"The once proud pinstripes have become tattered lately, but the Yankees are on the humble road back to respectability. No longer able to deal from strength in the trading markets, they came back from the Mexico City meetings last winter with three ballplayers whose names are nearly as obscure as their records.
But in Bobby Cox, an infielder with a long minor league record in the Braves' system, Gene Michael, a weak-hitting shortstop who contemplated switching to the pitching mound, and Andy Kosco, an outfielder who has been up and down with the Twins, the Yankees are buying time in what they hope will be a rebirth in their youth movement. It isn't exactly a program with any budding Mickey Mantles or Whitey Fords coming up, but in Steve Whitaker, Bill Robinson and Roy White, they see some rays of hope for the future. Everyone knows it will take time.
Mantle is back to play first base, and what more can anyone say about his gallant efforts on those legendary legs of his? Mickey has long since reached the stage where he transcends rooting interests on the part of the fans. They give him standing ovations wherever he goes. His first base play is restricted, but he will continue to plant home runs up in the seats as he progresses toward the 600 club. Horace Clarke covers enough ground at second base for both himself and Mantle, and is a steadily improving player. The shortstop is Ruben Amaro, who sparked the infield last summer and just wishes he could hit a few points higher. Michael gives the Yankees shortstop insurance whenever they have to hit for Amaro. With Charley Smith inactivated for the first couple of months by a knee injury, Robinson will be given even more latitude to play his way into the third base job. An accomplished outfielder, Bill went down to Florida over the winter for a course in third base play and appeared to make the adjustment satisfactorily. The backup man figures to be Cox, who batted .297 and hit 14 homers at Richmond last year. Rookie Mike Ferraro and ex-Red farmhand Len Boehmer will probably go out for more seasoning, and Dick Howser and Mike Hegan will be retained for bench strength.
On paper, the first-string outfield figures to be Tom Tresh in left, Joe Pepitone in center and Whitaker in right. But Tresh has been ravaged by injuries the past couple of years, and unless he shows healthy signs of a comeback, his position could be up for grabs. The prime candidates would be White, Tom Shopay, a speedster who batted .277 and hit nine home runs at Syracuse last year, and Kosco, who really fell into disfavor in Minnesota; he actually owns good hitting credentials, batting .297 with 13 homers at Denver in '67. Pepitone's temperament may keep him from the greatness once predicted for him, and Whitaker's might just drive him to new heights. The kid is young and improving - and burns to win. Still with a chance is White, who went back to the minors for while last summer and hit .343 at Spokane.
The Yankees are at their classiest in the pitching department, although they are top heavy with left-handed starters. Al Downing, Fritz Peterson and Steve Barber are all southpaws, and Mel Stottlemyre completes the starting suit. If they all remain healthy and get any hitting support, they will win a lot of games. Fred Talbot and Bill Monbouquette, who pitched well after coming back from the minors last summer, will be the spot starters. Dooley Womack, Steve Hamilton and Joe Verbanic man a thin bullpen that will need shoring up. Manager Ralph Houk will carefully look over Stan Bahnsen, Cecil Perkins, John Cumberland and Bill Burbach for a possible sleeper.
The catching is secure enough with Jake Gibbs, whose defensive work showed some improvement last year. But it looks as if the Yankees may be forced to go with kids behind him. They are Frank Fernandez, a .235 hitter at Syracuse last year, and Eliseo Rodriguez, who hit .249 for the same club."
-Jack Zanger, Major League Baseball 1968
IN BRIEF
Probable 1968 Finish: 7th
Strengths: some first-rate pitching with Stottlemyre and Downing and the magic of Mantle.
Biggest Needs: a hard-hitting outfielder, filling the hole at third base and added help in the bullpen.
1967 Finish: 9th
-Jack Zanger, Major League Baseball 1968
1968 Yankees Depth Chart
C Jake Gibbs, Frank Fernandez
1B Mickey Mantle
2B Horace Clarke
3B Bill Robinson, Bobby Cox
SS Ruben Amaro
LF Tom Tresh, Tom Shopay
CF Joe Pepitone
RF Steve Whitaker, Roy White
UTILITY:
Dick Howser
Andy Kosco
Mike Hegan
Gene Michael
PITCHERS:
Mel Stottlemyre Fred Talbot
Al Downing Steve Hamilton
Fritz Peterson Dooley Womack
Steve Barber Joe Verbanic
Bill Monbouquette
-Jack Zanger, Major League Baseball 1968
"The shock of the last place finish of 1966 has given way to quiet confidence in the offices of the New York Yankees. There's a feeling that the corner has been turned and the club's on its way back. After all, didn't the Yankees make a better showing than the rival New York Mets in 1967?
The comeback is going to take time, of course. New York won't be in the American League pennant race this year and probably won't be in it next year, either. But the team has been reorganized, good young players have been signed and one of these seasons the Yankees will make a big jump such as the Boston Red Sox made in 1967. Maybe not all the way to the top, but at least back into pennant contention.
As part of this general outlook, the Yankees seem to be reclaiming New York from the Mets. The Bombers took their beating like men the last three years and went about trying to right themselves. The Mets, meanwhile, continued the policy of glorifying their own futility. If the Yanks can make a move toward pennant respectability within the next three years, they may very well steal the Mets' fans away and make Flushing Meadow a disaster area.
The Yankees biggest problem is offense. The team which over the years has been personified by such sluggers as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris scored fewer runs than any other outfit in the junior circuit last season and ranked eighth in batting with a .225 average. There could be some improvement this year, but the big bats just aren't there.
Joe Pepitone and Mickey Mantle were the club's primary run producers in 1967, Pepi driving in 64 runs and hitting 13 homers and Mantle driving in 55 runs and hitting 22 homers. Those are pathetic figures to lead any club and they aren't likely to improve this year. Joe simply appears to lack the stuff to be a star and Mickey may be playing his last season.
Manager Ralph Houk plans to use Pepitone in center field, flanked by Tom Tresh in left and Bill Robinson and Steve Whitaker in right. Tresh batted .219, Robinson .196 and Whitaker .243 (and the trio hit a total of 32 homers) in 1967. Robinson, the big disappointment of '67, is still regarded as an excellent prospect, however, and could make a big difference.
Horace Clarke, who did a good job last year, will be at second base again, with Ruben Amaro at shortstop and a scramble among Charley Smith, Bobby Cox, Mike Ferraro and possibly Robinson at third. Jake Gibbs is the No. 1 catcher with Frank Fernandez expected to come along fast by mid-season.
Yankee pitching is surprisingly good. The staff, which ranked No. 4 with a 3.24 earned run average last season, is led by Mel Stottlemyre and Al Downing. Stottlemyre, a 20-game winner in 1965, has proved he is one of the most reliable pitchers in the majors and Downing conquered control problems in '67 to check in with a 14-10 record and 2.63 earned run mark. Fritz Peterson was only 8-14 in his sophomore campaign, but should be a reliable No. 3 man. Steve Barber, Bill Monbouquette and Fred Talbot are the other likely starters, and all are question marks for one reason or another.
Dooley Womack and Steve Hamilton give New York a first-class righty-lefty bullpen combination. Womack has developed rapidly in the last two seasons and had a 2.41 ERA in 65 games in 1967, while Hamilton has demonstrated his reliability during five seasons with the club.
The Yankees are going to have to endure another second-division finish - probably as low as eighth place - but the worst is behind them."
-Fred Down, 1968 Baseball Guidebook
SAME NEW YANKEES, SECOND DIVISION AGAIN
"The New York Yankees moved up one place to ninth last season, and they still have a long way to go before becoming a respectable ball club in the American League they once dominated so completely.
The Yankees were last runs in scored and last in fielding in 1967, and they have made no trades which figure to result in any startling improvement. They are faced with a complete rebuilding job from the minors on up.
In one category, however, the Yankees are better than respectable. Their front-line pitching is of contender status.
There is hope for improvement on offense because both left fielder Tom Tresh and center fielder Joe Pepitone had subpar seasons last year, and each could improve considerably this time. Then, too, Mickey Mantle, who topped the Yankees in home runs, may do better now that's he's more familiar with the first base job he took over last year for the first time.
The pitching staff has four creditable starters in Mel Stottlemyre, who won 15 games, lost 15 and had a 2.96 earned run average in 1967; Al Downing (14-10, 2.63); Steve Barber (14-10, 4.08) and Fritz Peterson (8-14, 3.48), a better pitcher than his record shows.
The last three are lefties, an asset in Yankee Stadium with its short right field barrier, but not on the road, a fact that may account for the Yankees compiling a 43-38 home record while posting a 29-52 log on the road.
Right-handers Fred Talbot (6-8, 4.21) and Bill Monbouquette (6-5, 2.33) have the best chance of moving into the starting rotation.
Dooley Womack (5-6, 2.41 in 65 games) is the workhorse who heads the relief corps.
Joe Verbanic (4-3, 2.81), lefty Steve Hamilton (2-4, 3.48), Thad Tillotson (3-9, 4.04), Jim Bouton (2-8, 3.36 at Syracuse) and rookies Bill Burbach (10-9, 2.79 at Binghamton), Stan Bahnsen (9-11, 3.52 at Syracuse) and Cecil Perkins (5-8, 2.15 at Syracuse) will battle for the remaining staff jobs.
There are only four regulars certain of their jobs. Mantle, who batted .245, hit 22 homers and knocked in 55 runs will be at first base; Horace Clarke (.272, 3, 29), who stole 21 bases last year in 25 attempts, will be at second; Tresh (.219, 14, 53), who had his bad knee operated on last fall will play left, and Pepitone (.251, 13, 64), who moved from first to center, will be in center or right.
If Ruben Amaro (.233, 1, 17) plays as well on defense as he did most of last season, he'll play shortstop again, with Gene Michael (.202, 0, 7 in 98 games for Los Angeles) backing him up.
A three-way battle may take place at third for the job Charlie Smith (.224, 9, 38) filled most of last season. Smith will face challenges this time from rookies Mike Ferraro, who batted .292 at Spokane, and Bobby Cox, who hit .297 at Richmond and moved to the Yankees in a trade with Atlanta.
Mike Hegan (.136, 1, 3 in 68 games), who is a fine fielder but a weak hitter, will spell Mantle at first, and Dick Howser (.268, 0, 10 in 63 games) will be a utility infielder.
There are plenty of candidates for the outfield jobs not held by Tresh and Pepitone. Steve Whitaker (.243, 11, 50); Bill Robinson (.196, 7, 29), who may also get a trial at third, and Andy Kosco (.297, 13, 67 at Denver), the former Minnesota Twin obtained in the draft, may fight it out for the vacant spot or fill it on a platoon basis. Roy White (.224, 2, 18) and rookie Tom Shopay (.277, 9, 45) are other candidates.
Frank Fernandez, a former Villanova freshman, could be the Yanks' top rookie and win a share of the catching job. A right-handed hitter, he is well regarded despite his not too impressive Syracuse figures of .235, 6, 24 in 59 games. If he comes through, he will share the receiving with left-handed-hitting Jake Gibbs (.233, 4, 25)."
-George Vass, Baseball Digest (April 1968)
QUICK RUNDOWN ON THE YANKEES
Strengths: front-line pitching.
Greatest Need: comebacks by outfielders Tresh and Pepitone.
Outlook: another second-division finish.
-George Vass, Baseball Digest (April 1968)
1968 Yankees Spring Training Depth Chart
C Jake Gibbs
1B Mickey Mantle
2B Horace Clarke
3B Bobby Cox
SS Gene Michael
LF Tom Tresh
CF Joe Pepitone
RF Bill Robinson
UTILITY:
C Frank Fernandez
1B Mike Hegan
2B Dick Howser
SS Ruben Amaro
LF Roy White
CF Andy Kosco
RF Steve Whitaker
PH Charley Smith (3B)
PITCHERS:
Mel Stottlemyre
Al Downing
Fritz Peterson
Fred Talbot
Steve Barber
Bill Monbouquette
RELIEF PITCHERS:
Dooley Womack
Steve Hamilton
Joe Verbanic
No comments:
Post a Comment