Richmond, VA native and VBL Alum of the Madison Blue Jays –Johnny Grubb has been inducted into the VBL Hall of Fame. Grubb played for the Madison Blue Jays in the early 1970s after playing for his junior college the State College of Florida (known then as Manatee Junior College) when he was a member of the Florida State Seminoles. Johnny is a member of the exclusive club–being one of the few that has been drafted 4 times by a major league club. Prior to his draft and sign with the San Diego Padres in 1971 as the number 24th pick in the First Round, Grub was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 3rd Round from Manatee College, the Cincinatti Red in the 1st Round–14th overall from Manatee College, and the Atlanta Braves in the 3rd Round out of Florida State University.

Grubb made his MLB debut on September 10, 1972. In his first full season as a Rookie in 1973, Grubb became a starting outfielder for the San Diego Padres and hit .311 with 8 Homeruns, 37 RBI, and 52 runs scored.

The 1974 season during his sophomore campaign, Johnny played well enough to be named to the National League All Star Team. During the 1979 season, while a member of the Texas Rangers, Grubb had a 21-game hitting streak. He was also a World Series Champion during his time with the Detroit Tigers in 1984. In the ’84 World Series, Grubb’s Tigers played his former team of the San Diego Padres defeating them 4-1 in the series.

Over the course of his 16-year career, Grubb played for 4 teams while posting a career .278 Batting Average along with 99 Homeruns, 475 RBI, and 553 Runs scored. He was a member of the San Diego Padres (1972-1976), Clevland Indians (1977-1978), Texas Rangers (1978-1982) and the Detroit Tigers (1983-1987).

Johnny retired in following the 1987 season. The season prior was is most successful as a major leaguer. He hit .333 with 13 Homeruns, 51 RBI and an OPS of 1.002. Following his professional career, he returned to Richmond, VA and coached at his alma mater, Meadowbrook High School. While coaching at Meadowbrook, he coached former San Diego Padre Cla Meredith.

Welcome to the VBL Hall, Mr. Grubb!