"As one New York writer remarked last year, Joe Pepitone is quite capable of abdicating his stardom if he's not careful. The inference, of course, is that Joe has not been playing up to his potential.
His potential should exceed by plenty the .251 average, 13 homers and 64 RBIs he scratched out last season. Joe is an enigma. He's possessed with excellent natural ability that has come to the surface on occasion, only to subside. He was a .271 hitter as a rookie in 1963, belting 27 homers and driving in 89 runs. His average slipped down into the .250s after that, but he hit 28 homers in '64 and 31 in '66.
Offbeat but likeable, maybe he still has some growing up to do."
-Jack Zanger, Major League Baseball 1968
"'Sure, I'm a bit of a showboat, but that's the way I am,' says Peppy. 'I like to hear the fans come up out of their seats with a roar when I make a sensational catch or fire one in from the outfield. I enjoy the game more. It loosens me up and I hit better.'
Joe is more than a colorful player; he's the complete pro. A power hitter and fast on the bases, for two consecutive years he led the Yanks in games played, runs scored and RBIs. After twice winning the Sporting News Gold Glove award as the American League's best fielding first baseman, Joe gladly yielded the sack to Mickey Mantle and trotted out to center field.
'No one is pulling harder for Mickey to make it as a first baseman than I am,' said Peppy early last year. 'I predict he'll make it easily and surprise a lot of people. Then I can stay in the outfield and be happy.'
The prediction came true, and while Joe didn't have as good a year as he'd hoped because of injuries, he's now accustomed to throwing from center.
Peppy averaged about 25 home runs a season in four and a half previous campaigns but hit only 13 in '67. At 27, Joe should just be reaching his peak with his best years ahead of him.
'I'm proud of those two Gold Gloves,' he says, 'but now I want to win one in the outfield. I kid a lot, but I'm really serious about this.'
This could be another prediction. Peppy isn't just a showboat. He delivers. Who can forget his grand slam home run in the '64 Series? Or his two homers in one inning on May 23, 1962?
Joe, born in Brooklyn, lives with his wife Diane in Fort Lee, New Jersey and has a boy, Joseph (4), and two girls, Eileen (6) and Lisa Ann (2)."
-The New York Yankees Official 1968 Yearbook
"Still only 27 years old, Pepitone now has had five productive years for the Yankees. He has led the club in runs batted in three of those years. His home run production fell off last year to 13; his average, however, for his five full years is just under 25 per year.
Originally an outfielder, Joe was switched to first base in 1963 and led the league in fielding at that position in 1965 and 1966. He was switched back to the outfield last year when Mantle went to first base. Joe knocked in the winning run 12 times last year, second to Mantle's 15. He has the potential for a top starting role.
One of the most colorful players in the league, Joe was booked for singing engagements during this past off-season."
-1968 New York Yankees Press-Radio-TV Guide
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