Gary Gray (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gary Gray |
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| First baseman | |||
| Born: September 21, 1952 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| June 23, 1977, for the Texas Rangers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 27, 1982, for the Seattle Mariners | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .240 | ||
| Home runs | 24 | ||
| Runs batted in | 71 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Gary George Gray, born on September 21, 1952, is a former professional baseball player. He played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). Gary played for six seasons, from 1977 to 1982. During his career, he was part of the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, and Seattle Mariners teams.
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Gary Gray's Baseball Journey
Starting in College Baseball
Gary Gray played college baseball at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. After college, he was chosen by the Texas Rangers. This happened in the 18th round of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft. Being drafted means a team picks a player to join their organization.
Playing in the Minor Leagues
In 1974, Gary started with the Rangers' rookie team. The next year, 1975, he played for the Anderson Rangers. With Anderson, Gary was a strong hitter. He had a .302 batting average. This means he got a hit about 30% of the time he tried. He also hit 18 home runs and had 95 runs batted in (RBIs) in 135 games. RBIs are when a player's hit helps a teammate score a run.
In 1976, Gary played for the San Antonio Brewers. He continued to play well. He had a .305 batting average. He also hit 19 home runs and had 109 RBIs. These numbers show he was a powerful player. For the next three seasons, Gary mostly played for the Tucson Toros. This team was the Rangers' top minor league team, called a AAA affiliate.
Making it to Major League Baseball
Gary Gray got his first chance to play in the major leagues on June 23, 1977. He played in only one game that day. He did not get any hits in his two attempts. He then played in 17 games in 1978 and 16 games in 1979 for the Rangers.
Moving to New Teams
Before the 1980 season, the Rangers traded Gary Gray to the Cleveland Indians. A trade in baseball is when teams exchange players. Gary played 28 games with Cleveland. He spent most of that year with the Tacoma Tigers, another minor league team.
After the 1980 season, the Seattle Mariners picked up Gary. They got him in something called the Rule 5 Draft. This draft allows teams to pick players from other teams' minor league rosters. The Mariners' manager, Rene Lachemann, had seen Gary play. He wanted Gary to be a starting player for his team.
Best Seasons with Seattle
Gary had his best season in 1981 with the Mariners. He shared the first base position with another player, Bruce Bochte. Gary hit 13 home runs in only 208 at bats. An at-bat is when a player tries to hit the ball. The next season, 1982, Gary played in a career-high 80 games. He had a .257 batting average that year.
After the 1982 season, Gary's contract was sold to the California Angels. He then played in the Mexican League from 1983 to 1987. He mostly played for the Rieleros de Aguascalientes. After that, he retired from baseball.
