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Gerald Wayne Grote
Houston Astros
Catcher
Born: October 6, 1942, San Antonio, TX
Signed: Signed by the Houston Colt .45s as an amateur free agent, June 13, 1962
Major League Teams: Houson Colt .45s 1963-1964; New York Mets 1966-1977; Los Angeles Dodgers 1977-1978; Kansas City Royals 1981; Los Angeles Dodgers 1981
One of the best defensive catchers of his era, Jerry Grote was a long-time major leaguer, a two-time All-Star and the starting catcher for the 1969 Miracle Mets. Grote was dealt to the Mets in October 1965, beginning his decade-plus long stint with the club. Inserted as their everyday catcher in 1966, Grote provided stability behind the plate and was the starting catcher for the National League All-Stars in 1968. In 1969, Grote caught 112 games for the pennant-winning Mets while batting .252 with career highs in both home runs (six) and RBIs (40). He settled in as the regular catcher for the Mets over the next several seasons, and was behind the plate again when they went back to the World Series in 1973. He was named to his second All-Star team in 1974. Injuries began to limit his playing time over the next few seasons, and he was dealt to the Dodgers in August 1977. Backing up regular Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager, Grote went to two more World Series in 1977 and 1978. He retired initially following the 1978 season, but made a brief comeback with 24 games in 1981 for the Royals and Dodgers.
Grote collected 1,092 hits and batted .252 with 39 home runs and 404 RBIs over his big league career. His .991 fielding percentage is currently 86th all-time among catchers. Grote was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1992.
Building the Set
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #363
With everyone back in school, the Phillies' playoff hopes growing dimmer, my workload picking up at my chosen profession and a dwindling pile of purchased 1965 Topps cards to compose posts for, I decided I was in need of a nice stack of commons (and some semi-stars) for our set. Over the course of an enjoyable evening, mostly while sitting in my car in a parking lot next to where Doug's baseball team was practicing, I bid on about 45 cards up for auction from Greg Morris Cards, located in Los Angeles. When the dust settled and I checked my phone the next morning, I had won 19 cards, ranging in price from $1.75 to $11 and averaging around $4 per card. This Grote card was mine with a winning bid of $3.85. Doug's free time is spent practicing baseball, Ben has found he thoroughly enjoys his school's cross country team, and I have a stack of 1965 Topps cards to study and write about whenever I need a break from adulting. All is well.
The Card / Astros Team Set
Grote's rookie card can be found in the 1964 Topps set as he shared a Rookie Stars card with pitcher Larry Yellen (#292). Topps used the exact same photo for Grote's 1965 and 1966 cards. There's quite a lot covered on the back of the card. The fact Texas is his home state is mentioned twice. The last line in the biography mentions his demotion to the minors in April, and the previous sentence provides an explanation for the demotion: Grote was noted for his fielding, and his hitting needed some work.
1965 Season
Grote never actually played for the Astros, the team formerly known as the Colt .45s over the prior three seasons. Catching duties in 1965 were divvied up among Ron Brand (#212), John Bateman (#433) and Gus Triandos (#248) and Grote spent the entire year in Triple-A with the Oklahoma City 89ers. In 118 games with the 89ers, he hit .265 with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs, but his services wouldn't be needed by the Astros. On October 19th, he was dealt to the Mets for a player to be named later (ultimately Tom Parsons - #308) and cash.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #226
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15): 1964-1976, 1978-1979
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2020 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-JG
99 - Grote non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/15/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #363
With everyone back in school, the Phillies' playoff hopes growing dimmer, my workload picking up at my chosen profession and a dwindling pile of purchased 1965 Topps cards to compose posts for, I decided I was in need of a nice stack of commons (and some semi-stars) for our set. Over the course of an enjoyable evening, mostly while sitting in my car in a parking lot next to where Doug's baseball team was practicing, I bid on about 45 cards up for auction from Greg Morris Cards, located in Los Angeles. When the dust settled and I checked my phone the next morning, I had won 19 cards, ranging in price from $1.75 to $11 and averaging around $4 per card. This Grote card was mine with a winning bid of $3.85. Doug's free time is spent practicing baseball, Ben has found he thoroughly enjoys his school's cross country team, and I have a stack of 1965 Topps cards to study and write about whenever I need a break from adulting. All is well.
The Card / Astros Team Set
Grote's rookie card can be found in the 1964 Topps set as he shared a Rookie Stars card with pitcher Larry Yellen (#292). Topps used the exact same photo for Grote's 1965 and 1966 cards. There's quite a lot covered on the back of the card. The fact Texas is his home state is mentioned twice. The last line in the biography mentions his demotion to the minors in April, and the previous sentence provides an explanation for the demotion: Grote was noted for his fielding, and his hitting needed some work.
1965 Season
Grote never actually played for the Astros, the team formerly known as the Colt .45s over the prior three seasons. Catching duties in 1965 were divvied up among Ron Brand (#212), John Bateman (#433) and Gus Triandos (#248) and Grote spent the entire year in Triple-A with the Oklahoma City 89ers. In 118 games with the 89ers, he hit .265 with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs, but his services wouldn't be needed by the Astros. On October 19th, he was dealt to the Mets for a player to be named later (ultimately Tom Parsons - #308) and cash.
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First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #226
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15): 1964-1976, 1978-1979
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2020 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-JG
99 - Grote non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/15/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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