In the lexicon of notable Milwaukee Brewers, the name David Green may not arise, largely because he never played for the Brewers. But the native Nicaraguan played an essential role in helping the franchise reach its one and only World Series, even if he was playing for the opponent at the time.
Multiple reports have indicated Green, 61, died of a heart attack, though the St. Louis Cardinals — the team with whom Green spent most of his MLB career — have not confirmed the news.
Green was the can’t-miss player Cardinals general manager Whitey Herzog had to have in a deal that sent future Hall of Famers Rollie Fingers and Ted Simmons to Milwaukee before the 1981 season, not to mention future Cy Young winner Pete Vuckovich. All three played critical roles to the Brewers’ first playoff appearance in 1981 and follow-up run to the World Series in 1982.
Siged by the Brewers as a teenager in the mid-1970s, Green became one of baseball’s top prospects, with lofty comparisons to Roberto Clemente.
“David Green? He’s got Willie Mays’ physical abilities and Pete Rose’s mental abilities,” Ray Poitevint, the Brewers’ director of player procurement, said in December 1980, mere days before the Brewers agreed to trade Green to the Cardinals.
“We have not even tried to assess his market value,” Brewers general manager Harry Dalton said the same month. “He was even further out of the question (to be traded) than (Paul) Molitor.”
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But the Cardinals, whose wheeling and dealing at the 1980 winter meetings included the acquisition of two superstar closers — Bruce Sutter and Fingers — wouldn’t agree to swap players with the Brewers unless the 19-year-old Green was in the equation.
“No way we make that deal if they don’t give up David Green,” then-assistant Cardinals general manager Joe McDonald said in 1985. “I know (the Brewers) had a meeting and all of their people didn’t want him to go. But we finally said, ‘Look, that’s it.’ I don’t know anybody who had his Roberto Clemente skills.”
The trade became known as the “Ted Simmons trade” in the short term (perhaps “Rollie Fingers trade” is just as appropriate today) but was supposed to eventually become the “David Green trade.” Also going to St. Louis in the deal was outfielder Sixto Lezcano, and pitchers Dave LaPoint and Lary Sorensen, a veteran-laden blockbuster that re-shaped Milwaukee’s franchise.
Green, who had hit .291 with 27 stolen bases and a staggering 19 triples at Class AA Holyoke in 1980 for the Brewers, rose to the big leagues quickly with St. Louis but struggled out of the gate in 1981. He was part of the 1982 World Series between his former and current team, recording a double and triple in 10 at-bats. Another former Brewers player, Darrell Porter, became World Series MVP as the Cardinals downed Milwaukee in seven games.
Green was solid for St. Louis through the 1984 season but was then dealt to San Francisco. Along the way, he reportedly received counseling for alcohol addiction and came under the microscope as rumors swirled that his actual age might be as many as four more years than believed (ultimately unsubstantiated). He didn’t speak to the media throughout the 1985 season, further souring his public reputation. In 1986, the Brewers re-acquired him.
Green, who hit a game-winning grand slam during the exhibition season that year, couldn’t win a job over Mike Felder and Rob Deer and break camp in 1986. Instead, Green went to play baseball in Japan before making a brief return to the Cardinals in 1987.
“I had heard he was a bad guy,” Brewers second baseman Jim Gantner said in 1986. “He wasn’t a bad guy at all. He was great to have in the clubhouse. He was always joking, a lot of fun to be around.”
JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: David Green, who helped Brewers swing major trade, reportedly dies