Zimmer Sees a Bright Future for Rookie Grace

CHICAGO —  Breaking into the major leagues is never easy, but first baseman Mark Grace faced a tougher task than many when the Chicago Cubs benched veteran Leon “Bull” Durham and put the rookie in his place.

Now that Durham and his $1.35 million salary have been traded to the Cincinnati Reds, Grace hopes to prove the Cubs made the right decision.

So far Manager Don Zimmer likes what he sees -- a youngster with a little over two seasons of minor league experience who joined the club on May 2 and hit .330 in his first month in the majors.

“He’s just a big good-looking young ballplayer, and I know that if this guy struggles a little bit, which could happen, naturally the people are going to say, ‘Where’s Durham?”’ Zimmer said recently. “But I think the Chicago Cub fans, right now, are looking at a guy that I think will probably be the first baseman for the Cubs the next 10 years.”

Grace, 23, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound left-hander, was called up from the Cubs’ Triple-A farm team in Iowa on May 2 and found himself in the middle of a controversy when the Cubs told him he was taking Durham’s place.

Durham was hitting .225 at the time with three home runs and six RBI. He immediately asked to be traded rather than accept a pinch-hitting role with the unrealistic hope of getting back in the starting lineup. The Cubs obliged him on May 18 by dealing him to the the Reds for minor league pitcher Pat Perry, who since has moved up to the Cubs. Soon after reporting to the Reds, Durham went on the 15-day disabled list with a back problem.

Grace, who was batting .254 for Iowa in his first season at the Triple-A level (.471 with runners in scoring position), took his promotion to the Cubs in full-stride.

Through May 31, his record showed a .330 average, three home runs, 10 RBI and a club record of 21 runs scored in the month of May. He had hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games and had a string of 54 at-bats without striking out.

Originally, Zimmer was concerned that his decision to start Grace had placed the rookie in an uncomfortable position that could affect his performance.

“When Grace is playing and he knows Durham is sitting on the bench, if he has a bad day probably what goes through his mind is, ‘Here I’m playing and Durham is sitting on the bench,”’ Zimmer said. “Well, he no longer has to worry about that because he’s the first baseman. Let him relax and go play and do the best he can.”

Doing his best is Grace’s primary goal.

“I never put any pressure on myself to go out and do well,” said Grace, who hit .333 last year at Double-A Pittsfield and led the Class A Midwest League with a .342 average at Peoria in 1986. “I just tried to go out and do the best I could the whole time.

“I’m just happy for Bull because he got what he wanted, a trade to Cincinnati, and now everybody’s happy, and hopefully it will work out for the Cubs and the Reds.”

The Cubs selected Grace, a native of Winston-Salem, N.C., on the 24th round of the 1985 June draft. After his .342 season at Peoria in 1986, he had 101 RBI at Pittsfield the following year and was named MVP of the Eastern League.

Zimmer was impressed with Grace in spring training and briefly considered starting him on Opening Day. The manager reconsidered because of Durham’s proven record as a 20-plus home-run hitter with an average of 80 RBI per season during his six-year tenure with Chicago. Grace was shipped to Iowa to await his turn which arrived on May 2.

“Getting the call to come up to Chicago was the biggest thrill I’ve ever had in my career,” Grace said. “Now that I’m here and I’m going to be playing every day, it’s time to get down to business and start winning some ballgames.”