Longtime Red Sox outfielder Mike Greenwell died on Thursday after a lengthy thyroid cancer battle, his wife announced.
He was 62.
“With a heavy heart, I lost my best friend today,” Tracy Greenwell wrote on social media. “It was Mike’s time to be an angel. At 10:30 a.m. in Boston’s General Hospital. We are forever grateful for the life he has given us.”
Greenwell spent all of his 12 MLB seasons with Boston after being drafted by the franchise in the third round of the 1982 amateur draft.
“‘The Gator’ spent his entire career in a Red Sox uniform and was a beloved fixture of Fenway and Fort Myers,” the Red Sox posted on X. “He gave so much to Lee County and Sox Nation. We send our love to the Greenwell family.”
The lefty outfielder debuted in 1985 and played a role on the 1986 ALCS-winning team, but really made his mark on Red Sox Nation in 1988, slashing .325/.416/.531 and setting what would be career-bests with 22 homers, 119 RBIs, 39 doubles and 16 stolen bases.
The season earned him his first All-Star nod at the age of 24, and he finished second to Jose Canseco for AL MVP honors.
He became a staple of the Boston lineup through the 1996 season, batting .303 with 130 home runs, 726 RBIs and 80 stolen bases when he retired at 32 and was inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Fame in 2008.
“He was a great teammate and an even better person,” former Red Sox teammate and pitcher Bob Stanley said, per the AP. “He had big shoes to fill in left field, and he did a damn good job. He played hard and never forgot where he came from — Fort Myers. Just a great guy. We’ll all miss him.”
He spent his post-MLB career in the Fort Myers area, at one point operating an amusement park/batting cage facility in Cape Coral. In 2022, he was elected Lee County commissioner, a role he was re-elected to in 2024.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Commissioner Mike Greenwell, a lifelong Lee County resident,” Lee County Manager Bruce Harner said in a post on the county government’s social media account. “He was a strong advocate for the people and businesses of Lee County and will be remembered for seeking meaningful solutions to the challenges his community faced.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and all who were touched by his leadership.”