"It's taken a long time, but the New York Yankees are back in business this year as legitimate American League pennant contenders. The AL Eastern Division race is likely to involve four teams, and picking the one that will win is not an easy task. So who says the Yankees can't win it all.
This is a team that has been developed slowly by General Manager Lee MacPhail and his ever-optimistic manager, Ralph Houk, and which is now ready to play for the whole ball of wax. The acquisitions of dependable singles hitter Matty Alou and long-ball hitter Graig Nettles have given the Yankees what they have lacked since the days of Mantle and Maris. It's called muscle.
The Yankees were surprise contenders last season, staying in the race for the Eastern title until the last few days of the campaign and finishing only 5 1/2 games behind the Detroit Tigers. They have been improving rapidly during the last four seasons and they seem to be moving up while other teams in their division are on the downgrade.
The Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers will offer formidable opposition, but the thinking here is that the Yankees will rise to the top in the AL East. Sorry about that, all you folks out there who remember those tyrannical Yankee years, but MacPhail and Houk have the ingredients to win this time.
All four potential contenders in the AL Eastern Division have weaknesses. The Tigers are an old team and don't figure to outscramble their opponents in 1973 as they did in 1972. The Boston Red Sox can't expect Luis Tiant to give them a full-season performance like his six-week effort that enabled them to become contenders in 1972. And the Baltimore Orioles, despite their acquisition of Earl Williams from the Atlanta Braves, aren't going to have the game-winning punch they had when a man named Frank Robinson batted No. 4 for them.
The Yankees, therefore, go into the 1973 season looking like the most solid team of the four likely contenders. They have beefed up their attack with the addition of Matty Alou and Nettles, they have solid pitching, they are likely to be improved on defense and they are riding the tide of improvement which produces division winners, if not pennant winners, in expansion baseball.
'We traded next year for this year,' said MacPhail when he announced the deal for Nettles, acquired from the Indians. 'We think we now have as strong an offensive club as there is in the American League. We think we are going to win it this year. We want to do it for our fans because this is the 50th year of our existence. We're going to win.'
Strong words, indeed, but they pack a wallop - just like the Yankee lineup will this year, for a change.
Nettles, who turned in a .253-17-70 offensive performance in 1972, isn't a Ruth, DiMaggio, Mantle or Maris, but he is exactly what the Yankees need - a left-handed power hitter. If he only matches his 1972 performance with the Indians, he will be a big asset to the Yankees - and he is likely to be much more. If he does, he will help two other hitters - Bobby Murcer and Ron Blomberg - because the Yankees will then have three lefthanded power hitters pulling toward their short porch in right field. That's the formula that has meant pennants and World Series for the Yankees in the past.
'We've got it now,' says Houk. 'We can now apply the offensive pressure we've lacked in the past. With Thurman Munson catching, an infield of Blomberg, Horace Clarke, Gene Michael and Nettles, and an outfield of Murcer flanked by Matty Alou and Roy White with Ron Swoboda in reserve, we have reached the position where we think we can win.'
The Yankees can't win the division without good pitching, of course, but they seem likely to have a better staff in 1973 than they had in 1972 because Mel Stottlemyre, the nominal staff leader, is unlikely to repeat his so-so 14-18 and 3.22 performance. Stottlemyre is a potential 23-25 game winner with the run-making ability of the 1973 Yankees. Assuming Stottlemyre's emergence as a big winner, the staff, which includes starters Steve Kline (16-9 and 2.40), Fritz Peterson (17-15 and 3.24) and Mike Kekich (10-13 and 3.65), shapes up as capable of carrying the Yankees to the division title.
And then, of course, there is Sparky Lyle, the relief pitcher who earned 35 saves in 1972. Lyle doesn't have to repeat that superlative performance to give the Yankees the short relief pitching any contender needs.
MacPhail and Houk are an odd couple by current baseball standards. They are quiet builders in an era when other general managers and field managers with far less experience talk about motivation and dedication. They've had the experience of being on the top and on the bottom. They must be the most optimistic management people in the history of the game, and this year they seem to have something more - the players.
PITCHING: The Yankees have pitching depth, and it's probably a good bet that they'll have an outstanding season from Stottlemyre. Mel has been a 20-game winner three times but never got going in 1972. He's the type likely to bounce back with another 20-victory season. Peterson, Kline and Kekich should rotate smoothly behind Stottlemyre, giving the Yankees good pitching on a steady basis.
Lyle is unlikely to have another 35-save season but is the strong man in the bullpen. McDaniel probably has another good year in him and Magnuson looks like the best bet for help from a newcomer. Cox, acquired from Texas near the end of last season, has pitched well in spots and may help as a short reliever. Manager Houk has been accused in the past of keeping his starting pitchers in the game too long. Whether that was true or not, Houk went quickly to Lyle last season with outstanding results and will continue to do so this year.
Houk's personality had a lot to do with Yankee success last season. Despite his tough-guy reputation, having been an Army Ranger during World War II, he is an easy manager to get along with. He runs his pitching staff with the same serene optimism that characterizes his personality.
Performance Quotient: 1 [1 through 5, 1 being best]
CATCHING: Munson has been a fair-haired boy with the Yankees since his 1970 rookie season. He has batted .302, .251 and .280. He should level off at the 1972 figure, in which case he'll give the Yankees a strong bat to go with his solid mechanical performance. Moses is a question mark. Don't be surprised if the Yankees make a deal for a veteran catcher during the season; for utility purposes, of course.
Performance Quotient: 2
INFIELD: Infield has been a Yankee problem for the last few seasons and it isn't the best in the league this year, either. It shouldn't be as big a problem as in the past, however, because Michael has come along well at short. Felipe Alou is okay for part-time duty at first and Clarke is just adequate at second. Nettles, acquired in the big deal with Cleveland, is regarded as primarily a bat. He ranked sixth in fielding among third basemen who played 100 games - in other words, he's no Brooks Robinson but not a liability, either. Blomberg is the big offensive hope, but he could be platooned with Alou. Lanier, Allen and Baker are capable utility men but not likely to be effective for the long haul.
Performance Quotient: 3
OUTFIELD: Murcer is an outstanding centerfielder and Matty Alou or Callison will handle right field well. White has had trouble with the Yankee 'Death Valley' in left field but is solid enough.
Don't chuckle at the mention of Swoboda. Awkward and never likely to live up to the potential of the old days with the Mets, he's contributed important hits and defensive plays to the Yankee cause. Also, he's an aggressive base runner.
Performance Quotient: 2"
-Fred Down, Major League Baseball 1973
1973 Yankees Depth Chart
C Thurman Munson/Jerry Moses
1B Ron Blomberg/Felipe Alou
2B Horace Clarke/Bernie Allen
3B Graig Nettles/Celerino Sanchez
SS Gene Michael/Frank Baker
LF Roy White
CF Bobby Murcer/Ron Swoboda
RF Matty Alou/Johnny Callison
PITCHERS:
Mel Stottlemyre
Fritz Peterson
Steve Kline
Mike Kekich
Sparky Lyle
Casey Cox
Jim Magnuson
Lindy McDaniel
Fred Beene
Alan Closter
-Fred Down, Major League Baseball 1973
HITTING
"The anticipation in New York is positively breathtaking. Remember the Bronx Bombers? Well, they're on the way back.
'We're going for the whole thing this year,' manager Ralph Houk says.
Oh, make no mistake, this is not another of those rose-colored statements by the last of the cockeyed optimists. Houk's words carry some sting this time, the sting of Graig Nettles and Matty Alou swinging in Yankee pinstripes. They may well be the last two pieces of the puzzle.
At last, the Yankees have a batting order worthy of the name. They have speed at the top, real punch in the middle and no soft touches.
'Offensively,' Houk says, 'I believe we've got as good a lineup as any in the league.' And he may even be right.
The arrival of Nettles, who hit 45 home runs the last two years and should have a ball aiming at Yankee Stadium's short right field fence, gives New York a fine complement to Bobby Murcer, whose 33 homers and 96 RBI last year stamped him a genuine star. It also frees Roy White (.270), the undersized cleanup hitter, to bat second where his speed and fine bat control can best be utilized.
Matty Alou can be expected to hit .300 no matter where the Yankees bat him and Thurman Munson (.280) is among the best hitting catchers in the game. Ron Blomberg (14 homers in 107 games) may emerge as a star any year now but in case he still has trouble handling all those left-handers the Yankees can expect to face, Felipe Alou (.278) will fill in nicely at first base."
-Joe Gergen, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1973 Edition
PITCHING
"Play it again, Sparky.
It is almost impossible to measure the impact Sparky Lyle had on the Yankees last season. Without the relief pitcher - and they were without him until March 22 - it's conceivable the Yankees couldn't have finished the season at all. He was there at the end whenever the game counted most.
Lyle had 35 saves, a league record, and nine wins and even the optimistic Houk won't say he expects a repeat performance. Too many factors involved. But Lyle does lend an added dimension to the Yankee staff.
For starters, the Yankees have Mel Stottlemyre (14-18), Fritz Peterson (17-15) and Steve Kline (16-9). The big concern here is Stottlemyre, who was brilliant at times (seven shutouts) and something less on other occasions. And consistency always was one of Stottlemyre's biggest assets.
Mike Kekich (10-13) was the fourth starter much of last season but fell into disfavor in the stretch drive. He may be crowded by right-handers Larry Gowell and George Medich, who enjoyed brilliant 14-6 and 11-3 seasons, respectively, in the Eastern League.
Lindy McDaniel finished strong and may be able to give reliever Lyle some relief in the bullpen."
-Joe Gergen, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1973 Edition
FIELDING
"Nettles gives the Yankees their first legitimate third baseman since Clete Boyer. He is outstanding defensively. The double play combination of Michael and Clarke led the league in 1972 and Munson is an excellent catcher. Neither White nor Matty Alou has a good arm, and Blomberg occasionally uses two left feet to step on first. Still, the defense is better than it has been in some time."
-Joe Gergen, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1973 Edition
OUTLOOK
"There is reason to fear the Yankees once again. A return to 20-game form by Stottlemyre could provide Yankee Stadium with a fitting 50th birthday present, its first pennant in nine years."
-Joe Gergen, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1973 Edition
"Getting Graig Nettles from the Indians was a winning type of move by the Yankees, who should field their strongest offensive team since the glory years of Mantle and Maris. The Yankees are only fair around second base and shortstop but they are solid everywhere else and have one of the top stars in the league in center fielder Bobby Murcer. New York pitching is also sound with Sparky Lyle among the three best relief pitchers in the game."
-Cord Sportsfacts Baseball News 1973
YANKS TO BEAT BUCS IN SERIES
"Before making the deal that sent Charlie Spikes, Rusty Torres, John Ellis and Jerry Kenney to the Indians in exchange for third baseman Graig Nettles and second-string catcher Jerry Moses, Yankee general manager Lee MacPhail summed it all up: 'Now we feel we have as good a club as anybody in baseball. Our fans have been waiting long enough. We traded tomorrow for today.'
A gleeful manager Ralph Houk, who has absorbed the flak along with Yankee president Mike Burke and MacPhail, couldn't wait for Opening Day. 'I'm not worrying about youth ... it's time to go out and win it,' said Houk. 'Our offensive lineup now should be the best since our winning teams of 10 years ago.'
The acquisitions of outfielder Matty Alou from the A's for pitcher Rob Gardner and third-sacker Rich McKinney, of course, gives the Yankees added hitting along with the long-balling Nettles and Murcer.
The outfield should be first-rate with Murcer flanked by Roy White and Alou. Nettles' slick glove will calm things down at third base, but shortstop and first base are questionable. Gene Michael is the man to beat at short but Houk has indicated a desire to platoon Boomer Blomberg and Felipe Alou at first.
Oddly enough, the one solid spot in the defense is Horace Clarke at second base. The much-maligned Hoss really matured on the double play a year ago, and would you believe he has tied Hall of Famer Charlie Gehringer by leading the second-sackers in assists for six years in a row?
Thurman Munson is still one of the top-flight catchers in the league, and the Yankees have the righty-lefty balance in pitching with Steve Kline and Mel Stottlemyre and Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich. Sparky Lyle anchors the bullpen but Lindy McDaniel will have to pick up the slack along with some of the youngsters ... kids like Mike Pazik, Rich Earle, George Medich, Dave Cheadle and Larry Gowell, all of whom have flame-throwing reputations.
Nevertheless, if the Yankees falter, they will be hounded by the Orioles and Tigers. The Red Sox, Indians and Brewers figure among the also-rans in the American League East."
-Joe O'Day, Sports Quarterly Presents Baseball, Spring 1973
1973 Yankees Spring Training Depth Chart
C Thurman Munson
1B Ron Blomberg
2B Horace Clarke
3B Graig Nettles
SS Gene Michael
LF Roy White
CF Bobby Murcer
RF Matty Alou
DH Felipe Alou (1B-CF)
UTILITY:
C Jerry Moses
2B Bernie Allen
3B Celerino Sanchez
SS Hal Lanier
RF Johnny Callison
RF Ron Swoboda (LF)
PITCHERS:
Mel Stottlemyre
Fritz Peterson
Steve Kline
Mike Kekich
Doc Medich
Jim Magnuson
RELIEF PITCHERS:
Sparky Lyle
Lindy McDaniel
Fred Beene
Casey Cox
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