Minor League Memories: The Grant Green interview (May 2010)
Starting the unexpected second act
Originally published May 5, 2010
For background and context into what this is, read this explainer
All eyes in the California League are on Stockton shortstop Grant Green. Oakland selected Green with the 13th overall pick out of University of Southern California last summer. Green was one of the top hitters in the draft, playing at a premium position, and the Athletics jumped at the chance to get him.
Green has to face more than just inside fastballs in his first full year at the professional level. He downplays the hype of being a high round draft pick, saying, “it’s whatever you put into it.”
He shares a destiny with Washington RHP Stephen Strasburg in having to live up to the hype. [note from 2023: oh no] Green has spoken to Strasburg about the pitcher’s take on dealing with that kind of pressure. “He just goes out there and plays,” he said. “That’s what I’m trying to do. If I go out there and perform it doesn’t make a difference.”
The Athletics threw Green into competition right away, starting him off at the Advanced-A level last season. He hit .316 (6-for-19) in five games as a designated hitter and didn’t play any defense. The Oakland organization elected not to have Green on defense, shielding him from possible injury after a summer of limited baseball action.
“They told me straight up I wasn’t going to play any defense,” he said. “In fact, they told me I might not get any at-bats.” General manager Billy Beane and assistant GM David Forst visited the Ports and liked what they saw in the shortstop’s swing and quickly green-lit him for some at-bats.
Green found it easy to adjust to pitching at this level, comparing it to a better version of top college pitching he faced in his three seasons in the Pac-10. “I see guys like Friday night guys in college,” he said, akin to the top three starters in a college rotation. “They are able to hit their spots with their fastballs and they have good offspeed stuff.”
Defense has been a concern for Green, from his days at USC, to his huge Cape Cod League season in 2008, to this year in the Cal League. Green had 18 errors in 54 games his junior year. He was honored as the top prospect in the Cape Cod League with six home runs and 21 RBIs, but he committed 17 errors in 14 games.
Oakland tasked Green with improving his defense, and so far it’s working. This year, Green is faring better with 7 errors in 24 games. “They pretty much reconstructed my whole defensive approach,” he said. “My whole defense has completely changed from where it was in college and I needed that. I feel it’s getting better. Most of my errors are in one game, here and there. It’s not all spread out like it was before. My concentration is getting better and better each game.”
Green’s first month at the plate has been up and down. He is 10-for-45 in his last 10 games, after hitting well through mid-April. He said he was focused during a seven game hitting streak that went from April 15–21. Green struggled in the next series against Modesto, going 3-for-20.
“I didn’t have that many bad at-bats in the four game series against Modesto,” he said. “I just wasn’t as patient as I was. I was over anxious because I wasn’t hitting like I was the week before. The only way to get over an 0-for-4 is knowing you have to come out the next day and go again. You have 400 or 500 at-bats and four aren’t really going to make a difference.”
Stupid joke of the week
We’re back with a four-pack of dad-level jokes!
- Prime cut — I made a lot of meat-based jokes about the Visalia Rawhide. This one was about Rawhide pitcher Bryan Woodall who had a hitless streak going from April 18 into May that year.
- Belt-ed — Brandon Belt took a 17 game hitting streak into May 2010, the longest to date in the 2010 Cal League season.
- Berry good — High Desert pitcher Bobby LaFramboise won California League Pitcher of the Week in May 2010 and his name means The Raspberry in French. Darryl Strawberry was unavailable for comment.
- Can’t keep him in the Park-er — Stockton third baseman Stephen Parker hit four home runs with eight RBIs the previous week and was named Cal League Player of the Week for May 2010.
Where are they now?
Green made his Major League debut with the A’s on July 8, 2013. Going into the 2010 season, Baseball America named Green as Oakland’s #3 overall prospect, and he also played in the Futures Game that summer and the Arizona Fall League the same year. He hit well at every level from 2010 to 2013, batting near or over .300 in Advanced-A Stockton, Double-A Midland, and Triple-A Sacramento. I remember the defense being a sticking point for Green’s development throughout his career, and it may have contributed to the swift decline that came after the 2013 season.
He was traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on July 30, 2013 after appearing in just five games for Oakland. In 2014, Green saw 99 at-bats with the Angels, and in 2015 he was shuffled back and forth between the Majors and Triple-A. The Angels designated Green for assignment at the end of the 2015 season.
Over the next few years Green signed minor league deals with the Giants (2016), the Nationals, White Sox, and Marlins (all 2017) but couldn’t stick at the Major League level with any of the clubs. He made one last stab at playing pro ball when he signed with Acereros de Monclova in La Liga Mexicana de Béisbol but was released on July 3, 2018. In total, Green played 129 games at the Major League level before ending his career.
He returned to his alma mater baseball program USC as an assistant baseball coach in 2018 and 2019, and now he works for New York Life as an insurance agent. He writes frankly on his LinkedIn profile about the lessons he learned from his career in pro sports and how he’s working to help others make a game plan for their financial futures.
I gotta say, this is a happy ending. Not the one we all expected, but when you get a raw deal in life sometimes the best you can do is play the cards you’re dealt. Grant Green took a shitty situation, leveraged his smarts and instincts, and now has a pretty good second act going. I’ve had my heart broken by this game and we’re living through the therapy sessions in these reclaimed pieces of media. I’m glad that sometimes, we all get a chance to take the pieces and make something new with them.
Next week
Another prospect I know nothing about in 2023. Join me as we unravel the mystery together.
Previous entries in this series:
Wande Olabisi: From MiLB to MBA
Paul Goldschmidt: Good at baseball
David Chavarria: Coaching since 2001
Didi Gregorius: Good guys wear orange
Matt Davidson: Making history in two leagues
Billy Hamilton: Who tells the story
Brandon Belt: The story behind the story
George Springer: Pearls of wisdom
