special pride in his bats, rubbing them down with alcohol so he could see where he made contact with the ball.  Multiple teammates played pranks on Jefferies, a memorable one involved McDowell sawing the slugger’s bats in half and taping them back together so that when he went to use one, it would fall apart in his hands.

Jefferies finished his official rookie campaign with 12 home runs, 56 RBI, a .258 batting average, and .314 OBP.  The switch-hitter exhibited great contact skills by ranking 5th in the NL with 11.0 at bats per strikeout and also contributed on the basepaths with 21 stolen bases at a 77.8% success rate.  After a weak first half, Jefferies’ offense showed marked improvement with 11 longballs and a solid .287 average following the All-Star break.  In addition, Jefferies saw a 200-plus point difference between the paltry .602 OPS he put up prior to the Midsummer Classic and the .815 mark he posted in the second half.  Jefferies’ OPS for the season worked out to .706 which translated to an OPS+ of 106.  Also, after grounding into 12 double plays before the All-Star break, Jefferies was the victim of just 4 in the second half.  On defense, Jefferies finished the year with 14 errors, 12 of which came at second base—the third highest total among NL keystoners—while the remaining pair of miscues were in the limited action he saw at third base when Howard Johnson was either played at short or given the day off.  Overall, Jefferies’ put together a respectable rookie campaign.  However, due to the lofty expectations placed on Jefferies from his excellent stint as a late season call up, along with being a two-time recipient of Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year, his first full campaign was largely viewed as a letdown.

Jefferies finished third in the 1989 NL Rookie of the Year vote behind Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith

While Jefferies’ 1989 season may have been disappointing, the switch-hitter still garnered a fair amount of support in the NL Rookie of the Year vote.  Jefferies received votes from 16 of the 24 writers to finish 3rd in the results.  The California native accrued 18 points, three from a second-place vote and the remainder from 15 third place tallies.  Cubs center fielder Jerome Walton picked up 22 first place votes and a pair of runner-up finishes to give him 116 points and earn NL Rookie of the Year honors.  Walton batted leadoff for Chicago, put together a 30-game hitting streak, and finished the year with a .293 average.  Walton’s streak ran from July 21 to August 20, during which time the Cubs went 20-10, overtook Montreal for the NL East Division lead on August 7, and never relinquished it.  Finishing second in the vote with 68 points was Cubs slugger Dwight Smith, who patrolled Chicago’s outfield alongside Walton.  Smith collected the two remaining first place votes, 19 runner-up tallies, and a third place.  With an excellent .324 mark, Smith had a significant edge over his rookie peers in batting average.  However, since Smith was used in a platoon role and rarely faced left-handed pitching, he compiled far less plate appearances than Walton and Jefferies.  In addition, as a corner outfielder rotated between left and right field, Smith played less demanding defensive positions than Walton and Jefferies.  Smith’s 68-point total was essentially halfway between Walton and Jefferies, giving the election a clear winner, runner-up, and third place finisher.  Well behind Jefferies in fourth was Braves pitcher Derek Lilliquist who accumulated 6 points from a second-place finish and a trio of thirds.  Rounding out the results were Padres pitcher Andy Benes and Phillies third baseman Charlie Hayes who each drew 3 points, followed by Padres reliever Greg Harris with 2 points.

Going into the 2021 campaign, Jefferies stands as the only player to pick up Rookie of the Year support in multiple seasons.  However, the special circumstances of the abbreviated 60-game 2020 season set the stage for four players to draw Rookie of the Year votes and still retain their rookie status for 2021:  Atlanta Braves pitcher Ian Anderson, Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, Baltimore Orioles left fielder/first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, and Miami Marlins pitcher Sixto Sanchez.  Hayes, who coincidentally is the son of Charlie Hayes, collected 5 points from a second-place vote and a pair of third place tallies while Anderson, Mountcastle, and Sanchez grabbed a single point each from garnering a third-place finish.  It’s not hard to imagine Jefferies being joined by one or more of these four players since they will be among the favorites to win their respective league’s 2021 Rookie of the Year Award.

Going into the 2021 season, four players have a chance to match Jefferies' unique feat of drawing Rookie of the Year support in multiple seasons

During Jefferies’ 1988 call up, he appeared on the Mets roster for just over a month which represented roughly one-fifth of the regular season.  By contrast, Anderson, Mountcastle, and Sanchez each appeared on their respective team’s roster for more than half of the barely two-month long 2020 season while Hayes’ time on the Pirates roster was slightly greater than two-fifths.  Had these players appeared on their team’s roster for anything close to two-fifths during a normal 162-game season, they would have easily blown past the service time threshold and would not have their rookie status intact for 2021.

Although Jefferies was not the recipient of either the 1988 or 1989 Rookie of the Year Award, his initial campaigns represented the start to a solid, in some ways underrated career.  Going into his second full season, the 22 year-old Jefferies resolved to work on his maturity and improve his relationships with teammates.  Unfortunately for Jefferies, questions about his shaky defense and clubhouse issues continued to plague him during the 1990 and 1991 seasons.  In addition, Jefferies began experiencing more difficulties with the media and became a target for the unforgiving New York press.  Prior to the 1992 season, the Mets traded the slugger to the Kansas City Royals as part of a multi-player deal to acquire two-time Cy Young Award winner Bret Saberhagen.

Jefferies batted a career-high .342 in 1993 for the St. Louis Cardinals and hit for cycle in 1995 while playing for the Philadelphia Phillies

After leaving the Big Apple and the Mets franchise, Jefferies was able to repair his damaged reputation and develop positive relationships with his teammates and the press in the cities and on the clubs he played for.  Following a year in Kansas City, Jefferies was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals who solved his defensive struggles by converting him into a first baseman.  The position change allowed Jefferies to focus on his hitting and he responded with back-to-back All-Star seasons, in 1993 and 1994, when he posted respective batting averages of .342 and .325.  At the conclusion of the strike-shortened 1994 campaign, Jefferies became a free agent for the first time.  Having played for three teams in the space of four years, Jefferies sought stability and requested a no-trade clause from St. Louis.  When the Cardinals turned down Jefferies’ request, he signed a four-year contract with the Phillies who included a no-trade clause in the deal.  Jefferies batted .300 for the third consecutive season during his first year in Philadelphia while also accomplishing a feat that had always eluded him when he hit for the cycle.  Jefferies had completed three-quarters of the cycle on ten previous occasions—including thrice during his 1988 call up—before he turned the trick on August 25, 1995 in a 17-4 win over the Dodgers.  Interestingly, Jefferies’ wife went into labor during the game and delivered the couple’s daughter two days later.  Injuries began to take their toll on Jefferies over the next few seasons.  Nevertheless, the California native managed to hit .300 for the fourth and final time in 1998 when he waived his no-trade clause to allow a late August trade to the Anaheim Angels.

Jefferies next signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Tigers.  After suffering through a horrid 1999, he was in the process of putting together a bounce back 2000 campaign when disaster struck.  On May 29, while facing Texas Rangers starter Kenny Rogers during the bottom of the 6th inning of a 3-2 loss, Jefferies tore his left hamstring running out a ground ball base hit.  The injury kept Jefferies off the field for the remainder of the season and in December of that year, the 33 year-old announced his retirement.  While he never reached the all-time great heights some had forecast for him as a young phenom, Jefferies put together a solid career that spanned parts of 14 seasons.  He retired as a veteran of 1,465 games in which he accumulated 1,593 hits and batted .289 with a .344 OBP along with 126 home runs, 663 RBI, and 196 stolen bases at a 75.7% success rate.  During his final season, Jefferies forged a strong bond with Tigers manager Phil Garner who valued the slugger’s opinions and often discussed strategy with him.  Jefferies called Garner the best manager he played under.  Garner thought so highly of Jefferies that he offered him the Tigers bench coach job for 2001.  However, Jefferies turned down Garner’s offer as he was still coming to terms with his playing career being over.  Although Jefferies’ hamstring injury brought a premature end to his career, by playing for Garner, in a way, the switch-hitter’s career came full circle as his final manager was the same Dodgers third baseman who he popped out to in his first major league plate appearance.

----by John Tuberty

Follow me on Twitter @BloggerTubbs

Sources:  Baseball Reference, Baseball Prospectus, Metsmerized Online May 2018 Gregg Jefferies interview, NY Post May 2020 article, St. Louis Dispatch June 2020

article, CBS Sports November 2021 article, Washington Post August 1995 article, SI Vault March 1988 article, SI Vault April 1992 article, SI Vault July 1994 article, Christian Science Monitor October 1988 article, Washington Post February 1988 article, Los Angeles Times May 1989 article, New York Times December 1988 article, MLB.com, New York Times November 1989 article, New York Times February 1989 article, CBS Sports, The Newburgh-Beacon Evening News September 7, 1989 article page 18 via Google News Archive, New York Times May 1991 article, Los Angeles Times October 1989 article, Daily Press June 1989 article, New York Times August 1988 article, Chicago Tribune November 1989 article, New York Times September 1989 article, South Florida Sun-Sentinel March 1990 article, New York Times April 1991 article, South Florida Sun-Sentinel May 1991 article, New York Times May 1991 article, New York Times April 1991 article, New York Times March 1990 article, Howard Johnson SABR bio, Wilmington Morning Star-News November 2, 1988 page 2B via Google News Archive, Morning Star-News November 9, 1989 page 2B via Google News Archive, Toledo Blade May 30, 2000 page 3C via Google News Archive, Bob Klapisch and John Harper-The Worst Team Money Could Buy (Bison Books)

Gregg Jefferies Cards:  1987 Coca-Cola Jackson Mets, 1989 CMC AAA All-Stars/Future Stars, 1988 Score, 1988 CMC AAA, 1988 ProCards Minor League, 1988 ProCards Triple A All-Star Game, 1988 Donruss, 1988 Fleer, 1989 Fleer, 1990 Bowman, 1991 Topps Stadium Club, 1990 Topps, 2013 Topps Archive, 1993 Fleer Ultra, 1995 Fleer Update, 2001 Topps, 1988 Star Pink

Other Player’s Cards:  Chris Sabo 1989 Topps, Mark Grace 1989 Topps, Roger McDowell 1990 Topps, Jerome Walton 1990 Topps, Dwight Smith 1990 Topps, Ian Anderson 2020 Bowman, Ke’Bryan Hayes 2020 Bowman 1st Edition, Ryan Mountcastle 2020 Bowman, Sixto Sanchez 2020 Bowman Prospects, Phil Garner 1988 Score, Phil Garner 2001 Topps

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Keith Hernandez, Whitey Herzog, and the Controversial Trade That Revived The New York Mets

How Dwight Evans Overcame a Mid-Career Crisis to Evolve into a Hall of Fame-Caliber Player

Stat links to players mentioned: Gregg Jefferies, Keith Hernandez, Darryl Strawberry, Wally Backman, Howard Johnson, Phil Garner, Ian Anderson, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Ryan Mountcastle, Sixto Sanchez, Tony Gwynn, Orel Hershiser, Mickey Mantle, Pete Rose, Ozzie Smith, Davey Johnson, Brian Holton, Bruce Ruffin, Keith Miller, Eric Show, Damon Berryhill, Chris Sabo, Mark Grace, Tim Belcher, Ron Gant, Roberto Alomar, Ricky Jordan, Bob Hazle, Kevin Elster, Tim Teufel, Bill Robinson, Roger McDowell, Nick Leyva, Jerome Walton, Dwight Smith, Derek Lilliquist, Andy Benes, Charlie Hayes, Bret Saberhagen, Kenny Rogers