Gregg Jefferies

Gregory Scott Jefferies (born August 1, 1967) is an American former infielder and outfielder in Major League Baseball who had a 14-year career from 1987 to 2000. He played for six MLB teams, primarily the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. He was a highly touted prospect who became the first two-time winner of the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award. In 2017, Baseball America called him their most highly regarded prospect until Andruw Jones. Jefferies attended Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, California, where he played baseball and football.

Professional career Draft and minor leagues The New York Mets drafted Jefferies out of high school in the first round, with the 20th selection of the 1985 MLB draft. Jefferies hit .331 in his first year in the minor leagues, moving from Kingsport of the Appalachian League (rookie) to Jackson of the Texas League (AA) in two years. He was named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year for both 1986 and 1987, becoming the first player to receive that distinction in consecutive years.

The Mets decided they needed to make room for Jefferies, but didn't know where to play him, as the veteran team was full at the spots Jefferies played in the minor leagues (shortstop, third base and second base). The outfield was full as well, with the team finding it difficult to get outfielders Lenny Dykstra and Mookie Wilson playing time alongside Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds, so Jefferies was sent to Triple-A Tidewater to start the 1988 season.

After spending most of the 1988 season at Triple-A, hitting .282, Jefferies was recalled at the end of August and allowed to play out the year as a starter, mostly at third base. He responded by hitting .321 over the last 29 games of the 1988 season. The team had an MLB-best 24–7 record after his debut and finished with a league-best 100 wins en route to the National League East title.

The Mets made a full-time roster spot for Jefferies when they traded Wally Backman to the Minnesota Twins, leaving second base open for Jefferies. But Jefferies faltered, hitting .258 with little selectivity as a rookie in 1989.

During a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 27, 1989, Jefferies was the last batter to ground out before the Mets lost the game. Jefferies then heard some unkind comments from his former teammate Roger McDowell and charged the mound, starting a bench-clearing brawl.

In response to criticism from teammates, on May 24, 1991, Jefferies pleaded his case in an open letter read on sports radio station WFAN. In the letter, Jefferies wrote: "When a pitcher is having trouble getting players out, when a hitter is having trouble hitting, or when a player makes an error, I try to support them in whatever way I can. I don't run to the media to belittle them or to draw more attention to their difficult times. I can only hope that one day those teammates who have found it convenient to criticize me will realize that we are all in this together. If only we can concentrate more on the games than complaining and bickering and pointing fingers, we would all be better off." In 2020, Jefferies denied having written the letter but did not reveal who wrote it. Jefferies batted .285 with 75 RBI, then a career-high, in his lone season in Kansas City.

St. Louis Cardinals (1993–1994) In February 1993, the Royals traded Jefferies and minor league outfielder Ed Gerald to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Félix José and infielder Craig Wilson. Jefferies had his two best seasons, batting .342 and .325, respectively, while playing first base and being named to the National League All-Star team in both 1993 and 1994.

Philadelphia Phillies (1995–1998) Jefferies signed a four-year, $20 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies after the 1994 season. At the time, the contract was the largest in Phillies history. He chose to leave St. Louis because the Cardinals would not give him a no-trade clause. He moved to the outfield for the Phillies, where he performed adequately over the 1995, 1996 and 1997 seasons, but injuries to his thumb and hamstring hampered his effectiveness. On August 25, 1995, in a game vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at Veterans Stadium, Jefferies became the first Phillie to hit for the cycle since Johnny Callison in 1963.

Anaheim Angels (1998) In 1998, Jefferies was traded mid-season to the Anaheim Angels, where he hit .347 in 19 games before moving to the Detroit Tigers the next year.

Detroit Tigers (1999–2000) Jefferies hit a collective .231 for the Tigers over two seasons before he retired in 2000 due in part to a severed right hamstring. Tigers manager Phil Garner offered Jefferies the bench coach job for 2001 but he declined.

In 2017, Jefferies was working as a hitting instructor at Office Sports Academy in Anaheim. By 2020, he had relocated to Las Vegas, where he was working as a freelance hitting instructor.