Mike Greenwell, who played 12 seasons with the Red Sox and finished second in the American League Most Valuable Player voting, passed away Thursday.
Greenwell, 62, had been battling thyroid cancer for some time. He was elected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008.
A third-round pick of the Red Sox out of North Fort Myers, Greenwell made his debut in 1985, was a part-time member of the 1986 American League Championship team and finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year balloting in 1987.
The following year, at 24, he enjoyed his finest season in the big leagues, slashing .325/.416/.531 with 22 homers and 119 RBI. He also hit a career high 39 doubles and stole 15 bases.
That fall, he finished second behind Jose Canseco in the AL MVP race, Years later, when it was revealed that Canseco had taken illegal PEDs (performance enhancing drugs), Greenwell contended, only half-jokingly, that Canseco should have to forfeit the award to the next-highest vote-getter — himself.
Over a dozen seasons, Greenwell was a lifetime .303 hitter with a career OPS of .831.
In his post-playing career, he returned to the Fort Myers area and, for a time, operated an amusement park/batting cage facility in Cape Coral, Fla.
He later served as the Lee County commissioner after being appointed to the post in 2022. He was then re-elected in 2024.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.