Gregory Alan Tubbs – Greg for short.

A miraculous DeKalb County High School baseball player who was a brief outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds of the Major League Baseball league.

The right-hander broke into the big leagues on August 1, 1993.  Tubbs was already 30-years-old and he only played the game for one year (1993) as a center fielder and a pinch hitter with a salary of $109,000.00.

The #51 one-year statistics, provided by ESPN, were 1 homerun and 2 runs batted in (RBI’s) with a career average of .186.  He only appeared in 35 games before his career ended.  Later, he was drafted in the twenty-second (22) round of the 1984 amateur draft by the Atlanta Braves and later was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Rico Rossy.

His MLB debut was on August 1, 1993; his last performing appearance was on October 3, 1993 – each with the Cincinnati Reds.  Tubbs also was inducted into the Buffalo Bisons (MiLB) Baseball Hall of Fame.

Tubbs was born August 31, 1962 in Smithville, Tennessee.  According to published reports, he was 5’9” tall and weighed 178 pounds throughout his playing years.  During his school years in Smithville, he was an avid Little League and Babe Ruth League baseball player; additionally, he played DCHS basketball – an all-around sportsman. He was graduated from DCHS and Austin Peay State University in Clarksville where he played baseball for a combined total of eight years.

In a comment from sportsman Blair Braswell, he said, “I personally haven’t talked with Greg in a few years but I have always thought the world of him…as has anyone who has ever met him.  I’ve always been proud of him/his accomplishments as a person first and an athlete second.  And from his humble beginnings in our hometown to never forgetting watching him take the field for the Cincinnati Reds…”

Years later, Tubbs’ son, Darian Tubbs, was drafted in the 2014 amateur draft and rose as high as AA ball by 2017.  A graduate of Cookeville high school, he later studied at the University of Memphis.  Tubbs lists his hometown as Cookeville, Tennessee.  To reiterate, Darian was drafted in the sixteenth (16th) round of the 2016 (8 years ago) MLB (Major League Baseball) draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Darian bats left-handed and catches right-handed.  His dad, “was only one of three major league players since 1901 with a career batting average under .200 and on-base percentage of at least .350 in at least 50 plate appearances,” quoted ESPN.  He was born on January 26, 1995 in Cookeville, Tennessee, making him age 29-years-old.

In a recent note from my friend, Bud Judkins, he wrote, “Tubbs played three seasons with the Bisons (1991, 1992, 1994) and is only one of two players in the Club’s (Bisons) era to have three 100-plus hit campaigns.

“Originally a 22nd round pick by Atlanta (Braves) in 1984, Tubbs was a key player in the Bison’s back-to-back American Association Division Titles of 1991-92.  He led the Heard in runs scored (71), triples (11) and stolen bases (34) in 1991, with the 11 triples tying him for the AA lead.  In 1992, Tubbs led the club with a ,282 average while hitting 32 extra-base hits and stealing 20 more bases.  He returned to Buffalo in 1994 to hit .282 in his final professional season.

“Tubbs played a total of 364 games at Buffalo and at the time of introduction ranked 3rd in the modern era with 370 hits and 2nd with 67 stolen bases.  Tubbs also played 35 games with the Cincinnati Reds (see above).

Today, Greg Tubbs is a baseball coach in his hometown of Cookeville, Tennessee.  When time allows, he also mentors young people in the game of baseball.  In addition to loving baseball, Tubbs also enjoys camping. 

“We are very lucky fans to have known him and to know him – yesterday, today, and tomorrow,” said one of his many followers.

NOTE:  Another DeKalb County baseball player to make the big leagues is Steven Jennings of Brush Creek, Tennessee.  He was signed with the Texas Rangers on December 29, 2023 in a minor league contract.  Jennings is a right-handed pitcher.    In 79 games, Jennings has a career record of 19-19 and an ERA of 4. He made 51 starts before converting to the bullpen in 2021.  Last season, Jennings posted a 6.67 ERA (Earned Run Average) in 13 games at Double-A. Altoona, striking out 20 and walking 11 in 30 innings.