Allentown Morning Call - May 31, 1980

‘Natural hitter’ Greg Gross is having his problems

By Jack McCallum, Call Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA – When Greg Gross was six-months-old, his father handed him a wiffle bat and he stepped out of the playpen and singled to left-center. 

Hitting came natural to him. He never had the strength or the kind of timing to hit home runs but nobody ever asked that of Greg Gross. Single to left-center or double down the left-field line was just fine. 

But these days Gross is being forced to THINK about hitting, to break down those subtle components that, before this season, were as natural as breathing to him.

"I've gone through streaks without a lot of luck," said Gross before Thursday afternoon's game against Pittsburgh at Veterans Stadium, "but this is the first time I KNOW what I'm doing but I can't feel it when I get to the plate. Before when I'd run into trouble, it was always because I was physically tired or something. It's never been a mental thing where I've really had to think about what I'm doing, or not doing. 

"When you've never had to get mechanical, it's a tough thing to suddenly start doing." 

What Gross is doing, hitting instructor Billy DeMars has told him, is overstriding." 

"I'm bringing my foot too far forward and that forces me to try and make up for it with my hands." said Gross. "And that's not good for a hitter like me. I'm not strong enough to flick line drives like a Schmitty (Mike Schmidt). I have to time the pitch. 

"The funny thing is that a guy like me who hits the other way (to leftfield) takes a shorter stride. I've always done that. But this thing – I don't know why I started it. And now it's become a habit."

Gross had none of these problems in spring training when he batted .333. In fact, if not for Bake McBride having an excellent spring, too. (McBride also hit .333) Gross could have earned the starting job. 

But he began the season on the bench and he's been struggling ever since. His average has been below .230 for the last month. And this from a man whose lifetime average is .298; only six active National Leaguers who have played as long as Gross have better averages and they have names like Rose, Parker and Garvey.

And he can hit like that playing on a regular basis. too – his average was .314 as a starter for Houston in 1974, the year he was voted Sporting News' rookie-of-the-year. 

"What bothers me the most, believe it or not, is not really the sick average," said Gross, a native of York who now lives in Berwyn, "it's the fact that I'm disappointing Dallas (Green, the manager). Dallas had faith in me to do a certain job and I'm not doing it. I'm not doing the things I'm capable of doing." 

Gross performed his "certain job" to perfection last season. He appeared in 111 games as a pinch-hitter, late-inning defensive replacement and spot starter and hit .333. He played so well, in fact, that he was tempted to test the free-agent waters, albeit with one toe. 

After being drafted by nine teams, the Mets made some overtures as did Montreal, though the Expos wanted him strictly as a fourth outfielder, his role with the Phils. In the end, he signed a four-year contract with the Phils for reportedly about $200,000 a year. 

"With the outfield we've got here I don't necessarily think about playing every day," said Gross. "Early in the year, Bake's knee was injured and I got the chance to play. I didn't do the job. Dallas will give Bake a blow or Garry (Maddox) a blow during the year and that's the role I'm supposed to fill. I guess Dallas has been a little reluctant to use me and I can't blame him for that. 

"Playing part-time never bothered me before. I've always been able to go in there and get my hits. But when things are going bad, the problem is obviously compounded by getting a start every 10 days or so. You can't hit your way out of it. You've got to pick your spots and come through in those spots That's the way you get your confidence back."