"One of the least-known good hitters in baseball has to be Danny Cater. Maybe it's because Danny concentrates on producing instead of cheerleading. Last season the veteran infielder/outfielder hit a career high of .301 while driving in 76 runs, making the trade which brought him from Oakland look exceptionally good. Danny played mostly first base for the Yankees last year, but also put in time at third and in right field when Houk wanted to get added power by playing John Ellis at first.
Originally a National Leaguer, Danny hit .296 with Philadelphia in 1964. He spent some time with the White Sox before joining the A's in 1966. In 1968, he was the second-best hitter in the league with a .290 average. Danny, 31, lacks home run power but hits to all fields."
-Brenda Zanger and Dick Kaplan, Major League Baseball 1971
"Danny hit so well and so often last season his name appeared in the box scores more often right than wrong. He's nicknamed Carter for all the mistakes linotypists have made down through the years. He's a spectacularly dull player who does everything so effortlessly fans never seem to know he's around.
'I don't think people will ever recognize me on the street or anything,' he has said. Danny is oft-maligned by minor and some major league managers for his lack of fire.
'Even if I hollered nobody would hear me,' he says. His lack of identity is so pronounced that the occupant three houses down in Williamsport, Pennsylvania didn't even know who he was when a newsman rang the bell by mistake.
Danny is a thoroughly professional hitter who never has finished below .270 in the majors. He hits the ball wherever it is pitched. He can play first base well, outfield adequately and third base in times of national crisis.
Married, with three children, Danny was born February 25, 1940 in Austin, Texas."
-Joe Gergen, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1971 Edition
"Listed as an outfielder, Cater may turn up at first, third or right field because his is an exceptional bat. Acquired from Oakland for Frank Fernandez and Al Downing in the 1969 winter trades, Cater has filled the need for a right-handed hitter by turning in his best year in the majors, hitting .301. This outranked his 1968 mark of .290 when he finished second to Carl Yastrzemski for the American League batting title. Danny, the steadiest, most consistent Yankee, spent little time in slumps. The reason, according to Ralph Houk:
'When Danny goes seven or eight times without a hit, he doesn't start experimenting. He just keeps swinging in his normal style and is out of a slump before he gets into it.'
But the reason for it according to Cater is: 'On some clubs all you need is a couple of bad days and the manager starts experimenting. Houk isn't like that. It's a pleasure to be playing for Ralph.'
Danny played in 155 games and was second on the club with 175 hits to keep him among the leading lifetime hitters in the American League. Not noted as a noisy hustler with a lot of holler, Cater's teamwork shows best in his smooth, low-key effectiveness.
'I like Yankee Stadium,' says Danny. 'I'm not a home run hitter, so I like the wide alleys in the outfield. And we're one for all and all for one on the Yankees. We have real spirit.'"
-The New York Yankees Official 1971 Yearbook
"Cater had as much to do with the Yanks' rise to second place last year as anyone on the club. He hit a solid .301 with 76 RBIs, both career highs. He was eighth in the American League in hitting and his 175 hits were also a career high. His .279 lifetime batting average going into the 1971 season places him among the top 15 percent of active major leaguers who have played 100 or more games.
He finished second in the American League in hitting in 1968 behind Carl Yastrzemski. Danny is versatile in the field, having played the outfield, first base and third base and he led American League first basemen in fielding in 1968 with a .995 mark, as he committed just five errors.
Danny was originally signed by the Phillies in 1958 and quickly showed his hitting ability when he went 5-for-6 with three homers and eight RBIs in his second game of pro ball at Johnson City. He was traded to the White Sox for pitcher Ray Herbert in December 1964 and went to the A's for Wayne Causey in May 1966 before coming to the Yankees in December 1969."
-1971 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide
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