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James Raymond Greengrass
Philadelphia Phillies
Outfield
Born: October 24, 1927, Addison, NY
Signed: Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1944 season
Major League Teams: Cincinnati Reds 1952-1955; Philadelphia Phillies 1955-1956
Died: September 9, 2019, Chatsworth, GA (age 91)
Jim Greengrass spent nine years toiling in the Yankees' minor league system, interrupted by two years of military service during World War II, before a trade to the Reds gave him a shot at the majors. As the regular left fielder for the Reds in 1953, Greengrass batted .285 with a career-high 100 RBIs and he finished in sixth place in the Rookie of the Year voting. He repeated his success in 1954, batting .280 with 27 home runs and 95 RBIs as one of Cincinnati's big three sluggers along with first baseman Ted Kluszewski (#25) and Gus Bell (#162). Greengrass' production fell off sharply in the succeeding years due to his struggles with phlebitis, a disease causing vein inflammation.
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| From the 1956 Phillies Yearbook |
August 13, 1989 in Bridgeton, NJ - Card #81
We went nuts at the Bridgeton Baseball Card Show in August 1989, buying 12 different cards for our 1956 Topps set, all at $1.50 a piece. That's an impressive haul for $18!
I have no other information on the location of this show, other than it was held in the nearby city of Bridgeton, New Jersey. What I do have however is the checklist I brought with us to the show - first included with the Sandy Amoros (#42) post, way back in April 2019. I believe this is the second full checklist we carried around, having retired the prior version I created in 1988 and posted with the William Harridge (#1) card.
Just looking at this checklist brings back fond memories of finding the cards, deciding to make a purchase, negotiating a price and then finding a flat surface so that we could cross off the newest additions.
Three of the last four cards in the set have been Phillies cards. I think this is one of the best action shots in the set, and Greengrass' name is a fantastically fitting name for a baseball player, especially an outfielder. Does anyone know where he is? I spent way too much time Googling photos of old baseball ballparks, hoping to identify the location and the advertiser, but I came up empty. I had hoped the search would be fairly easy, as I suspected the photo was taken at either Ebbets Field in Brooklyn or Crosley Field in Cincinnati. No luck.
Googling "maica stea" did lead me to artist Vincent Scilla's website and painting shown here. Topps removed Greengrass' uniform number, which was likely the #23 he wore while playing for the Reds.
The cartoons on the back cover his minor league beginnings with the Yankees, and his successful years with the Reds in 1952 and 1953. Greengrass signed reproductions of this card for inclusion in the 2005 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.
1956 Season / Phillies Career
On April 30, 1955, the Reds traded Greengrass, Glen Gorbous (#174) and Andy Seminick (#296) to the Phillies in exchange for Smoky Burgess (#192), Stan Palys and Steve Ridzik. Catchers Seminick and Burgess had originally been traded for each other back in 1951. Greengrass would serve as the most used right fielder in 1955, appearing in 94 games overall while batting .272 with 12 home runs and 37 RBIs. As the cartoon on the back points out, Greengrass homered on May 1, 1955, his first game with the club, connecting off Cubs' pitcher Hy Cohen. Greengrass was the Phillies' opening day right fielder in 1956, sharing outfield space with Del Ennis (#220) in left and Richie Ashburn (#120) in center. He'd lose playing time to Elmer Valo (#3) as the season wore on, with Greengrass ultimately playing in 86 games. His average slipped to .205 and he had just five home runs.
1956 Season / Phillies Career
On April 28, 1957, the Phillies sold his contract to the Sacramento Solons in the Pacific Coast League, essentially ending his big league career. In two seasons with the Phillies, Greengrass played in 180 games, batting .245 with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs.
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First Mainstream Card: 1953 Topps #209
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3): 1953-1954, 1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2005 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-JG
18 - Greengrass non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/22/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
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Order Collected: #42 Sandy Amoros - Brooklyn Dodgers / #285 Eddie Miksis - Chicago Cubs
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