1. Overview
David Alejandro Green Casaya (December 4, 1960 - January 25 or 29, 2022) was a Nicaraguan professional baseball player. Primarily an outfielder and first baseman, Green spent parts of six seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1981 to 1987, predominantly with the St. Louis Cardinals, and also played for the San Francisco Giants. A significant highlight of his career was winning the World Series with the Cardinals in 1982. Following his MLB tenure, he played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 1986, becoming the first Nicaraguan player in NPB history. Beyond his athletic achievements, Green's post-baseball life included working in dog grooming and security, alongside facing a significant legal challenge, including a conviction for involuntary manslaughter in 1995. His death in 2022 was reported with conflicting dates and causes, reflecting the complexities of his life.
2. Early Life
David Green was born in Managua, Nicaragua, on December 4, 1960. He was one of ten children to Edward Green Sinclair and Bertha Casaya. His father, Edward (also known as Eduardo) Green, was a highly accomplished baseball player in Nicaragua, notably as an outfielder for the Cinco Estrellas club in Managua and a member of the Nicaragua national baseball team. Green was raised in a home where Spanish was the primary language, despite his upbringing in Bluefields, a city predominantly known for its Creole-speaking population. His sisters, Isabel and Carlota, also distinguished themselves as notable basketball players. While some debate existed regarding his precise birth year, 1960 is generally accepted as his birth year.
3. Professional Career
David Green embarked on a professional baseball career that spanned various leagues, including the minor leagues, Major League Baseball, and Nippon Professional Baseball, showcasing his talent as an outfielder and first baseman.
3.1. Minor League Career
Green began his professional journey after signing as an amateur free agent with the Milwaukee Brewers on September 24, 1978. He made his professional debut the following year with the Stockton Ports, a Class A affiliate in the California League. During the 1979 season, he appeared in 136 games for Stockton, achieving a batting average of .262 with 8 home runs and 70 RBI.
In 1980, Green advanced to the Class AA level, playing for the Holyoke Millers in the Eastern League. He batted .291 over 129 games, contributing 8 homers and 67 RBI. Notably, his 19 triples that season were the most in the Eastern League.
After being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals organization, Green was promoted to the Class AAA level in 1981, joining the Springfield Redbirds. In 106 games with Springfield, he maintained a .270 batting average, with 10 home runs and 67 RBI, before his call-up to the major leagues. In 1982, he split his time between St. Louis and the Louisville Redbirds, who had relocated from Springfield, where he batted .345 in 46 games.
Following his MLB career, Green returned to the minor leagues. In 1989, he played in 34 games for the Greenville Braves, the Class AA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, batting .271 with 5 homers and 22 RBI. He then joined the Texas Rangers organization, playing 16 games for the Class AA Tulsa Drillers in 1990, where he posted a .286 average. His final professional season was in 1991, also with the Tulsa Drillers, appearing in 59 games with a .285 average, 4 home runs, and 32 runs batted in.
3.2. Major League Baseball (MLB)
Green spent six seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, and also had a significant stint with the San Francisco Giants.
3.2.1. St. Louis Cardinals (1981-1984)
Green became part of the St. Louis Cardinals organization through a major trade on December 12, 1980. The Milwaukee Brewers traded Green, Dave LaPoint, Sixto Lezcano, and Lary Sorensen to the Cardinals in exchange for Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons, and Pete Vuckovich. This trade notably involved teams that would later face each other in the 1982 World Series.
Green was called up by the Cardinals during the September roster expansion in 1981, making his MLB debut on September 4, 1981, at the age of 20. He entered as a pinch hitter and was held hitless in two plate appearances during a 7-2 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the youngest player in the major leagues that year and finished the season with a .147 batting average over 21 appearances for the Cardinals. His first MLB hit was an RBI single off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Luis Tiant on September 26.
In 1982, Green split his season between St. Louis and their Class AAA affiliate. He recorded a .283 batting average in 76 appearances with the Cardinals. On August 15, he hit the first home run of his MLB career against Pirates pitcher Randy Niemann. The Cardinals ultimately defeated the Brewers in the 1982 World Series that season, with Green batting .200 during the Fall Classic.
After splitting his time between the Cardinals and their Class AAA affiliate in 1981 and 1982, Green remained solely with the Cardinals until 1987. In 1983, he played in a career-high 146 games, achieving a .284 batting average, 8 homers, and 39 RBI. He also showcased his speed with 34 stolen bases and 10 triples. For the 1984 season, Green appeared in 126 games. His batting average slightly declined to .268, and his stolen bases and triples decreased to 17 and 4, respectively. However, he nearly doubled his home run total from the previous year, connecting for 15 home runs and driving in 65 runs.
3.2.2. San Francisco Giants (1985)
On February 1, 1985, the Cardinals traded Green, along with Dave LaPoint, Gary Rajsich, and Jose Uribe, to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Jack Clark. During his single season with the Giants in 1985, Green made 106 appearances. He posted a .248 batting average, hit 5 home runs, and recorded 20 runs batted in.
3.2.3. Second Stint with Milwaukee Brewers and Mexican League (1986)
Green was traded back to the Milwaukee Brewers by the San Francisco Giants on December 4, 1985. The trade was completed a week later when San Francisco received minor leaguer Héctor Quiñones. Green did not make the Brewers' Opening Day roster and was released on April 1, 1986. However, he was reacquired by the Brewers just eight days later and was assigned to the Monterrey Sultanes in the Mexican League as part of a player-loaning agreement between the Brewers and the Mexican team. While playing for Monterrey, Green had a strong performance, batting .391 in 48 appearances.
3.2.4. Return to St. Louis Cardinals (1987)
Green rejoined the St. Louis Cardinals organization on July 11, 1987, marking his final period in Major League Baseball. During this stint, he saw action in 50 games with the Louisville Redbirds, their Class AAA affiliate, but only appeared in 14 games with the St. Louis Cardinals themselves. With the Cardinals, he batted .267 and hit one home run. David Green played his final major league game on October 4, 1987, at the age of 26.
3.3. Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB)
David Green's career in Japanese professional baseball began when he was acquired by the Kintetsu Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) on June 24, 1986, replacing the struggling Bambo Rivera. Green holds historical significance as the first Nicaraguan player to ever play in NPB.
He appeared in 67 games for Kintetsu during his single season in Japan. Green's performance was characterized by streaky hitting, with periods of solid contact followed by hitless streaks, leading to what was described as "halfway results." Overall, he tallied a .270 batting average, 10 home runs, and 39 RBI. He debuted on July 6, 1986, in a game against the Lotte Orions at Nippon Seimei Stadium, where he started as the 6th batter and played right field. In the same game, he recorded his first NPB hit, home run, and RBI in the 9th inning, hitting a solo shot off Yoshio Fukasawa. Green departed from the Kintetsu Buffaloes after this one season. Notably, it would be 27 years until another Nicaraguan player, Vicente Padilla, joined NPB in 2013 with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Throughout his career, Green wore several uniform numbers: 22 from 1981 to 1985, 10 in 1986 (with Kintetsu Buffaloes), and 18 in 1987.
3.4. Career Statistics
Below is a summary of David Green's professional batting statistics across Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball. His overall fielding percentage in MLB was .986.
| Year | Team | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | TB | RBI | SB | CS | SH | SF | BB | IBB | HBP | SO | DP | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major League Baseball | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981 | STL | 21 | 40 | 34 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | .147 | .293 | .176 | .469 |
| 1982 | STL | 76 | 178 | 166 | 21 | 47 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 62 | 23 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 2 | .283 | .318 | .373 | .692 |
| 1983 | STL | 146 | 456 | 422 | 52 | 120 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 178 | 69 | 34 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 76 | 13 | .284 | .325 | .422 | .746 |
| 1984 | STL | 126 | 478 | 452 | 49 | 121 | 14 | 4 | 15 | 188 | 65 | 17 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 105 | 8 | .268 | .301 | .416 | .717 |
| 1985 | SF | 106 | 321 | 294 | 36 | 73 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 102 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 58 | 12 | .248 | .305 | .347 | .652 |
| 1987 | STL | 14 | 32 | 30 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .267 | .313 | .500 | .813 |
| MLB Totals (6 years) | 489 | 1505 | 1398 | 168 | 374 | 48 | 18 | 31 | 551 | 180 | 68 | 35 | 5 | 14 | 84 | 4 | 11 | 278 | 35 | .268 | .311 | .394 | .705 | |
| Nippon Professional Baseball | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986 | Kintetsu | 67 | 248 | 226 | 32 | 61 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 99 | 39 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 60 | 2 | .270 | .335 | .438 | .773 |
| NPB Totals (1 year) | 67 | 248 | 226 | 32 | 61 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 99 | 39 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 60 | 2 | .270 | .335 | .438 | .773 | |
4. International Career
David Green proudly represented the Nicaragua national baseball team in international competitions. A notable achievement came at the 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games held in Medellín, Colombia. During the tournament, Green delivered an impressive performance, batting .470 with three home runsand nine RBI over 12 games. His contributions helped the Nicaraguan team secure a silver medal in the baseball competition.
5. Later Life and Death
Following his professional baseball career, David Green transitioned into other fields of work and experienced significant personal challenges, including legal issues, before his death in 2022.
5.1. Post-retirement Life
After retiring from professional baseball, David Green found employment outside of sports. He initially worked for a friend's dog-grooming business. Later, around 2010, he took on a role in security. During his life, Green was married, and he also had a daughter from a previous relationship dating back to the 1980s.
5.2. Legal Issues and Controversy
In January 1995, David Green was involved in a car crash in suburban Country Club Hills, Missouri, leading to his arrest on suspicion of drunk driving. The incident resulted in severe consequences. A passenger in the vehicle Green struck, 85-year-old Gladys Yount of Jennings, Missouri, suffered a fractured pelvis. Yount tragically died of a heart attack two hours after the accident. Green was subsequently charged with involuntary manslaughter and served six months in jail for the offense.
5.3. Death
David Green's death occurred in January 2022, though the exact date and reported cause vary across sources. According to some reports, he died on January 25, 2022, at Christian Northeast Hospital near St. Louis, Missouri, with the cause attributed to respiratory failure resulting from a choking incident that occurred the week prior. However, other accounts state his death as January 29, 2022, in a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, citing heart failure with complications from COVID-19 as the cause. He was 61 years old at the time of his death.
6. See also
- List of Major League Baseball players from Nicaragua
- List of Kintetsu Buffaloes players