Gregg Jefferies
From The Met Wiki
Gregg Jefferies was an infielder for the Mets from 1987 to 1991. He played in 465 games and batted .276 during his years in New York. Gregg had 96 doubles and 42 home runs as a Met.
Jefferies was a first round draft choice of the Mets in 1985. As a Met farmhand, he was named Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America in 1986 and 1987. On September 8, 1987, Gregg got a single off the Phillies' Bruce Ruffin for his first major league hit.
Gregg was called up to the Mets permanantly in August of 1988. He hit .321 in 29 games en route to the team's East Division championship. In a game on August 29, he got a double, a triple and his first major league home run in a 6-0 win over the Padres at Shea Stadium. Jefferies had six more three-hit games for the rest of the '88 season, including a four-hit game against the Pirates on September 12. In the National League Championship Series, Jefferies batted .333 in the Mets' seven-game loss to the Dodgers.
In 1989, Jefferies became the Mets' full-time second baseman. He played in 141 games and had 42 extra-base hits with 56 runs batted in. On April 14, Gregg hit a three-run triple in the Mets' 9-4 win over the Cardinals at St. Louis. He also got a 12th inning single to drive in the winning run against the Cubs at Shea on June 15. The next day, Jefferies had a two-run single and a two-run homer in a 15-11 Mets win at Philadelphia. Gregg scored the Mets' only run in a 1-0 win at Los Angeles on August 28. At Shea on September 7, he had two doubles and two homers in a 13-1 Mets win over the Cardinals.
The 1990 season was Jefferies' most productive as a Met. While hitting .283, Gregg led the team with 604 at bats, 96 runs scored and 171 hits. His 40 doubles for the year led the National League. Jefferies' total of 113 singles was also a team high for the Mets.
Jefferies had some outstanding games in '90. He had a single, a double and a homer in the Mets' 4-0 win at Philadelphia on June 1. Against the Phillies at Shea on June 24, he had a homer and two singles. Gregg's second single came off Roger McDowell in the middle of a three-run rally in the ninth inning that produced a 6-5 Met win. Jefferies had two singles (each of which scored Dave Magadan) in the Mets' 6-2 win over the Braves on July 19 at Shea. He drove in three runs with a single and a double in an 8-4 Mets win over the Phils at Shea on August 8. Gregg also had three singles and a triple in a 6-5 Mets loss to the Cubs on September 30 at Shea.
In 1991, Jefferies' .272 batting average was the highest for the season on the Mets. Gregg also led the team in singles again with 102. In the season opener on April 8, he drove in the Mets' first run with a first inning double en route to the team's 2-1 win over the Phillies at Shea. On May 21 at Shea, Jefferies had three hits and two RBIs in an 8-6 win over the Cubs. Gregg also had a double and two singles to drive in three runs in the Mets' 9-8 win at Chicago on May 28.
On October 6, 1991 at Philadelphia, Gregg had two run-scoring singles in the Mets' 7-0 victory over the Phillies. In this season-closing game, David Cone struck out 19 batters while pitching a shutout. It was also Jefferies' last game with the Mets.
Jefferies was traded with Kevin McReynolds and Keith Miller to the Kansas City Royals for Bret Saberhagen and Bill Pecota on December 6, 1991. Gregg played the 1992 season with the Royals. He also played for the Cardinals, Phillies, Angels and Tigers before ending his career in 2000.
