1981 Profile: Willie Randolph

1981 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"Very, very steady. Randolph was probably the Yanks' best all-around player in 1980. He seldom makes headlines, he just gets the job done. He holds together the infield defense and is no slouch at the plate, either. An ideal leadoff man, Willie often sets the stage for the sluggers who follow. He would like to steal 50 bases a year.
Born in Holly Hill, South Carolina, Willie is a fierce competitor. He's the latest in a long line of outstanding Yankee second basemen that includes Tony Lazzeri, Joe Gordon and Bobby Richardson. He was acquired from Pittsburgh, where he was considered a top prospect."

-Jim Hawkins, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1981 Edition

"The fans down the first-base line are in for a treat when Willie Randolph steps to the plate. He's not expected to hit the ball out of the park, though he did hit seven round-trippers in 1980, and he's not expected to drive in runs from his leadoff spot, though he did knock in 46 fellow Yanks last season, but he is expected to do what he did better in 1980 than anyone else in the league except MVP George Brett ... and that is to get on base.
Willie reached base 43% of the time last year and his .294 average, 99 runs scored, seven home runs and his league leading 119 walks were all personal highs. He also led the club for the third straight year in stolen bases with 30, the third year in a row he's reached that mark. And even though he started the 1981 season at only 26 years of age, he's already in the Yankee all-time top ten in steals and should pass Phil Rizzuto, Horace Clarke and Mickey Mantle into sixth place by the time his 27th birthday comes in July.
Off the field, this 5'11", 166-pound star is the exact opposite of his immense personality on the diamond. Willie is definitely the quiet, proud family man with a great deal of respect for his fellow man. During the off-season, Willie enjoys taking time out to see and hear his favorite music, jazz, and play some racquetball with his fellow teammates."

-The New York Yankees Official 1981 Yearbook

"Randolph had his best season ever as the Yankee leadoff hitter. He led the league in walks, 119, the most by a Yankee since Mantle's 122 in 1962, and finished second to George Brett in on-base percentage (.429). Randolph led the club in steals with 30, the eighth highest total in the league, for the third year in a row; it was the fourth time in his five Yankee seasons that he's reached that mark. He now stands ninth on the all-time Yankee stolen base list with 148. He set personal highs in batting average (.294), runs (99), home runs (7) and walks.
Willie started slowly, hitting .128 on April 19, but hit .300 the rest of the way. He had a 13-game hitting streak in May, the longest of his career, matching Reggie Jackson for the longest by a Yankee in 1980. He had two four-hit days and a three-steal day. Willie finished the season by walking in each of his last 15 games. He hit .385 in the ALCS, second to Bob Watson.
Named to the UPI and Sporting News All-Star teams, he won the Sporting News Silver Bat award for American League second basemen.
Randolph has been on three All-Star teams in his five full seasons, and he and Dent have teamed together for four full years. 1979 was the only year that a team he played on failed to qualify for postseason play.
Originally drafted by the Pirates in the seventh round in June 1972, Willie was leading the International League in hitting when he was called up in 1975. He played winter ball in Venezuela that year and the Yankees made him the key man in a lopsided trade with the Pirates.
Named the James P. Dawson Award winner as the top rookie in the 1976 spring camp, Willie was the first rookie ever on the All-Star ballot, and he made the team but was replaced due to an injury. Named to the Topps All-Rookie team following the year, he was hampered by a right shoulder injury as well as an injury to the outside of the right knee that required minor surgery.
In 1977, he kept the injuries to a minimum (bruised right thumb and sore right knee) and was named to the AP, UPI and Sporting News All-Star teams. Willie started the All-Star game, played all nine innings and set a record for most assists by a second baseman with six. In 1978, he was fifth in the league in on-base percentage and had a five-RBI game against Boston on September 7. Despite a bruised left knee and pulled left hamstring, Willie still made the AP and UPI All-Star teams, though the hamstring kept him out of any postseason action.
Willie had an injury-free year in 1979 and set career marks in games, hits, RBIs and triples. His 13 triples were third in the American League and the most by a Yankee since Tommy Henrich's 14 in 1948. He committed only 13 errors and his .985 percentage was just .003 behind league leader Duane Kuiper.
Although born in South Carolina, Willie and his family moved to the Brownsville section of Brooklyn when he was just an infant. He played stickball in the streets and fields of Canarsie and baseball at Tilden High School. Willie has three brothers and a sister; his brother Terry was drafted in the 11th round by the Green Bay Packers as a defensive back in 1977 and also played for the Jets."

-1981 New York Yankees Media Guide