(Photo by Michael Heiman/Getty Images)
After six years with the San Diego Padres—the first of his career—Khalil Greene had become the franchise leader in home runs for shortstops, been the runner-up for the 2004 NL Rookie of the Year award (losing to former Padre Jason Bay), and was a regular fixture on Web Gems thanks to his dazzling defense.
His solid hitting and great defense helped San Diego to two straight division titles and contention year in and year out. He drew comparisons to Ozzie Smith and Garry Templeton, the Padres' golden standards at the shortstop position.
Then, in the 2008 offseason, Greene was unceremoniously traded away to the Cardinals for two fringe prospects.
Huh?
The San Diego brass' decision to jettison Khalil—labeled by local media as the worst trade in franchise history—was almost as perplexing as the man himself.
Soft-spoken and shy, his excessively boring media interviews and quiet on the field persona pointed to a tranquil personality off of it, a man of faith whose belief in the Baha'i religion, in his own words, made him better as a person and a player.
But then, there was the other side of Khalil.
His public shyness was countered in private by, among other things, a love of music. Clashing instrumental music with his own hip-hop lyrics in his spare time seems like the last thing a man like Greene would enjoy.
Then again, the impressions about his personality would also be tested, as Khalil's calm demeanor could be interpreted as a front for a lack of emotional outlets. An odd peace on the surface while negativity and frustration bubbled inside.
On July 30, 2008, that frustration boiled to the top and manifested itself in what would be Greene's last game as a Padre.
En route to his worst individual and team season to date in the bigs, Greene struck out during a game (his 100th for the year), while the Padres stumbled towards a loss (they'd accumulate 99 for the season).
Khalil calmly grabbed his bat and lowered his helmet on his way to the dugout, walked towards the bench, dropped the bat and the helmet, and punched a storage box—breaking his hand.
Huh?
He'd miss the rest of the season, one that started with him signing an $11 million extension with the team.
Greene said little about the outburst, owing it to the usual Padre culprit in '08—frustration.
With SS Luis Rodriguez filling in solidly the rest of the way, and San Diego in full-fledged rebuilding mode, Greene's contract and recent performance were deemed inadequate for the Padres, and he was traded.
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