Marc Griffin (baseball)

Marc Griffin
Outfielder
Born: (1968-09-15) September 15, 1968
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Career highlights and awards

Marc Denis Griffin (born September 15, 1968) is a Canadian baseball broadcaster and former player who is an analyst for RDS.

Playing

Griffin was born in Quebec City and attended École secondaire Les Compagnons-de-Cartier and the National Baseball Institute.[1][2] He was a member of the Canada national baseball team that played in the 1988 Summer Olympics.[3] In 1988, he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a reported bonus of $70,000. During his time in the Dodgers' organization, the team used the English spelling of Mark rather than the French spelling of Marc.[4]

In 1989, Griffin batted .282 with 2 home runs, 52 RBI, and 35 stolen bases in 129 games for the Vero Beach Dodgers. He was a member of the National League team in that year's Florida State League All-Star Game.[5] He split the following season between Vero Beach and Bakersfield. In 137 games between the two clubs, he had 3 home runs, 38 RBI, 49 stolen bases, and a .258 batting average. In 1991, he batted .240 with 33 RBI and 42 stolen bases in 115 games for Vero Beach.[1] He was named most valuable player of the 1991 FSL All-Star Game after a 4 hit, 3 RBI, 2 stolen base performance that included a steal of home.[5]

On December 9, 1991, the Dodgers traded Griffin to the Montreal Expos for Ben Van Ryn.[4] In June 1992, Dr. Frank Jobe performed surgery on Griffin's right elbow and was unable to play in any games that season.[6] He returned the following season and played 69 games with Class A-Advanced West Palm Beach Expos, where he batted .319 with 23 stolen bases. In 24 games for the Expos Double-A affiliate, Harrisburg Senators, Griffin's batting average dropped to .151. After going 6 for 26 in 10 games for the Senators in 1994, Griffin was demoted to Class A.[1] Griffin refused the demotion and after he was unable to find a team that would sign him at the Double-A level, retired.[7] He came out of retirement the following spring and joined the Expos as a replacement player during the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike.[8] However, the dispute was settled before regular season games were played.[9]

Broadcasting

Griffin was released after the strike was resolved, but was hired by the Expos as coordinator of promotions.[10] He also served as a colour commentator for Expos games on TQS.[11] In 1996, he also filled-in on English-language broadcasts after the departure of Ken Singleton.[12] In 1999, Griffin became the Expos director of broadcast services. From 2001 to 2004, he was the colour commentor on the Expos' French radio network alongside veteran announcer Jacques Doucet.[13] In 2011, he joined RDS as a baseball analyst.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Mark Griffin". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  2. ^ "NBI grad Griffin goes to Expos". The Province. December 11, 1991.
  3. ^ Sokol, Al (August 12, 1988). "National ball team off on pre-Seoul tour backed by Blue Jays". Toronto Star.
  4. ^ a b Blair, Jeff (December 11, 1991). "Expos welcome Griffin `back home' to play ball". The Montreal Gazette.
  5. ^ a b Boetel, Ray (June 30, 1991). "Griffin Steals Home and Show as NL Stars Win". Sun Sentinel.
  6. ^ Blair, Jeff (June 8, 1992). "Tired Martinez didn't mind stopping; Loses chance for victory when replaced by pinch-hitter". The Montreal Gazette.
  7. ^ "Griffin quits after failing to get job". The Montreal Gazette. June 8, 1994.
  8. ^ Blair, Jeff (February 20, 1995). "Minor men eye a shot at majors". The Montreal Gazette.
  9. ^ "Replacement Players". Major Leagues Baseball Almanac. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  10. ^ Blair, Jeff (April 9, 1995). "Alou wants Floyd to get off `chub team'". The Montreal Gazette.
  11. ^ MacDonald, Ian (May 17, 1995). "Expos Story". The Montreal Gazette.
  12. ^ Blair, Jeff (May 30, 1996). "Expos Story". The Montreal Gazette.
  13. ^ Linker, Andrew (January 4, 2004). "Hall should call Tommy John, but...". The Sunday Patriot - News.
  14. ^ "Marc Griffin". RDS. Bell Media. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
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