1962 Profile: Bill Stafford

BILL STAFFORD

"Rarely does a hurler come along as quickly as Bill Stafford, the cool curver out of Athens, NY, who was a World Series starter as a sophomore. Bill arrived as a Yankee in his 1960 rookie season and continued in '61, winning 14 games and recording a 2.68 ERA. His refusal to panic in the face of enemy firepower made his second year a sparkling success. He worked his way to the Yanks via St. Petersburg, Binghamton and Richmond."

-Don Schiffer, The 1962 Major League Baseball Handbook

"If his 1962 spring training performances are any criterion, Bill Stafford is heading for a great season. The long, lean right-hander, who is just 23, pitched eight consecutive hitless, runless innings in his first two outings at Fort Lauderdale.

He's been a Yankee only since mid-August, 1960, and in that time has won 17, lost 10 and recorded an amazingly low earned run average of 2.58. Last year, his 2.68 ERA was second-lowest in the league. In World Series competition, Bill has a 2.25 ERA.

Bill is one of a growing group of Yankees and future Yankees who come from New York. Born in the Catskills, he resides in Athens. It was his Dad who helped him on his way to the majors. Throwing to targets erected in his back yard as a youngster, Bill learned control. In 255 major league innings, he has walked only 77 men for a per-game average of less than three.

When you watch him walk to and from the mound, Bill has a confident gait. He's not cocky at all, but he goes out there to retire the opposition and believes he can on every pitch. The coolness and ease of his performance always are apparent.

Last season, Bill started slowly. He was in service until late in the training season and he really didn't get going until June. Now with a fine start, Bill Stafford may blossom into a top right-hander in only his second full big league season."

-The New York Yankees Official 1962 Yearbook

Second lowest ERA in American League (2.68) in first full season in major leagues, 1961.

-1962 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide

"If Bill Stafford's first full season in a Yankee uniform is any measure of things to come, the rest of the American League is in for some bad times.

The 23-year-old hurler posted 14 wins and was the team's earned run leader with a splendid 2.68 ERA. Only Dick Donovan (traded to Cleveland during the off-season) of Washington bettered Stafford's mark among Junior Circuit hurlers working in the prescribed 162 innings necessary to qualify for the title.

Bill's favorite opponents were the Chicago White Sox. In picking up four victories against no losses against the "Go-Go" Sox, he permitted only six earned tallies in 36 frames. Kansas City was his victim on three occasions and the A's touched him for but four earned runs in 26 innings.

The Bronx Bombers signed Stafford in 1957 and sent him to St. Petersburg of the Florida State League. In nine games he posted a 5-3 record and allowed only 0.86 earned runs per contest.

The Athens, New York, resident moved up to Class A ball in 1958 and had an 11-7 slate with the Eastern League Binghamton Triplets. In '59 Bill ran into his only losing campaign. He was 1-8 with Richmond of the International League and 1-0 with Binghamton.

Bill received his big break midway through the 1960 season when he was called up from the IL by New York after winning 11 of 18 and having a 2.06 ERA for the Virginians. In his abbreviated rookie year (11 games), Stafford was 3-1.

His control is one of his biggest assets as his strikeouts versus bases-on-balls record indicates.

Bill's batting also helped the Bomber cause last season. He contributed 12 hits, including a brace of doubles and a triple, to the attack, a vast improvement over his previous effort with the willow (one hit in 22 1960 at-bats).

Now that he has had a full season of big-league experience, the Yankees are counting on Bill Stafford to be one of their big guns on the mound. He has certainly given Manager Houk every reason in the world to believe that he can produce in the majors."

-The 1962 Jay Publishing New York Yankees Yearbook