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Graig Nettles, also known as “Puff,” is a retired Major League Baseball third baseman from the United States. In his 22 years playing career, he played for different clubs. Nettles was regarded as one of the best defensive third basemen of all time. In addition, despite his low career batting average, he was a valuable offensive contributor, setting an American League record for third baseman career home runs.

Quick Info
Name Graig Nettles
Date Of BirthAugust 20, 1944
Place of BirthSan Diego, California, USA
ParentsMr. and Mrs. Wayne Nettles
Siblings Jim Nettles (Brother)
Height6 ft (1.83 m)
Weight84 Kg
Age76 Years
ProfessionAmerican professional Baseball player
Coach
Marital l Status Virginia (Ginger) Meckling.
NationalityAmerican
EthnicityWhite
Zodiac SignLeo
Hair ColorN/A
Eye ColorN/A
ChildrenFour
Net worth$1.5 million

Graig Nettles’s early life 

Graig Nettles was born to Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Nettles on August 20, 1944, in San Diego. Before becoming a high-school teacher, his father, a ten-year San Diego police officer, was away on active duty during World War II when he was born.

Graig Nettles
Image Source Baseball Wiki – Fandom

Graig Nettles was the youngest of three sons (older brother Paul and more younger brother Jim). Since his mother disliked the names, Craig and Greg, she blended them to form Graig. He went to San Diego High School, where he played baseball and basketball, where he excelled and even got a scholarship to San Diego State University.

Graig Nettles used to play basketball and baseball with the Aztecs, but his baseball talent became apparent as Nettles matured. On the hardwood, he seemed a step slower, but in baseball, he was finding momentum.

 

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Career on baseball

Fans and colleagues dubbed Nettles “Puff” because of his penchant for starting trouble and disappearing when retaliation was imminent. Despite his poor career batting average, He was known as the best defensive player. Graig Nettles has set an American League record for career home runs by a third baseman. Nettles’ best season came in 1977 when he received the Gold Glove Award and guided the Yankees to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Image Source Bronx Pinstripes

 With the Dodgers trailing the Yankees by two games to none, Nettles made multiple plays at the hot corner to prevent possible run-scoring hits, allowing the Yankees to take the series. New York then went on to win the next three games to claim the world title.

In 2,700 games throughout his 22-year career, Nettles hit.248 with 390 home runs and 1,314 RBI. In addition, he had a fantastic overall fielding percentage of.964 as a hot corner-forward (third base). Nettles coached for the Yankees in 1991 and the Padres in 1992 before retiring at 43. (1995).

On March 21, 2008, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in late November 2007 and will need to have surgery.

 

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Net Worth:

It is believed that this famous baseball star has amassed about $1.5 million, as new data recorded in 2021.

 

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Who is he married to?

Since November 25, 1965, he has been married to Virginia (Ginger) Meckling. They are the parents of four children.

Image source Notednames

He now lives in Lenoir City, Tennessee, which is a suburb of Knoxville. Mike, Barrie, Tim, and Jeff are Graig’s four children with his wife, Ginger. Graig and Ginger now travel often, and he plays a lot of golf. Jeff, his son, is a minor league baseball player attempting to follow in his father’s footsteps.

 

Some Fun Facts About Graig Nettles

In 158 games, he had a.254 batting average (148 for 583), 88 runs, 29 doubles, 2 triples, 93 RBI, 11 stolen bases, 62 walks. In addition, 327 on-base percentage,475 slugging percentage, 277 total bases, 2 Sacrifice Hits, 5 Sacrifice Flies, and 6 Intentional Walks, finishing 16th in voting for 1976 American League MVP.

After appearing in 159 games and accumulating 270 total bases, 27 home runs, 9 sacrifice flies, and 20 ground-ball double plays, he finished sixth in votes for the 1978 American League MVP.

Third baseman with the Minnesota Twins (1967-1969), the Cleveland Indians (1970-1972), the New York Yankees (1973-1983), the San Diego Padres (1984-1986), the Atlanta Braves (1987), and the Montreal Expos (1988). (1988).

He was named to four American League All-Star Teams (1975, 1977, 1980, and 1985) and the National League All-Star Team in 1985.

At third base, he won the American League Gold Glove Award in 1977 and 1978.

In 1975, he led the American League with 11 Sacrifice Flies.

 

For full biography about your favorite baseball players, please check out Sportscovering.

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