Remembering Tim Grogan

May 20, 2008   ·   Patrick Hickey, Jr.   ·   Jump to comments

He may not be one of the all-time greats to put on a Cyclones uniform, but infielder Tim Grogan was a clutch performer for the Cyclones in 2006. Despite hitting .231 during the season, he was third on the team with 23 RBI and several big games down the stretch for the club.

If I could best describe Grogan in a word, it would probably be “streaky.” Some days he looked so solid out there that you thought for a second he could make it to the big leagues. At other times though, he looked extremely overmatched at the plate and you didn’t know what to make of him. However, he was always solid on the field, especially at third base, where he made several sensational plays throughout the season.

I don’t know, maybe because I’m a life-long Mets fan, but I immediately saw a resemblance to Robin Ventura in this guy. His range, the way he moved at third, it was all there. When I interviewed him that year, it seems that someone else thought so too.

“I was drafted out of high school by the White Sox and the scouts told me I reminded them a lot of Robin Ventura,” he said. “A lot of the guys on team say that I hit a lot like Chipper Jones, but my favorite player was always Ken Griffey Jr. He plays a totally different position then me and is a totally different type of player but boy, would it be great to have a swing like his.”

However, Grogan’s inconsistency at the plate was his undoing in the organization, as he’s now playing in the Frontier League. Looking through some old quotes I had from him, it seemed he knew what the future held if he didn’t start to produce more offensively.

“Being a left-handed hitter, with the potential to hit is the biggest thing I bring to the table,” he said. “I’ve shown signs of it, but I haven’t been able to put anything together on a consistent basis.”

Hitting .239 with nine homers and 45 RBI in 82 games last season in the Frontier League, maybe Grogan still has a shot at getting back into pro ball. With a .329 career on base percentage and 77 walks to his credit in only 164 games, he’s a much smarter hitter than most give him credit for. He’s only 24 years old as well, so he has a good few years left to try and make something of his career.

Regardless of what happens though, I’ll always remember Grogan as a more than solid defensive player who showed flashes of dominance at the plate.

Photos by Conroy Walker