1981 Profile: Dave Winfield

1981 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"Winfield ended a bidding contest by signing a 10-year, $15 million Yankee pact with clauses that could bring the contract value to $25 million.
He endured a frustrating 1980 season following pay demands that were deemed atrocious by many San Diego fans. Booed at home games, Winfield's average and power figures slipped following his banner 1979 season in which he topped the National League with 118 RBIs despite little help in the lineup. He still had 20 homers and 87 RBIs in '80, good for many players but not a known superstar.
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Winfield is known for his philanthropic deeds and has set up a foundation to do charitable work for underprivileged youth. He had a tremendous career as a college athlete at the University of Minnesota. Winfield was MVP of the College World Series and was drafted by four pro teams: San Diego, Minnesota (NFL), Atlanta (NBA) and Utah (ABA)."

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

"The scene: the 1980 Baseball Free Agent Draft. The attention: as usual, turned toward the Yankee braintrust as they made their bid for the finest prize in the bunch. The prize: David Mark Winfield. His background: 29 years old, 6'6" tall, 220 pounds, excellent tools, a gentleman, a scholar ... and enormous publicity stretching from the San Diego Marina to the Hunts Point Market.
Directly off the campus of the University of Minnesota in 1973, Dave Winfield stepped onto the Padres' soil and remained a fixture for eight solid seasons. In that period, his legend grew with towering home runs, powerful throws to the plate and aggressive all-around play. His finest year was 1979 when Dave led the National League in RBIs with 118 and total bases with 333. That season he also hit 34 home runs, good for third in the NL behind Dave Kingman and Mike Schmidt. In 1980, Dave won his second consecutive Gold Glove for peerless performance in the outfield. He also managed to crack 20 homers and 87 RBIs while appearing in 162 games. (He has missed only 12 contests in four seasons!)
All of New York will be looking at number 31 with a watchful eye due to the enormous attention by the media. Some will wait for failure, but real New York baseball fans will only wish him success and will enjoy watching one of the game's finest players do his thing for baseball's finest admirers."

-The New York Yankees Official 1981 Yearbook

"Winfield played 162 games in 1980 (he's missed only 12 in the last four years), batting .276 with 20 home runs and 87 RBIs, including 10 game-winners, and stealing 23 bases in 30 attempts. Winfield won his second consecutive Gold Glove in the outfield and committed only four errors while finishing second in the league to teammate Gene Richards in assists, 21 to 20.
Dave went right to the major leagues off the campus of the University of Minnesota in 1973. He played eight seasons with San Diego and holds many Padre batting and outfield defense records. His best year was 1979 when he led the National League in RBIs with 118 and total bases with 333 and finished third in home runs with 34. He won his first Gold Glove and finished third in the MVP voting behind co-winners Willie Stargell and Keith Hernandez. Dave was voted by the players to the Sporting News NL All-Star team and named to both the A.P. and U.P.I. NL All-Star squads. In addition, he shared the 1979 San Diego Hall of Champions Pro Athlete of the Year Award with Charger quarterback Dan Fouts.
Selected by the Padres in the 1st round (fourth player drafted) of the June 1973 Free Agent Draft, Dave never played in the minor leagues. He hit safely in his first six major league games. In 1976 he led National League outfielders with 15 assists, and he's played in four consecutive All-Star Games for the National League.
At the University of Minnesota, Winfield was 13-1 on the mound in his senior year, while batting over .400 in the outfield. He was the Gophers team captain, named first-team All-American and was the MVP in the 1973 College World Series. Winfield also played basketball for Minnesota and was drafted by four teams in three different sports: Padres in baseball, Vikings in football, and Atlanta (NBA) and Utah (ABA) in basketball. He was drafted out of high school by the Orioles in the 40th round of the June 1969 Free Agent Draft.
Dave has received much acclaim for his work with youth groups and his contributions to the community. He set up a college scholarship program in his native St. Paul/Minneapolis area, and was named the 1979 winner of the YMCA-Brian Piccolo Award for humanitarian services."

-1981 New York Yankees Media Guide