A Well-seasoned Rookie

It was a little like having a college math professor around to help out with your algebra homework. During the early part of his junior season at James W. Martin High in Arlington, Texas, Ben Grieve was struggling at the plate. He had missed the first few games of the season while playing varsity basketball and couldn't find his timing. So he took a couple of sessions of batting practice with a friend of his father's. Grieve's father, Tom, was the general manager of the Texas Rangers; the friend was Rangers batting instructor Tom Robson. The extra BP seemed to help. Ben hit three dingers in his next game.

So it was just like old times for Ben when he returned to Arlington on June 16, this time as the Oakland A's rookie rightfielder, and commenced jerking balls out of the yard. Grieve went deep in his first two at bats in a 9-7 A's victory, drilling his ninth and 10th homers of the season. At week's end, having gone 4 for 4 with four RBIs against the Rockies last Friday and following that up with a game-winning homer and three ribbies on Saturday, Grieve led all American League rookies in home runs (11), runs (59), RBIs (50), walks (41) and on-base percentage (.409), and he had just about drained every ounce of suspense out of the American League Rookie of the Year race.

Baseball people, around whom Grieve grew up, especially love his mastery of his emotions, which is best observed in his Vulcan-like detachment at the plate. "Exceptionally disciplined" is how A's hitting coach Denny Walling describes him. Adds Grieve's apartmentmate, rookie catcher A.J. Hinch, "The way he stands up there and commands the strike zone, it's like he's been in the league five or six years."

The A's selected Grieve with the second pick of the 1994 draft, thus making Tom and Ben the first father-and-son duo to be selected in the first round (the Washington Senators drafted Tom in '66). After 3� seasons drilling baseballs around such minor league outposts as Medford, Modesto, Huntsville and Edmonton, Ben was called up last September. He was not exactly in awe, hitting three doubles and driving in five runs against the Giants in his debut.

Since then his short, happy career has been defined, more than anything, by his ability to bear down in the clutch. He is batting .347 with runners on, .400 with the bases loaded. It was Grieve who broke up Roger Clemens's bid for a no-hitter in the seventh inning on May 2, and Grieve who fouled off five pitches from fireballing Devil Rays closer Roberto Hernandez on April 27 before drawing a walk with two outs in the top of the ninth inning. (The next batter drove in the winning run.) "I like tough situations late in the game," says Grieve. "That's when I'm concentrating best. Those are situations I want to be in."

Two nights after his encounter with Tampa Bay's Hernandez, Grieve was plunked on the right shoulder by Cleveland Indians pitcher Jaret Wright. Rather than charging the mound, Grieve opted for a more prolonged form of revenge. He went 5 for 5.

It is almost a relief to learn that he has a deficiency or two. His arm is average—his future is in leftfield—and he's missed a few cutoff men this season. His mother, Kathy, would appreciate it if he would write or call home more often. And his home run trot needs work. Other than that, he's pretty much got it all.