Former Cardinals 1B/OF David Green passes away at 61

The Cardinals tweeted a short statement Tuesday morning reacting to the recent passing of former MLB outfielder and first baseman David Green. He was 61 years old.

One of the first Nicaraguan-born players to crack the big leagues, Green eventually played 489 games at baseball’s highest level between 1981 and 1987, primarily for the Cards. 

Originally signed by the Brewers, he was traded to St. Louis after the 1980 season. After a cup of coffee as a 20-year-old in 1981, Green got into 76 games in 1982, hitting .283/.315/.373. In nine postseason games that year, he hit .273/.333/.545, as the Cardinals eventually defeated Green’s former team, the Brewers, in the 1982 World Series.

Green would stay with the Cards through the next two seasons, before being dealt to the Giants prior to the 1985 campaign. After one year in San Fran, he was dealt back to Milwaukee but was released before appearing in a game with them. He then spent some time in Japan, playing with the Kintetsu Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball before rejoining the Cardinals for part of the 1987 campaign. That was his last taste of the majors, though he did later spent some time in the minors with the Braves and Rangers.

All told, Green hit a combined .268/.308/.394 across his 489 career big league games, with 31 home runs, 168 runs scored, 180 runs batted in and 68 stolen bases.