1977 Profile: Willie Randolph

1977 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"'We're set at second base for 10 years,' says George Steinbrenner. It was a remarkable rookie year for Randolph, who came to the Yankees from the Pirate in a trade for Doc Medich. Considered the best Yankee second baseman since Bobby Richardson, Willie is a marvel at turning the double play.
Randolph was born in Holly Hills, South Carolina, but moved to Brooklyn, New York before he was a year old and grew up there. In 1976, he batted .267, stole 37 bases in 49 attempts, and struck out only 39 times. With experience, he will get better. His only major league home run came off Jim Palmer in Baltimore."

-Phil Pepe, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1977 Edition

"Willie Randolph handled the pressure of 1976 like a veteran. Pressure? Yes, pressure at returning to the city of his youth. Pressure at being handed a pinstripe starting position at age 21. And the pressure of a pennant stretch drive, Championship Series, and World Series.
Willie did handle the pressure. He responded by first winning the 1976 James P. Dawson Award as the outstanding Yankee rookie in spring training. Willie followed that by being the first rookie ever to be listed on the All-Star ballot and was named to the team, although an injury prevented him from performing. He capped off the season as the second baseman on the Topps Rookie All-Star team.
Steady on the field and a terror on the base paths, the quiet Randolph stands to be the Yankee second sacker for quite some time."

-The New York Yankees Official 1977 Yearbook

"Willie Randolph was one of the real success stories of 1976 and a vital new addition to the Yankees. He was named to the Topps Rookie All-Star team at second base, and was also a member of the American League All-Star team, although he had to be replaced due to injury; he was the first rookie ever listed on an All-Star ballot. Winner of the James P. Dawson Award as the outstanding rookie in spring training, his 37 stolen bases were only four short of the all-time record by a Yankee rookie, set by Bert Daniels in 1910. Willie showed a good batting eye, a good bat, and an adeptness at second base the Yankees were expecting - and were rewarded by. At 22, he could be a Yankee regular for a long time.
Although born in South Carolina, Willie and his family moved to the Brownsville section of Brooklyn when he was just a baby. He also has three brothers and a sister, all younger. He played stickball in the streets and fields of Canarsie. After Tilden High School, the Pirates drafted him 7th in June of 1972.
In 1975, he was leading the International League in hitting when Pittsburgh called him up. He didn't play much behind Rennie Stennett, but scouts knew this was a top prospect, and he was the key man the Yankees sought in the trade which brought him to New York.
Willie played winter ball in Venezuela that year, but this past winter he required some minor surgery on the outside of his right knee. He first hurt it on July 6 and missed 16 games, and it bothered him off and on all year. A right shoulder injury also hampered him last year, but none of the injuries seemed to hurt his play at second.
Quiet, and not one to seek publicity, he now resides in New Jersey with his wife and infant daughter."

-The 1977 New York Yankees Press/TV/Radio Guide

"Randolph hit .267 and anchored the second base spot in his first full year of major league service. He was the first rookie ever to appear on an All-Star ballot (1976). Willie stole 37 bases last year, but did not play in last year's [All-Star] game due to a knee injury. He has hit well this year in the leadoff spot.
This is Willie's second All-Star selection."

-1977 All-Star Game Official Program