Johnny Grubb: Transitions to Coach

(This is the final installment of a not-ever-published biography on former MLB player and Colorado Silver Bullets’ coach, Johnny Grubb, that I collaborated on with fellow writer, Mike McClary See the first installment here and the second installment here.)

Johnny Grubb as a Colorado Silver Bullets Coach — **^{Grubb during his time with the Colorado Silver Bullets.}**

Johnny Grubb was all too happy to share those lessons learned over 16 big league seasons with the eager-to-learn Colorado Silver Bullets.

“I feel I was prepared for what to expect,” he recalled. “The players all hustled and played hard. Size-wise, they were just physically not as big as the fellas when it came to hitting. Many were in the 130 to 140-pound range and generating bat speed and a lot of power was a challenge.”

In 1995, his first season with the team, he recollected the players utilized wood bats which hindered their ability to compete.

“I think a bit of it was they wanted prove they could compete (using wood bats), but part of the challenge was when you use wood that is light enough to generate bat speed the pitch will almost overpower the bat,” Grubb said. “Outfields also cheated in on us a lot because we struggled to drive the ball.”

The Silver Bullets switched to aluminum bats during their 1996 barnstorming season. Grubb said it made a notable difference. “After we switched to aluminum bats that helped prevent teams from cheating in.”

The aluminum bats also yielded an uptick in the squad’s power. In fact, Grubb still remembers that moment on Cape Cod (July 21 to be exact) when outfielder Kim Braatz hit the first over-the-fence home run in Silver Bullets’ history.

“She got a fastball and turned on it; put a good swing on it and it was a legitimate home run over the left field fence,” Grubb said. It was one five homers the team belted that season.

“Overall, the (players’) approach at the plate was terrific,” he added. “Defensively, they were very sound (Grubb also coached the outfielders). Their positioning and footwork were fantastic.”

Another vivid memory Grubb has from his two seasons working with this group came a year earlier in the familiar surroundings of Fenway Park in Boston.

“We played a game July 1, 1995, in Fenway Park before the Tigers-Red Sox game. I remember it vividly because following our game I had a chance to visit with Larry Herndon (fellow Tigers’ outfielder and then a coach with the Tigers) and Billy Consolo (Tigers’ manager Sparky Anderson’s longtime bench coach). Larry and Billy were very impressed with the way the ladies went about their business.”

The Silver Bullets lost, 4-2, to a team from Massachusetts’ Hanscom Air Force Base that day.

Johnny Grubb with Richmond Braves — **^{Grubb as coach with the Richmond Braves.}**

Following his tenure with the Silver Bullets, Grubb returned to his hometown of Richmond where he continues to live with his wife, Linda. They had two sons, Chris and Corey, and six grandchildren. Upon returning to his home, Grubb helped coach the varsity baseball team at his alma mater, Meadowbrook High School. One of his former players, Cla Meredith, reached the majors with the Boston Red Sox in 2005, spent parts of six seasons in the majors and finished with a 14-14 career record with a 3.62 earned run average over 286 career relief appearances with the Red Sox, Padres, and Orioles.

Grubb may have even imparted some of the lessons he learned from the Silver Bullets’ during his tenure at Meadowbrook.

“I think the team did a great job,” he said. “I know they were trying to develop other women’s teams, but it just didn’t happen. Matchups do matter and when we’d play college-aged teams we were probably a bit out of our league.

“But, gosh, yeah, it was such a rewarding experience for me. It taught me a lot about coaching when you see someone who loves the game so much. They were all ears and eager to learn because most had only limited baseball experience so things like baserunning (leading off, secondary leads, etc.) was new to them. They went about everything the right way. I found that group very willing to listen and learn. And I learned so much from them; I didn’t see them get down on themselves and that’s very easy to do as a ballplayer, especially when you’re not enjoying a lot of success. I know I was hard on myself and would get down, but I didn’t see that with them. They did a great job.”