Mike Greenwell, a two-time All-Star outfielder who appeared in parts of 12 big-league seasons, died on Thursday, the Boston Red Sox announced. Greenwell, who revealed in August that he had been diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer, was 62 years old.
Greenwell was originally drafted as a third-rounder in 1982 out of North Fort Myers High School in Florida. He went on to spend the entirety of his U.S. professional career with the Red Sox, including parts of 12 seasons in the majors.
Over those 12 seasons, Greenwell batted .303/.368/.463 (121 OPS+) with 130 home runs, 1,400 hits, and an estimated career Wins Above Replacement total of 25.8, according to Baseball Reference’s calculations. The latter figure ranks 28th in Red Sox franchise history among position players. He also earned a pair of All-Star selections and was runner-up in the American League Most Valuable Player Award vote in 1988.
Greenwell would share that during his first All-Star Game appearance, in 1988, he made a point of shadowing and observing Kansas City Royals legend George Brett. Brett would eventually toss him a can of chewing tobacco as a memento.
“I’ve still got the can,” Greenwell said in an interview with Baseball Digest. “I’m just going to save it. Nobody knows what it is but me.”
Following an injury-riddled season in 1996 and a dispute with then general manager Dan Duquette, Greenwell signed to play in Japan with the Hanshin Tigers. However, continued injury problems limited the 33-year-old Greenwell to just seven games played for Hanshin. At that point, he retired as a player.
Greenwell would go on to serve as a coach. He also enjoyed a stint in the NASCAR Truck Series. According to DriverAverages, he raced twice in 2006.