Michael Lewis Greenwell (born July 18, 1963) is an American former left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire MLB career with the Boston Red Sox (1985–1996). He played seven games for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan (1997), before retiring. Greenwell was nicknamed "The Gator". He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.[1] He was fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1987. Greenwell was a leading contender for the American LeagueMVP award in 1988, but lost to Jose Canseco, who had the first 40 home run, 40 stolen base season in baseball history. Greenwell hit .325 with 22 home runs and 119 RBIs in 1988, setting career highs in all three categories.
Greenwell was drafted in the third round of the 1982 Major League Baseball Draft by the Red Sox, and was signed on June 9, 1982.[2] Throughout his Red Sox career, Greenwell suffered under the weight of lofty expectations for a Boston left fielder, as since 1940 the position had been occupied by Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice — all MVP winners, regular triple crown candidates, and eventual members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Although his play rarely reached the level of his predecessors, he provided a solid and reliable presence in the team's lineup for several seasons. Well respected, he also served as the team's player representative for a time.[3] Greenwell was runner-up for the 1988 American League MVP Award to Jose Canseco of the Oakland Athletics; years later, Canseco's admission of steroid use led Greenwell to ask, "Where's my MVP?"[4]
On September 14, 1988, Greenwell hit for the cycle,[5] becoming the 17th player to do so in Red Sox franchise history.[6] On September 2, 1996, the Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 9–8 in 10 innings at the Kingdome, with Greenwell driving in all nine runs for the Sox,[7] a record for most runs driven in by one player accounting for all of that team's runs in a single game.[8] He also holds the American League record for most game-winning RBIs in a single season, with 23 in 1988;[9] the game-winning RBI has since been discontinued as an official statistic.[10] Greenwell was inducted to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008.[11]
Greenwell received his nickname during spring training in Winter Haven. He had captured an alligator, taped its mouth shut, and put it in Ellis Burks' locker.[3]
Nippon Professional Baseball
Greenwell signed with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball in 1997.[12] His career in the major leagues heightened expectations from Japanese fans, but he left the team during spring training and returned to the United States; he had suffered a herniated disc when diving for a ball.[13] He did not return to Japan until late April.[14] He played his first game on May 3, and hit an RBI triple in that game despite having missed spring training.[15] However, Greenwell suddenly announced his retirement after appearing in just seven games; he had fractured his right foot with a foul tip, and the injury would have prevented him from playing for at least four weeks.[16][17]
Greenwell operates several businesses, including "Big League Builders", a general construction company. Greenwell owns an 890-acre (3.6 km2) ranch in Alva, Florida, which, as a developer and county commissioner himself, he has rezoned in 2023 for land development to include new housing and commercial units.[22] He owned an amusement park in Cape Coral, Florida, called "Mike Greenwell's Bat-A-Ball & Family Fun Park", which opened in February 1992. He recently sold the park, which is now known as Gator Mike's.[23]
