1975 Profile: Graig Nettles

1975 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"Ho hum. Graig may the least excitable and least exciting quality player in baseball. His reaction to almost anything is not to react at all. He tied the major league home records for most in the month of April (11) and least in the month of May (0) and his temperament changed not a whit.
'I try to be the same person, one way or another,' he says. 'To keep my sanity, I don't try to get too high on a good day or too low on a bad one.' Despite his astonishing start, Graig finished the season with a .246 average, 22 homers and 75 runs batted in. A fine third baseman, he was at his best down the stretch as the Yankees made their pennant run.
Born in San Diego, Graig learned to play baseball on the same playground as had Ted Williams 25 years earlier."

-Joe Gergen, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1975 Edition

"Graig Nettles, one of the big run producers in the Yankee lineup, experienced a portion of the season last year when no one could get him out. He hit 11 homers in April and drove in runs in ten consecutive games, winning the American League's Player of the Month award. And by the end of the season, Graig had a typical Nettles season - 22 homers and 75 runs batted in. It was the second year in a row in which he tied or led the club in home runs.
As a third baseman, Graig holds league records for assists and double plays, and down the crucial pennant stretch of 1974, always seemed to be making the big play.
Nettles, the one-time Cleveland Indian star, is a product of southern California. He's 30 years old and would like to add an All-Star Game and a World Series to the fine credentials he's already rolled up in six major league seasons."

-The New York Yankees Official 1975 Baseball Yearbook

"Graig had one of the fastest starts in baseball history last season, an unusual way to open the season for him - he's usually noted as a fast finisher. He tied Willie Stargell's major league record by belting 11 home runs in April. He also drove in 23 runs months that month, including a streak of ten consecutive RBI games, only one short of Babe Ruth's and Mel Ott's major league record. Lou Gehrig (three times) and Rick Monday are the only others with streaks of ten. For his efforts, Nettles was named American League Player of the Month.
When the season was over, his totals were consistent with his previous few years. His 22 home runs, tops on the club, tied his own Yankee record for most by a third baseman in one season. He delivered ten game-winning hits, tied with Piniella for second on the club.
Graig led the American League in putouts after three consecutive years leading in assists. He holds the major league record for assists by a third baseman in one season with 412 in 1971 (he had 410 in 1973), and also set a record by participating in 54 double plays in 1971.
Nettles played baseball and basketball at San Diego State before the Twins signed him. He reached the majors in 1968 and banged out five homers in his first four days. His brother Jim has played for Minnesota and Detroit.
Graig was Man of the Year in Cleveland in 1971, and was later the key man the big six-player trade which brought him to New York after the 1972 season."

-1975 New York Yankees Press/TV/Radio Guide

"Nettles is making his first All-Star appearance.
He hit 11 home runs in April [1974] and drove in 23 runs during the month. He stuck in the majors in only his third year in organized ball. Graig played with the Twins and Cleveland before being traded to the Yankees in 1972."

-1975 All-Star Souvenir Magazine, Milwaukee