1979 Profile: Graig Nettles

1979 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"He astounded a national TV audience with his diving catches at third base in the World Series. But his performance didn't surprise Graig.
'I've been making plays like that for eight or nine years.' Graig has never received the credit due him for all he's done. He came to the Yankees in '73 from Cleveland where his efforts went unnoticed.
Born in San Diego, Graig always seems to have one hot month with the bat. Named the All-Time Yankee third baseman, he's also a clever quipster.
'I guess I'm not controversial enough,' he says of his lack of publicity."

-Phil Pepe and Jim Hawkins, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1979 Edition

"In the six seasons Graig Nettles has been a Yankee, he has shown the same outstanding play day in and day out. But it was not until the third game of the 1978 World Series that he received acclaim as the top defensive third baseman in baseball. Graig's sparkling, diving stabs saved the Yankees throughout the contest and turned the Fall Classic around.
In addition to giving the Los Angeles Dodgers nightmares with his glove, he has been equally efficient with the bat. In playing over 150 games for the ninth season running, Graig was once again one of the top home run hitters (27) in the game. Only four players in the last five years have hit more home runs than this Yankee third sacker.
In 1978, Graig set the all-time Yankee fielding percentage mark (.975) for a third baseman, locking up his second Gold Glove in a row. He was also named the all-time Yankee third baseman in a 1977 poll conducted by a panel of sportswriters. Puff's wizardry with the glove demonstrates the importance of defense as he anchors the Yankee infield in their quest for a third consecutive World Championship."

-The New York Yankees Official 1979 Yearbook

"1978 was another great year for Nettles. He turned the World Series around with his fielding exhibition in Game Three and was finally recognized around the world for the greatest defensive third baseman that he is. The Yankees knew it all along, and so did anybody who watched him play day in and day out.
Graig proved his durability again by playing in over 150 games for the ninth straight year. He tied with Reggie Jackson for the Yankee home run lead with 27 (ninth in the league). It was the sixth straight year he's hit over 20 and the eighth time in the last nine. Graig had the highest batting average of his career in 1978, hitting .276. His 93 RBIs were second to Jackson on the Yankees (11th in the league).
He had two homers in a game twice last year, and eight of his 27 homers were game-winners. Graig hit his homers in spurts last year, having five in six days, four in five days, four in six days and three in two days. His best home run month was May with seven. Twice last year, Graig shared back-to-back home runs with Chris Chambliss. He had 13 game-winning RBIs last year to lead the team and batted .295 (79-268) with men on base. Graig beat the Red Sox with a 14th inning homer on June 27 in New York.
He led the Yankees in homers in 1977 with 32, second in the American League, after winning the American League home run title in 1976 with 32. Graig had a career high of 107 RBIs in 1977 and now has had 90-plus RBIs for four straight years. He set personal highs in '77 for homers, RBIs and runs (99), having what was probably his best offensive year that season. He was named to the Sporting News and U.P.I. All-Star teams in '77, and was fifth in the MVP vote that year.
Over the last five years Graig has hit 139 home runs and only four players in baseball have a better homer total in that time (Mike Schmidt-171, George Foster-151, Jackson-151, Dave Kingman-145). Graig has led the Yankees in home runs five times. He shares the major league home run record for the month of April with Schmidt and Willie Stargell, as he hit 11 in 1974 along with a streak of 10 straight games with an RBI, one short of the record shared by Babe Ruth and Mel Ott.
Many now feel that Graig is the finest fielding third baseman in baseball. He won the Gold Glove for the second straight year. He had a .975 fielding percentage, breaking the all-time Yankee single-season mark by a third baseman, which he already jointly held, led the league with 20 double plays, and was among the leaders in putouts and assists. While with the Indians, Graig set records for assists by a third baseman in one season (412 in 1971) and for double plays in a season (54 in 1971).
A four-time All-Star, Graig was the American League Player of the Week for June 21-June 27 of last year. He was named to the A.P. and U.P.I. All-Star teams, along with the Sporting News and Baseball Bulletin All-Star teams.
Graig now holds the Yankee records for most homers and most RBIs by a third baseman in a single season. He was named the all-time Yankee third baseman in a special poll of sportswriters in 1977. By winning the home run title in '76, Graig was the first Yankee to do that since Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961. He has missed only 21 games in his six years with the Yankees.
Nettles was a baseball and basketball star at San Diego State before signing with the Twins in 1966. He was a member of the 1969 Western Division champs, managed by Billy Martin. Graig was dealt to Cleveland in December of 1969 with Dean Chance, Bob Miller and Ted Uhlaender for Luis Tiant and Stan Williams. He was Cleveland's Man of the Year in 1971.
An accomplished golfer, Graig is nicknamed 'Puff' by his teammates."

-New York Yankees 1979 Media Guide