Professional career
Granger was drafted in the 1st Round (5th overall pick) of the 1993 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals. He was only 21 when he broke into the majors with the Royals in September of that same year after only 7 impressive starts at single-A Eugene in which he struck out 56 batters in only 36 innings. He began the 1994 Season at AA Memphis and was called up to the big leagues for two respectable (but not overpowering) starts in May. Although he had dominated at the minor league level, it was clear that he needed some finesse to complement his impressive velocity, and the Royals kept him at AA Wichita in 1995. Granger was moved to the bullpen the following season and made a smooth transition, compiling an impressive 2.34 ERA for the AAA Omaha Royals. He was once again hit hard in 15 relief appearances for the major league club. In December 1996, Granger was traded with Jeff Wallace, Joe Randa, and Jeff Martin to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jeff King and Jay Bell.
Granger began the 1997 season with the Pirates, but was shelled in 9 relief appearances and sent down to AAA Calgary, where he struggled for the rest of the season. It was his last major league action.
Granger spent the next three seasons struggling in the minor leagues for five different clubs in four different organizations. He even attempted to resurrect his career with the Long Island Ducks, but ultimately retired from baseball. Although he was a phenomenal two-sport college athlete and was able to play four seasons in the major leagues, he did not end up being the major-league All-star that some envisioned him becoming, instead a cautionary tale against rushing players to the major leagues.
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