"A man in the nation's capital claims the Yankees will be so far ahead by August 20 that they'll be declared in restraint of trade and ruled 'off the turf' for the year. And he could be right at that, particularly if the M-and-M boys, Whitey Ford, Elston Howard, Luis Arroyo, et al come right back with the same sort of seasons they had in '61.
Supposedly there's nothing out of place in the Yankee scheme of things. They are sturdy at all posts, with good hitting, excellent fielding, superior catching, quality pitching, a bench that has as much utility strength as any in the league, and a clear-thinking manager in Ralph Houk who refuses to panic, platoon or pout.
Sure, Tony Kubek may still be in the Army, and then there's a 'problem' at shortstop, that is if Cletis Boyer, baseball's busiest and best infielder, constitutes a problem if he's moved to short. And who'll play third if this event comes to pass? Maybe Jake Gibbs or Tom Tresh or Billy Gardner or perhaps Bill Skowron, which is not so silly as it sounds provided the experiment to make John Blanchard into a first baseman doesn't fizzle out before it begins.
However, for all the wheels to turn at the same degree of velocity in back-to-back years is to defy the laws of gravity. Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were tremendous in 1961; don't look for them to approach the same standards in '62. Ford and Arroyo were also phenomenal; it's unfair to expect them to again win 40 between them. Is Howard a genuine .348 belter? Will incomparable Yogi Berra continue to field and hit like a man of 26 instead of 36? And what of the pitching behind Ford and Arroyo - is it deep and talented enough to cope with the likes of the Tigers and Orioles?
Too many questions, some of which may not be resolved until it's too late, add up to a second-place finish.
Rookies to watch: Tom Tresh, Al Downing."
-Don Schiffer, The 1962 Major League Baseball Handbook
"Can Whitey Ford have another phenomenal year? Can Luis Arroyo continue to save him and the rest of the staff with that screwball? Can these marvelous mashers M&M - meaning Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, of course - again have a miraculous year? Can Johnny Blanchard play daily as effectively as he did in spots? Can the Yankees replace Tony Kubek?
Manager Ralph Houk, who added stability to the Yankees that wasn't evident under Casey Stengel's juggling regime, first must face up to the Kubek problem. The other questions, he hopes, will not materialize. Houk has the choice of shifting Clete Boyer to short and trying others at third, or of anchoring Boyer at the hot corner and testing some exciting rookie at Kubek's spot. Boyer is an exceptional third baseman and when he filled in briefly for Tony last season, he was smooth there, too.
Tom Tresh, a switch-hitter who batted .315 at Richmond last season, won rookie of the year honors in the International League and was the all-star shortstop. He has size, batting ability and fine fielding skills.
The Yankees really won the pennant last spring when Houk refused to trade away his surplus of catchers.
'They're my bench, too,' he explained. By standing pat, he was able to juggle Yogi Berra, Elston Howard and Johnny Blanchard all over the field. Blanchard hit so well that Houk intends to play him in left field this season. He also says Yogi will do more catching.
At second, Bobby Richardson is without peer. This a solid Yankee of the Crosetti-Rizzuto school. At first, Bill Skowron, the only Yankee to have a relatively disappointing season, is hoping for a better bat. And now we come to Mantle and Maris. In previous seasons the two M's were injury prone. A study of the records reveals that nearly all the Yankee regulars were in there daily. This is unusual and we don't figure it to happen again this year.
Now we come to the pitching where Houk admits, 'We could use another good one.' He'll get by if Ford stays healthy, if Arroyo stays sharp, if Bob Turley's operation makes his arm sound or if Robin Roberts stages a big comeback, which could happen in a Yankee uniform."
-True, The Man's Magazine 1962 Baseball Yearbook
"Frantically and sometimes ridiculously, American Leaguers spent the off-season drumming up reasons why the Yankees won't win this year's pennant. They came up with some dandies.
This year, the rivals are hopefully mentioning several items, including the possibility of an H-bomb attack, scarlet fever and anti-trust legislation. Plus: (1) The loss of Tony Kubek to the Army, and (2) the possibility that Yankee pitching might not reproduce the Whitey Ford & Luis Arroyo miracle of 1961.
Of course, the rivals mention the great odds against Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle repeating their home run feast of 1961. Those 115 homers were a tremendous help, both in the win column and at the box office. But, according to manager Ralph Houk, they also presented the biggest obstacle the Yankees had to overcome.
Detroit, which made a surprising run at the pennant until the first week of September, was almost a secondary threat.
'Our chief problem was right in our own midst,' says Houk. 'The biggest hurdle that we had to overcome was the Maris-Mantle home run frenzy. The more excitement their home runs attracted, the more frightened I got.
'Day after day, the headlines were Mantle of Maris. Day after day, other fine players were winning games for us, but the stories were still about Maris or Mantle. But everybody reacted perfectly. The other players saw the situation as an important move to the pennant and to a larger World Series share. And the credit belongs to Maris and Mantle, too. They talked about winning the pennant and not about themselves.'
As for Kubek, the Yankees will miss the rangy young man. He really didn't have quite the season with the bat that Houk expected, but he was a fine all-around performer. As usual with the Bombers, his loss is something less than a catastrophe.
For example, Houk might have the second best American League shortstop (next to Luis Aparicio) already in his infield. Cletis Boyer, the third base magician, could move his fielding miracles over a few paces with little loss. Originally, he preferred to play shortstop.
'Losing a player like Kubek for an entire year is tough for the club and tough for him,' Houk said early in the winter. 'But,' he added somewhat unnecessarily, 'we are better equipped to take care of this shortstop situation than any of the other clubs.'
The Yankees have two hotshot rookies who'll get a chance at Kubek's chores. Tommy Tresh, son of the old major league catcher, is a good-looking young switch-hitter who batted .315 at Richmond before finishing up last season at Yankee Stadium. Phil Linz, the Texas League batting champ with .349, is another possibility. A long shot is Jake Gibbs, the former Mississippi quarterback who received a $100,000 bonus.
Should Boyer be assigned the shortstop stall permanently, these young men could enter the fight for Clete's old third base position. And don't forget outfielder Hector Lopez once played third base.
No one expects Ford to win 25 games again. His goal in 1962 is to pitch 'many more complete games.' True, he finished only 11 times last year (Detroit's Frank Lary completed 22 games), but you must always go back to Yogi Berra's comment on Ford: 'You never saw come out of there when the game was close.' Many times, when the Yankees had a five or six-run lead, Houk would let someone else finish.
The Yankees may have bolstered their staff a bit with the acquisition of Robin Roberts, the old-time Whiz Kid who had fallen on bad times in Philadelphia. It would surprise practically no one to see Roberts jump into those Yankee pinstripes and have himself an exceptional year. It has happened before to downtrodden players who joined the Yanks. New York has also obtained left-hander Marshall Bridges from the Cincinnati club. In addition to the juggling around to fill the shortstop berth, Houk plans to use John Blanchard more. Elston Howard is the best catcher in the league, so Blanchard may be shifted around to first base and the outfield, plus catching duties behind Howard.
In all, the Yankees of 1962 shape up to be a well-rounded, well-equipped, versatile team capable of delivering the goods. Ain't it always so?"
-Murray Olderman, NBC Complete Baseball 1962
PITCHING
"It's against the odds for Ford to win 25 again, or Arroyo to keep fooling'em with his screwball, but the Yanks have quietly accomplished a youthful turnover in their pitching, with such strong arms as Bill Stafford, Rollie Sheldon and Ralph Terry leading the parade. A year on the premises should help Bud Daley, too.
Bob Turley is strictly an 'if' commodity after his operation. Jim Coates is good to have for the middle innings, and who knows what the change of scenery can do for Roberts? Houk expects a stronger contribution from Tex Clevenger to offset a possible decline by Arroyo. He also likes Bridges as a fireman.
Rating: Good"
-Murray Olderman, NBC Complete Baseball 1962
CATCHING
"Ellie's tops in baseball at the moment, and Blanchard is just about the best reserve.
Rating: Excellent"
-Murray Olderman, NBC Complete Baseball 1962
INFIELD
"A lot depends on Bill Skowron's ability to rebound from a so-so '61 that had him tabbed for the trade market, and whether the Army lets Kubek go early. If Tony's in, there's a gap at shortstop with rookies Linz and Tresh leading the fight and Boyer a possibility for shifting over from third. Bobby Richardson has no competition at second.
Billy Gardner is handy. Joe Pepitone of the outfield hopefuls can back up Skowron.
Rating: Good"
-Murray Olderman, NBC Complete Baseball 1962
OUTFIELD
"Nothing has to be said about center and right, where M & M are in control. The platoon will be in force in left, with Yogi first in line.
The hope is for a Lopez comeback and Blanchard is a possibility, too. Bob Cerv's primary duty is to deliver pinch hits.
Rating: Excellent"
-Murray Olderman, NBC Complete Baseball 1962
"The Yankees, one of the greatest power-hitting teams in history, are blessed with extraordinarily high morale, a strong young pitching staff, a three-star catching department, a scintillating infield and the cool, calm and efficient leadership of Ralph Houk. Tony Kubek's temporary absence will scarcely harm the infield, for such rising young rookies as Tom Tresh and Phil Linz are ready to step into his shortstop shoes, and the amazing Clete Boyer can do the trick if they fail."
-Charles Dexter (Baseball Digest, April 1962)
1962 Yankees Spring Training Depth Chart
C Elston Howard
1B Bill Skowron
2B Bobby Richardson
3B Clete Boyer
SS Tom Tresh
LF Hector Lopez
CF Mickey Mantle
RF Roger Maris
UTILITY:
C Johnny Blanchard
3B Billy Gardner (2B)
SS Phil Linz
LF Yogi Berra (C)
CF Joe Pepitone (1B)
PH Bob Cerv (OF)
PITCHERS:
Whitey Ford
Ralph Terry
Bill Stafford
Bud Daley
Rollie Sheldon
Robin Roberts
RELIEF PITCHERS:
Luis Arroyo
Jim Coates
Marshall Bridges
Tex Clevenger
Bob Turley
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