"Unlike most leadoff men, Horace Clarke is an aggressive hitter. He doesn't like to wait out the pitcher. Clarke drew only 35 walks in 1970. But unlike his performance in 1969, when he hit .285, the switch-hitting veteran struggled to hit .251 last season. Horace is a fairly good second baseman, although some criticize his double-play pivot, but his best asset is his speed on the basepaths. He stole 23 bases last year and scored 81 runs.
The 30-year-old native of the Virgin Islands broke in with New York in 1965 as a utility infielder. He took command of the second base job in 1967 when he hit .272. The 5-9, 170-pounder is not a power hitter; he has only 20 major league home runs. But the first two were grand slams, which established a major league record."
-Brenda Zanger and Dick Kaplan, Major League Baseball 1971
"Steady and consistent best describe Clarke's performances at second base and at the plate. The 30-year-old switch-hitter from the Virgin Islands, who has worked the keystone sack since the retirement of Bobby Richardson in 1967, had a less than satisfying year with a .251 mark but he was a constant offensive threat. Horace gets on base often and seldom settles for that; he stole 23 in 30 attempts. He's sixteenth on the all-time stolen base list for the Yankees and, if he has an average season (about 30 stolen bases) as he has in past years, he'll go into the top ten for the all-time Yankee leaders in that department.
Clarke led the major leagues in putouts and assists. Durable - he played in 158 games - his 686 at-bats led the league for the second consecutive year. The record is three straight years, shared by Bobby Richardson. Although Horace's year didn't match his fine 1969 performance when he hit .285, the '69 season was proof of how well he bounces back. That year he gained 55 points in his batting average, led the club in hits with 183, tied Bobby Murcer for most runs at 82 - and led the league's second basemen in putouts, assists and double plays. The record shows that a less than average year for Clarke is always followed by a better than average year. With the Yankees in contention, Horace's rebound couldn't be better timed."
-The New York Yankees Official 1971 Yearbook
"Hoss is one of the steadiest ballplayers around and has now been the Yanks' regular second baseman for the past four years. He is a fine offensive threat, as he makes contact with the bat' and is one of the best baserunners in the game.
Clarke stole over 20 bases for the fourth straight year in 1970 and now ranks 16th among all-time Yankee base stealers; a similar season in that department in '71 will place him among the top ten. Defensively he has led American League second basemen in putouts, assists and total chances each of the past three seasons.
Originally signed as a shortstop, he played all infield positions for the Yanks, including 63 games at short in 1966, before taking over the keystone sack in 1967 with the retirement of Bobby Richardson. In 1970, Clarke broke up three no-hitters in the ninth inning, against Joe Niekro, Sonny Siebert and Jim Rooker."
-1971 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide
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