1970 New York Yankees Outlook

"If the Yankees learn to live without Mickey Mantle, they can learn to live without Joe Pepitone. No sarcasm is intended here, but the truth of the matter is the Yankees will be a better ball club without him for a couple of reasons.
First off, Joe's absences from the club last year had to be disruptive to team morale. It's true, Joe ran into some deep problems that he couldn't handle, and that's part of his tragedy. In the second place, the Yankees got a pretty fair country ballplayer in return, one who wants to play and play in New York, which is where he was intended to play all along. He's Curt Blefary, who the Yanks lost in a fluke roster snarl to the Orioles several years ago.
These are only some of the reasons the Yankees figure to be an improved ball club this season. They had better than adequate pitching last year, but nobody to keep the attack alive. Now they have added Danny Cater, the good line-drive hitter from the A's, and he will play first base. Horace Clarke, who had his best year for the Yankees in '69, is back to play second base. The Yankees are hoping that the kind of play they got from Gene Michael at shortstop last year was not a one-season phenomenon. At third is Jerry Kenney, of whom no can tell his ultimate potential. He swings a lively bat, can run like the wind and will have the advantage of starting out at third base at the beginning of the year. Another off-season acquisition is Pete Ward, the former White Soxer, and the Yankees don't care whether or not he brought his glove with him from Chicago. They want him mostly for his good left-hand pinch-hitting. Ward aside, the club is low in infield subs. Shortstop Frank Baker is the only other reliable glove man, and he looks like he needs another year in the minors. John Ellis, a good young hitter with power, probably will be kept because he can catch, play first and the outfield. Frank Tepedino, who swings left-handed, can also play first and the outfield.
The starting outfield is set with Roy White in left, Bobby Murcer in center and Blefary in right. During the off-season, manager Ralph Houk stressed that he doesn't want to shuttle his people from position to position. Despite their versatility, Blefary stays in right, Cater at first. Murcer is the closest thing the Yankees have to Mantle, and not simply because he comes from Oklahoma. He should develop into a true star. He swings a potent home run bat and is a very coachable ballplayer, which explains why everybody in Fort Lauderdale was giving him pointers on how to play his new position. White has quietly matured into a solid hitter. Fighting for the extra outfield berths will be Bill Robinson, who mystifies everyone, Ron Woods and Jim Lyttle. But with Tepedino and Ellis available out there, there may be little room for anyone else. Future bet Ron Blomberg, who hit .284 with 19 homers at Manchester last year, probably can benefit from at least one more year in the minors. The feeling is the Yankees bought their good young kids extra time to develop when they landed Blefary and Cater.
Improvement is noted behind the plate where Thurman Munson takes over. The Yanks think he's the best young catcher they've had since Elston Howard came up from Toronto. Lefty-hitting Jake Gibbs will do a work-a-day job behind him.
If pitching is the Yankees' strong suit, Mel Stottlemyre is the class of the league. Three times a 20-game winner, including last year, he's as professional as a pitcher can be. Stan Bahnsen, who fell from 17 wins as Rookie of the Year in 1968 to 9-16 last year, has got to learn to adjust his pitching to the lowered mound - or at least adjust his thinking. Fritz Peterson, getting better all the time, is a solid pitcher every four days, and Bill Burbach, who broke in with a 6-8 mark last season, is the fourth starter. Candidates for the fifth job include Mike Kekich, John Cumberland and Ron Klimkowski.
The bullpen has the proper shading of gray hair. Jack Aker, Steve Hamilton (author of a new floater pitch) and Lindy McDaniel, who had 20 saves among them last year, should get most of the calls. The could be joined by Dick Farrell, who went to camp as a free agent."

-Jack Zanger, Major League Baseball 1970

IN BRIEF
Probable 1970 Finish: 3rd (East)
Strengths: strong pitching ornamented by Stottlemyre, and a set lineup spruced up by good young kids like Murcer and Kenney.
Biggest Needs: protection at shortstop, an extra outfielder, and one more bullpen arm.
1969 finish: 5th (East)

-Jack Zanger, Major League Baseball 1970

1970 Yankees Depth Chart
C   Thurman Munson, Jake Gibbs
1B Danny Cater
2B Horace Clarke
3B Jerry Kenney
SS Gene Michael
LF Roy White
CF Bobby Murcer
RF Curt Blefary
UTILITY:
Pete Ward
John Ellis
Frank Tepedino
Bill Robinson
Ron Woods
PITCHERS:
Mel Stottlemyre        Mike Kekich
Fritz Peterson           Steve Hamilton
Stan Bahnsen          Jack Aker
Bill Burbach              Lindy McDaniel
John Cumberland    Ron Klimkowski

-Jack Zanger, Major League Baseball 1970


"That club is stirring again. The one with the pinstripes and the pride. It has received several transfusions in the past few years but is now ready to get back on its feet again.
The Yankees, the other team in New York, the underdog, that funny team across the river, are going to quietly sneak up on a few people this year. No, they won't scare them. Surprise them maybe just a little.
The biggest weapon the Yankees have going for them is their youth. There will be a rookie or two scattered throughout the lineup and where there isn't a rookie there will be a second-year man and where there isn't a second-year man there will be a newcomer.
Newcomers Curt Blefary, who will replace Joe Pepitone in the hearts of those fans who like their players flakey, and Pete Ward, acquired from the White Sox, have swings tailored for Yankee Stadium's short right field porch. Blefary will start in right while Ward will provide left-hand-hitting bench strength and can fill in at first, third or outfield. Danny Cater, who came from the A's with a .275 lifetime average, can play outfield or first.
Where Cater plays will depend largely on the success John Ellis and Frank Tepedino have in adapting to first base. Ellis, a raw catcher last season, is a hard-hitting youngster whom the Yankees would like to see in the lineup. Tepedino .300 at Syracuse a year ago.
The development of Thurman Munson, a slick young catcher, enabled the Yanks to trade Frank Fernandez. Munson displayed remarkable natural ability as a receiver and hit well at Syracuse and with New York despite a long stretch in the Army Reserves.
Bobby Murcer, the bright youngster of 1969 who hit a surprising 26 homers, has been moved from right field to center field to take advantage of his speed and because Bill Robinson, Ron Woods and Jim Lyttle tried and failed there last year.
Left field is no problem with Roy White, the Yankees' most versatile player and a .290 hitter, in residence. The left side of the infield also appears set with Jerry Kenney, who hit .257 as a rookie, at third, and Gene Michael, a pleasant surprise, at shortstop. Michael, a renowned non-hitter, suddenly did things right last year. He batted .272 and allowed the Yankees to clear some dead wood in the form of Tom Tresh. He also combined with second baseman Horace Clarke (.287) to form a fine double play combination.
It is the pitching, though, which brings the most cheer to manager Ralph Houk, who is starting the first year of a new three-year contract. Fritz Peterson (17-16) finally developed the consistency to be a top winner, and Mel Stottlemyre (20-14) is one of the best in baseball. Bill Burbach (6-8) showed flashes of promise in his first season and may nail the starting berth vacated by the traded Al Downing.
The big question mark is Stan Bahnsen, the Rookie of the Year in 1968 and a confused 9-16 last season. But the late-season development of Mike Kekich and the presence of Ron Klimkowski (15-7) add depth to the staff. The relief trio of Jack Aker, Lindy McDaniel and Steve Hamilton is a fine one.
Houk, naturally, is optimistic. He always is. 'We are not far from being a contender,' he says. 'One more run a game could make the big change and I feel some of our young players will provide it.' He may well be right."

-Joe Gergen, Baseball 1970 Yearbook


"A trio of off-season trades have improved the Yankees' chances of returning to the first division in 1970.
The acquisitions of Curt Blefary, Pete Ward and Danny Cater and the departure of Joe Pepitone make the New Yorkers a better ball club.
Blefary, who hit .253 with 12 home runs and 67 RBIs for Houston will start in the outfield with Roy White (.290) and Bobby Murcer, who hit .259 while clouting 26 home runs in his rookie season. Blefary's homer production could double.
Cater takes over at first base for Pepitone and figures to match Pepi's RBI output.
The rest of the infield is well set with Horace Clarke (.287) at second, Gene Michael (.272) at short and Jerry Kenney (.257) at third.
Pete Ward, obtained from the Chicago White Sox, will be the top pinch hitter and will also be used as a third baseman.
John Ellis, who caught last year, has been converted into a first baseman and might be used there with Cater playing just about any place. In fact, the Yankee club is extremely versatile with most starters able to play virtually any position.
Rookie Thurman Munson, who joined the club late in the season, has the inside track for the catching job over veteran Jake Gibbs.
Manager Ralph Houk is confident he has five starters in Mel Stottlemyre (20-14), Fritz Peterson (17-16), Bill Burbach (6-8), Stan Bahnsen (9-16) and Mike Kekich (4-6)."

-Sports All Stars 1970 Baseball


"In the AL East, look for the Yankees, fortified by astute trades over the winter. They'll be coming off a springboard of a fair 80-81 record in 1969, although there's tough competition in this division with the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and reborn Washington Senators in the way.
The Yankees' main strength is still the pitching staff, second only to Baltimore's in ERA last season, led by Mel Stottlemyre, a 20-game winner for the third time in his career with 20-14 and a 2.82 ERA.
Then there are Fritz Peterson (17-16, 2.55), Stan Bahnsen (9-16, 3.83), Bill Burbach (6-8, 3.64) and Mike Kekich (4-6, 4.54). Kekich's record is hardly indicative of his enormous potential - something that could be said for this entire staff of young, strong arms.
Bobby Murcer, the center fielder who himself is on the rise (.259 with 26 HR and 82 RBI) put the Yankee problem into words.
'Look, we have the pitching,' said Murcer. 'Now if we can just produce more runs, we have to be tough. If we get the runs, then our pitchers are going to be even better because they won't be under such pressure to produce a shutout.'
The two chief winter acquisitions virtually assure the Yanks of more runs in 1970. Curt Blefary, gotten from Houston in exchange for Joe Pepitone, and Danny Cater, obtained from Oakland, are proven hitters who could make the Yanks the 'surprise' of the East.
'Now we have added both left-handed and right-handed hitting power in Blefary and Cater,' said Houk. 'They will give an entirely different look to our lineup, plus adding more versatility and bench strength.
'With Blefary and Cater, our lineup looks a lot stronger than it did last year. I expect Blefary to play right field and Cater to play first base.'
An outfield of Murcer, Roy White (.274, 7 HR, 74 RBI) and Blefary (.253, 12 HR, 67 RBI at Houston) seems solid. Cater (.262, 10 HR, 76 RBI) is capable of hitting .295 and filling in at first, the outfield and at second, playing 162 games where needed.
White, a solid performer two seasons in a row, shares Murcer's optimism about the club's prospects.
'I think 1970 is going to be the year the Yankees start coming back,' he said. 'After all, our pitching is really good, we have some good young players and we have been down long enough.'
We think so, too, and there's just enough there to give them a shot at a division title if everything breaks right."

-George Vass, Baseball Digest (April 1970)


IT'S A BRAND NEW DECADE .. AND THE YANKS HAVE ARRIVED by Ralph Houk
"When we won our last pennant six years ago, we did it in familiar Yankee style- with a mixture of youth and experience. It's been a long but patient wait to see that combination emerge again, but with the advent of a new decade, we feel the time is at last here. For we have spent the last several years restocking our farm system, trading for key veterans and maturing our youngsters, all with the hope of returning to pennant contention. At last, we feel we have arrived.
Again we have one of the youngest clubs in Yankee history, averaging 24.7 years. The year of experience that youngsters like Bobby Murcer, Jerry Kenney and Bill Burbach received in 1969 should carry over into the '70s with positive results for the Yankees, and we look to all three for big years.
As a team the past few seasons, we have needed more offense, and I firmly believe that the addition to our regular lineup of such proven hitting stars as Curt Blefary, Danny Cater and Thurman Munson can add 85 to 100 runs over last season. And when you consider that we lost 31 games by only one run last year, you can see what 110 runs could mean.
It's not often we can call a man with 26 major league games behind him a 'proven hitting star,' but Munson seems to have all the hitting tools necessary to disturb American League pitching in the '70s. He hasn't met the league yet in which he wasn't a star, and I'm confident that he'll be one of the best in baseball.
We also added another power hitter to Yankee Stadium in Pete Ward. He's always hit well in our park, as has Blefary. Pete should see a lot of action.
The Yankee pinch hitters only batted .138 last year. Our bench has got to better in 1970, and I'm sure it will be. Ward himself was a .370 pinch hitter with the White Sox, to lead the league in that department.
Competition within the team always makes players perform better, and the added depth in our 1970 roster should bring out the best in everyone. Big John Ellis, the 21-year-old catcher, has been working out at first base, and wherever he plays he'll offer us a big bat. Jim Lyttle, Frank Tepedino and Ron Blomberg all had fine seasons in the minors last year, and their presence should make our outfield regulars of Murcer, Blefary and All-Star Roy White perform to their finest. We still have hopes that Bill Robinson will achieve his potential, and Ron Woods showed us a great glove last season in center field.
Our infield should be better with the experience Jerry Kenney has at third, rangy Gene Michael back at short, Horace Clarke playing his steady brand of second base, and an interesting contest at first between Cater, Ellis and Ward, all of whom can also play other positions. Kenney, who had to learn third base from scratch, wound up making only seven errors all season at his new position, Michael came off the bench to become a standout infielder and one of our most consistent hitters, while Clarke, in a quiet day-in-and-day-out way, finished second in the league in total hits (183) last season while stealing 33 bases.
Young players like Frank Baker, Dave McDonald and Tony Solaita (who hit 51 homers in 1968) have made us proud of our farm system again, and with veterans Bobby Cox and Len Boehmer joining the scramble, we have a lot of talent to pick from to round out the infield. The Yankees have also added veteran infield star Ron Hansen from the White Sox. We are also taking our first spring training look at prospects like Mario Guerrero, Tim O'Connell, George Zeber and Rusty Torres, all of whom played at Kinston last year.
Our catching should be much improved with Munson taking his place behind the plate, backed by solid Jake Gibbs and Ellis.
And when we talk about pitching, we talk about a staff that reached pennant maturity last year. Second only to Baltimore in 1969, the staff is once again headed by Mel Stottlemyre, one of baseball's finest. Mel was the youngster on that past pennant winner- now he's the pitcher representing experience and he's only 28. With the development into stardom of Fritz Peterson, and confidence that Stan Bahnsen will bounce back to his Rookie of the Year form of 1968, I feel we will have three of the finest starters in the League. Burbach should be much improved over last year, and we saw a lot of improvement in Mike Kekich's performances late last season. Young men like Ron Klimkowski, the International League's top pitcher last year, Joe Verbanic, returning after a year-long injury, and John Cumberland, who worked for us last summer, the Yankees offer a fine selection of starting pitchers.
Our experience really shows up in the bullpen, and nowhere is experience more necessary. Jack Aker and Lindy McDaniel, both former Firemen of the Year, support us with their right arms, while Steve Hamilton, the senior Yankee, will be back to baffle hitters with his big curve and the blooper pitch (he calls it his 'Folly Floater') he developed in 1969. The veteran National League star Dick Farrell is a non-roster player invited to spring camp because we feel that he may offer additional relief aid to the staff. Several fine young pitching prospects will make their first appearances in camp this spring.
While the Yankees have improved materially over the winter, so have some of our competitors in the American League East, which I think is the toughest division in all sports. Baltimore won easily last season and must be considered the team to beat. It's a solid club. Boston is powerful and figures to be a top contender if it gets the pitching it expects. The Tigers must be reckoned with and Washington was the surprise of the American League under Ted Williams last summer. The Cleveland Indians made several big off-season deals that they feel will prove beneficial. Likewise, the clubs in the American League West figure to be stronger than in 1969.
As a manager I am fortunate to have what I feel is the best coaching staff in baseball- Jim Turner, Jim Hegan, Elston Howard and Dick Howser, all returning from last year.
I'd like to thank the Yankee fans for sticking with us over the lean years. I believe this will be the start of a new, exciting team with more youth, speed and power than we've had in quite a while. I know that the players, coaches and I feel that we can go all the way in 1970."

-Ralph Houk, 1970 New York Yankees Official Spring Guidebook Program


COMEBACK FOR THE YANKEES?
"The challenge is now and the New York Yankees appear ready to meet it, to straighten out the Gotham world turned upside down by the rise of their crosstown rival, those astonishing Mets.
It was Ralph Houk, Yankee manager, who issued the challenge, apparently unawed by the Mets' World Series victory of 1969. Perhaps he was emboldened by the thought the Mets had achieved the unachievable in their rise from ninth to the absolute peak, that there was no way for them to follow their incredible act.
In a mood of buoyance, Houk said (in effect) before the season opened:
'We've got a better ballclub than the Mets. They would have finished second last year in our division if they were lucky. They can't compare with the Baltimore Orioles or Minnesota Twins.
'I just can't wait for the Yankees to get back into a World Series against them so I can beat those so-and-so upstarts.'
Those are strong words, but the truth is the Yankees must do something to regain their position in the vast New York market, in the hearts and wallets of the fans. The Mets have muscled them out of newspaper space, out of radio-TV publicity, out of drawing power.
In six short years the majestic Yankees, who won 13 pennants in 15 years, have become underdogs. And the underdog Mets, undreamt in the days of Yankee rule in the 1950s, have become the kingpins of baseball.
This is the year in which the flow of fortune may well be reversed, in which the Yankees may capture the imagination and adoration of those who love the downtrodden.
Not that these Yankees can be compared with those of the past. No Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle is on hand to lead them out of the wilderness.
But the days of giants have passed, and among the breed of lesser men that trod the diamonds, the Yankees have their share of fair-size heroes. In fact, they have more than enough of them to win the AL East Division title this season.
Names like Bobby Murcer, Mel Stottlemyre, Horace Clarke, Danny Cater, Roy White and Curt Blefary don't have the ring carried of those carried by Mantle, Yogi Berra, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford and other greats of the glory years, but they will serve.
For this is the era of the 'team' rather than the superstar. Nobody proved that better than the Mets, who with a masterful platooning act by manager Gil Hodges, pulled to the top employing such players as Ron Swoboda, Art Shamsky, Rod Gaspar, Ed Kranepool and Donn Clendenon, among more notable people such as Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Tommie Agee.
The need today is for a framework of respectable players and a superior effort from the lesser lights. That's what created the Mets miracle, and the Yankees have the ingredients to follow suit.
And they even have a budding superstar in Murcer, the infielder-turned-center fielder. Murcer, 24, after two years in the Army, showed tremendous potential in his first full season last year by getting 26 home runs and driving in 82 runs while batting .259.
It is Murcer who can lead the Yankees out of the depths, with the help of such country-fair hitters as White, Clarke and the additions in winter trades, Blefary, Cater and Pete Ward, the ex-White Sox. For the Yankees have the pitching, demonstrated last season when the club earned run average was second only to Baltimore's.
Stottlemyre, 28, a right-hander, is the Yankee of the old mold, going back to his rookie year of 1964 when with a 9-3 record after coming up in mid-season, he helped them to their last pennant. Last season he had his third 20-game year with a 20-14 record and a 2.82 ERA achieved with a weak-hitting team.
Houk is Stottlemyre's greatest admirer.
'It's comforting to have a pitcher like Mel,' said Houk. 'He is always ready to pitch and practically never has a bad game. He helps himself with his bat and he is getting better every year. There's no doubt he's one of the top pitchers in the league.'
What makes Stottlemyre such a consistent success and a possible emulator of Tom Seaver, the strong young pitcher who led the Mets to their miracle, is his varied pitching repertoire.
'I'm not a one-pitch pitcher,' says Stottlemyre. 'I can get them out more than one way, so I don't think the hitters will catch up to me.'
Stottlemyre is the kingpin, but the supporting pitching cast is also admirable, starting with Fritz Peterson, the left-hander who has shown steady progress in four full seasons and could be the Koosman of this staff.
Last season, Peterson was 17-15 with the best ERA on the staff, a solid 2.55, and 16 complete games in 37 starts. At 28 he's headed for a 20-game year.
'With a little help he could have won 20,' says Houk. 'I think at one point we three runs in five games for him. He had a great year and should get better yet.'
Stan Bahnsen, who was American League Rookie of the Year in 1968, was a disappointment in 1969. But it appeared certain this year he would return to his rookie form, a strong 17-14 record with a 2.06 ERA. Sure, he was 9-16 in 1969, but he was a victim as much of Yankee lack of punch as of pitching failure.
With Mike Kekich, Bill Burbach (6-8 last year as a rookie) and relief ace Jack Aker, the Yanks have a fine staff.
'Our pitching held up better than anything else last season,' says Houk. 'It's young and has a chance to become the best staff in the league. What we have to do is get the pitchers some consistent scoring and they can do their part.'
It is this, getting batting help, the Yankees attempted to do in the numerous transactions over the winter and during the spring that brought them Blefary, Cater, Ward and Ron Hansen, a handyman from the White Sox. Rookies, such as first baseman John Ellis and catcher Thurman Munson, also are expected to add punch.
Cater may be the biggest help of all. He can play first, third or the outfield and came from Oakland with a .275 batting average for his career and 76 runs batted in last season. He's a solid right-handed hitter.
'Left-handed pitchers killed us last year,' says Houk, 'and Cater should help in that department. With him and Blefary, who can play first or the outfield, we are much deeper and more versatile than we have been for a long time.'
Blefary, who hit 12 home runs and batted .253 at Houston last year, is capable of much more. He was Rookie of the Year at Baltimore in 1965, when he hit .260 and 22 home runs. At 26, he should be hitting his stride.
'These two guys, Blefary and Cater, give an entirely different look to our lineup,' says Houk. 'Now, with Roy White in left and Murcer in center, we've got a solid outfield no matter which of the two I play and also the help we need at first.'
The Yankee infield is set, with Horace Clarke (.287) at second, Gene Michael (.272), who found himself last season, at short and Jerry Kenney, a comer, at third with a lift from Cater if needed.
Jake Gibbs and Munson, 22, should take care of the catching. Munson has it in him to become the Yankee catcher for the next decade.
There's no question about left fielder White, the leading Yankee hitter last year at .290. He drove in 74 runs and has improved every season to become an established regular.
This is a solid supporting cast. A framework for victory and yet a lot depends on one man, a young fellow named Murcer who could make it all work if he lives up to predictions. He is no Mantle, DiMaggio or Ruth in that his fielding skills will probably never be more than adequate.
But with the bat, that's where his future lies.
'Bobby has a chance to be a great player,' says Houk. 'He shouldn't let his errors bother him, though. That's why I moved him last year from third base to the outfield. I wanted to lift the pressure off him. I still think any infielder can move to the outfield without trouble.
'Bobby is fast, has a fine arm and is young enough to make adjustments. In this day and age, there always will be a spot in the lineup for a player who can swing a bat like Bobby.'
Murcer was the Yankees' No. 1 development project this year. They set a squadron of instructors to work polishing both his hitting and fielding. Such experts as Mantle, Gene Woodling and Harry Craft worked with him.
'If I learn one thing from each of the instructors I guess I'll be a pretty good center fielder this season,' laughed Murcer. 'Not that I think I was all that bad last year. It was a sudden change for me when I moved out of the infield, but I enjoyed it and thought I had done pretty well.'
Murcer learned quite a bit about batting, too, in his first year, which should help him from now on.
He started hot but ran into tough mid-season slumps. He had 11 homers by the end of May but didn't get No. 12 until July 8. His batting average started high, sank low and recovered late.
'I think I will be settled down a lot more this year and not worry about batting slumps,' he said when this season started. 'I realize that everyone runs into a slump now and then, but not worrying about it can end it faster. When I slumped last year, I let it get to me and I had a terrible time shaking it.'
He started the 1970 season with some simple, fairly achievable goals.
'There are two departments I'd just as soon not lead in again,' he said. 'That is strikeouts and errors. I think my strikeouts will be cut as I get to know the pitchers better. My one big plan is to lay off bad pitches this season and wait for my pitch.'
Murcer believes the overall strengthening of the Yankee lineup will benefit him directly.
'I'll have good hitters ahead of and behind me,' he says. 'That means I'll see better pitches because the pitchers won't want to walk me this year if guys like Blefary, Munson, Cater or Ward are batting around me. I think we'll score a lot more runs.'
Murcer went into the 1970 season with another great advantage- this time he knows exactly what position he will be playing all year and the pressures of being in the infield won't bother him.
'I'm happy in the outfield and won't have that pressure on me again, so I'll be able to concentrate more on my hitting,' he explains. 'I didn't set any goals, but I just want to improve on all counts. Maybe I would settle for 26 homers again, but I want to hike my batting average and get closer to 100 RBI.'
If he can do that, with the help the Yanks should get from the other hitters, the possibility of a Met-like upsurge should be increased.
'Look, we have the pitching,' says Murcer. 'Now if we can just produce more runs, we have to tough.'"

-George Vass, Baseball Digest (June 1970)


1970 Yankees Spring Training Depth Chart
C   Thurman Munson
1B Danny Cater
2B Horace Clarke
3B Jerry Kenney
SS Gene Michael
LF Roy White
CF Bobby Murcer
RF Curt Blefary
UTILITY:
C   Jake Gibbs 
1B John Ellis (C)
SS Frank Baker (2B)
CF Ron Woods
RF Frank Tepedino (1B)
RF Bill Robinson (3B)
PH Pete Ward (1B-3B)
PITCHERS:
Mel Stottlemyre
Fritz Peterson
Stan Bahnsen
Bill Burbach
Mike Kekich
John Cumberland
RELIEF PITCHERS:
Jack Aker
Steve Hamilton
Lindy McDaniel
Joe Verbanic