Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer Mike Greenwell, who turned to local politics following his playing days, died this week. He was 62.
Greenwell retired in 1996 after 14 seasons at Fenway, later moving to Florida, where he was elected a commissioner for Lee County.
WCVB first reported in August that Greenwell had been diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer. His son, Bo Greenwell, announced his father’s passing on Facebook this week.
“It has been a long year for him through a lot of pain and suffering. Now he can finally rest in peace,” he wrote.
Tracy Greenwell, his wife, stated in her own post that her husband died at Boston General Hospital at 10:30 a.m.
An account for Lee County expressed condolences to Greenwell’s family and thanks for his tenure in public service.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Commissioner Mike Greenwell, a lifelong county resident. He was a strong advocate for the people and businesses of Lee County and will be remembered for seeking meaningful solutions to the challenges his community faced,” they wrote.
The Sox wrote on X, “‘The Gator’ spent his entire career in a Red Sox uniform and was a beloved figure of Fenway and Fort Myers. He gave so much to Lee County and Sox Nation.”
“We send our love to the Greenwell family.”
Boston selected the Louisville, Ky. native in the third round of the 1982 MLB Draft. He was named an American League All-Star for back-to-back seasons in 1988 and 1989, also picking up a Silver Slugger Award during that time.
He retired with a lifetime batting average of .303, 130 home runs, and 726 RBIs.
The left fielder was inducted into his team’s Hall of Fame during its 2008 ceremony.
“Mike was a wonderful ballplayer who always played hard,” Greenwell’s teammate, Dwight Evans, told CBS News. “He was deeply involved in the Fort Myers community and gave so much of himself to others. You always wanted to be around him – I truly enjoyed my time with him. He was a gamer in every sense of the word, and he will be deeply missed.”
Greenwell played sparingly in his early seasons, elevating his performance through persistence and training under former coach Joe Morgan, who praised Greenwell as one of his favorite players to work with.
“He didn’t start out great, but he worked hard and became a very good left fielder,” Morgan said. “He was fun to be around, happy-go-lucky. We’ll all miss him greatly.”
In addition to his wife, Tracy, and son Bo, Greenwell is survived by his second son, Garrett.
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