[1] After high school, he attended St. Mary's University in nearby San Antonio, Texas for two years before being selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the twelfth round of the 1966 Major League Baseball draft.

In 1968, Grabarkewitz won the "Fastest Dodger in Spring training", beating out Willie Davis, Bill Russell and Bobby Valentine.

Shortly afterwards, Grabarkewitz was reassigned to the triple A Spokane Indians of the Pacific Coast League, where he played all over the infield.

Following a 2-for-3 performance against the San Francisco Giants on May 17, Grabarkewitz's batting average peaked at a season high of .420,[3] and earned him serious consideration as a write-in candidate for the 1970 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

[4] Though his campaign was unsuccessful (the Cincinnati Reds' Tony Pérez was elected), National League manager Gil Hodges selected Grabarkewitz as one of his reserve position players.

Unfortunately, a Spring training arm injury limited Grabarkewitz's services to start the season, and caused him to miss the entire month of August.

After the season, he was traded with Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, Bill Singer, Mike Strahler and Bobby Valentine to the California Angels for Ken McMullen and Andy Messersmith.

Grabarkewitz's contract was sold by the Angels to the Philadelphia Phillies on August 14, 1973 in a transaction that was completed four months later at the Winter Meetings on December 6 when Denny Doyle was sent to California for Aurelio Monteagudo and Chris Coletta.

[10] Once again Grabarkewitz saw his club acquire a young prospect second baseman when the Cubs received Manny Trillo from the Oakland Athletics in a package for Billy Williams.

He spent most of the season with Oakland, but appeared in only his sixth game before breaking his ribs and shoulder from a collision with the Kansas City Royals' Hal McRae.