Mark Grace

Mark Eugene Grace (born June 28, 1964) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who spent 13 seasons with the Chicago Cubs and three seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks of the National League (NL). He was a member of the 2001 World Series champion Diamondbacks that beat the New York Yankees. Grace batted and threw left-handed; he wore jersey number 28 and 17 during his rookie season of 1988, and he kept number 17 for the remainder of his career. Career Amateur career Grace played high school baseball and basketball at Tustin High School in Tustin, California. After graduating from high school in 1982, he attended Saddleback College before transferring to San Diego State University to play for the San Diego State Aztecs. At the age of 19, he was drafted in the 15th round by the Minnesota Twins but did not sign. Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs selected Grace in the 1985 Major League Baseball draft. He spent three years playing in the Cubs farm system before making his major league debut May 2, 1988.