By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor
Mike Greenwell's initial desire to fish tournament trails beyond the local level stemmed from a very practical place. The former Boston Red Sox All-Star outfielder wanted his two sons to take more responsibility for running the family construction business (Big League Builders Inc.) in Ft. Myers, Fla.
"They were relying on me too much," he said. "Whenever I was out of town, they were always calling and asking questions."
In 2022, he began fishing the Toyota Series and Gator Division BFLs as a co-angler and last year he moved to the front of the boat. He competed in three Southern Division Toyota events in 2023 and two in the Central Division.
"I told the boys that when I'm gone at a tournament, don't call me," he said. "After I fell into the traveling thing and got to be around guys who were passionate about tournament fishing, it was like being back in the clubhouse again. I didn't realize how much I missed it."
He hasn't tasted any success at fishing's triple-A level to this point, but he nonetheless jumped at the opportunity to compete in the Major League Fishing Invitationals when sign-ups opened. That campaign kicks off today at Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Texas.
The 60-year-old Greenwell did a considerable amount of bass fishing while growing up in the Sunshine State, with Lake Okeechobee and Lake Trafford the most frequent destinations. Baseball was his primary pursuit, however, and he was Boston's third-round pick in the 1982 draft out of North Ft. Myers High School.
He reached the majors three years later and remained for 12 seasons. He was twice selected to the American League All-Star Team and was the runner-up in the AL MVP voting in 1988, when he batted .325 with 22 home runs and 119 RBIs.
He concluded his career in 1996 with a .304 lifetime average and 130 home runs. He was inducted into the Red Sox's Hall of Fame in 2008.
Greenwell was a .304 lifetime hitter in 12 seasons with the Boston Red Sox and was elected to the team's Hall of Fame in 2008.
"There's such a comparison between baseball and fishing – more than any other sport," he said. "I was a .304 lifetime hitter, so I failed 70 percent of the time. I look at fishing the same way; you can have a great practice for a tournament, then a terrible first day or second day.
"I have a lot of respect for the guys who do it for a living because I know the mentality it takes to keep grinding and moving forward. And then there's nothing better than the sweet taste of success."
He didn't make many casts for bass during his baseball career; he purchased a saltwater boat once his salary climbed into the seven-figure range and spent a lot of offseasons pursuing species such as marlin, tarpon and dorado. He bought his first bass boat in 2020 after becoming intrigued by watching pro events on TV.
Steve Lopez, who has two years of experience at the Invitational level and was the second-place finisher in last year's event at the Mississippi River, has helped him prepare for this venture. Greenwell's expectations are far from lofty in a circuit that features a lot of seasoned anglers and some former tour-level winners.
"I've put a lot of work in this offseason trying to learn as much as I can, studying whatever I could and watching videos of the different lakes," said Greenwell, who posted a 78th-place finish in a field of 197 anglers in the Toyota Series opener at Okeechobee two weeks ago. "I'd like to end up in the Top 100 or so (in the Angler of the Year points) and I'd love to make the Top 30 in one tournament. I think that would be a major goal and I'm going to try really hard to achieve that. It'd be a thrill to get to fish that last day.
"I've never been to Rayburn before, so that's obviously going to be a new experience. I'm looking forward to working my tail off and seeing if I can find 15 good fish."
