"If there has been one major deficiency evident about the Yankees since they last won in all in '78, it is hitting. Surprisingly, the additions of Ken Griffey and Dave Collins do not appear to strengthen the Yankees significantly here.
Their prime weakness has been at cleanup, where Reggie Jackson suffered through his worst season. The Yankees no longer have the long ball potential to merely crush their opposition. There is also some question now as to whether Dave Winfield can be a .300, 100-RBI hitter without a cleanup hitter to back him up.
The Yankees will rely more on timely hitting and speed, but somehow that pattern doesn't fit their image. Graig Nettles, at age 37, is suddenly the Yankees' chief home run threat. Further, they got little production out of their first base unit of Bob Watson and Dave Revering. It also remains to be seen how the defection of hitting coach Charlie Lau will affect Rick Cerone and Bucky Dent, his prize pupils."
-Bill Madden, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1982 Edition
PITCHING
"Once again the Yankees' strong point and the reason they should hang close all year. The re-signing of Ron Guidry was a must, though, in that Tommy John (39 in May) and Rudy May (38 in July) are getting along in age. The Yankees may finally have to let youngsters Gene Nelson and Andy McGaffigan prove their worth a la Dave Righetti in '81.
The Yankees' biggest plus, of course, is the bullpen of Rich Gossage, Ron Davis, George Frazier and, possibly, veteran lefty Bob Sykes. With the virtually unhittable Gossage holding forth as the cleanup man, the Yankees need only to forge an early lead and take it into the seventh inning. That was their formula last year and it took them right into the World Series."
-Bill Madden, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1982 Edition
FIELDING
"Always and still a Yankee strength. They seldom if ever beat themselves in the field. Bucky Dent and Willie Randolph are a sure-handed double play combo and Nettles is without question the master of his craft at third. Winfield, Griffey and Jerry Mumphrey comprise one of the fastest outfields in baseball. Cerone is solid defensively behind the plate.
The Yankees finished fourth in fielding overall and figure to do as well or better. No longer do opposing baserunners dare to take liberties on the Yankee outfield. If there is any weakness on defense it is at first, where Bob Watson covers little ground. Collins will get a shot here."
-Bill Madden, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1982 Edition
OUTLOOK
"When the Yankees collapsed in the World Series, George Steinbrenner promised wholesale changes. The Yankee boss cited age and lack of speed as the prime reasons for his team's breakdown. In Griffey and Collins, Steinbrenner has added speed and Griffey should do a lot for the defense in the outfield.
But despite the presence of the Great Gossage in the bullpen and the expected base stealing boom from Griffey, Collins, Mumphrey and Randolph, there is a lot of age here. Among the candidates for the Opening Day starting lineup are Watson (36 in April), Nettles (37) and designated hitters Lou Piniella (38) and Oscar Gamble (33). Even Griffey will be 32 in April."
-Bill Madden, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1982 Edition
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
"The Milwaukee Brewers have Rollie Fingers; the New York Yankees have Goose Gossage.
While Fingers used his wiles to win both MVP and Cy Young honors last season, Gossage had an equally remarkable season by using the power of intimidation against rival hitters.
The 30-year-old right-hander from Colorado depended on an eye-popping fastball to work out of late inning jams, and he was so effective that he had three wins, 20 saves and a 0.77 ERA for the season, followed by four saves in the two-tiered playoffs and two more in the World Series.
Gossage might have worked even more during the season except for a sore shoulder and a groin pull which sidelined him for much of the second half. Ron Davis, another flame-throwing righty, took over as late man and did well. Earlier in the year, Davis set a relief mark with eight straight strikeouts and whiffed 14 of 15 in one stretch.
The work of the bullpen gave Yankee starters confidence they would win even if they only worked six innings. Tommy John, Dave Righetti, Ron Guidry, Rudy May and Rick Reuschel- the lone right-hander- figure to start most of the games, though prospects Andy McGaffigan, Gene Nelson and Jamie Werly hope to impress this spring. Also in camp are southpaw Bob Sykes, acquired from St. Louis, and former Met John Pacella.
John, 39, is the ace of a staff that compiled a 2.90 ERA, best in the league, last summer. He could be challenged for leadership by Righetti, who won eight of 12 decisions and recorded a 2.06 ERA- a figure good enough to lead the American League had he worked enough innings and which earned him AL Rookie of the Year honors.
Catcher Rick Cerone, 28, is one of several regulars who must stage a comeback for the Yankees to be considered genuine contenders. He slipped to .244 in an injury-plagued season and squabbled with club owner George Steinbrenner twice- once after beating his boss in salary arbitration proceedings.
Also on the comeback trail are shortstop Bucky Dent, 30, and second baseman Willie Randolph, 27, whose averages fell sharply last season. Switch-hitter Larry Milbourne hit .313 in 61 games when he got a late-season shot at daily duty. He plays both short and second.
Third baseman Graig Nettles, a glove magician with home run power, will be 38 in August but still ranks as one of the best at his position. Another aging slugger, 36-year-old first baseman Bob Watson, may have saved his job with a .318 World Series average and team-leading seven RBIs but he'll have to hike his season's output of .212 and six homers.
If Watson falters, left-handed hitter Dave Revering, who once hammered 19 homers for Oakland, can play first base. Other reserve infielders will be Tucker Ashford at third, rookie Andre Robertson at short, and Milbourne wherever he is needed. Powerful Steve Balboni has a chance at first if he curbs his tendency to strike out.
Barry Foote, another possible first baseman, is the number one backup catcher. He had an explosive start after he was obtained from the Cubs last May. Dave Collins will add infield depth and liven things up on the basepaths.
Three more former National Leaguers- Dave Winfield, Jerry Mumphrey and Ken Griffey- make up a Yankee outfield that is solid both offensively and defensively. Despite his 1-for-22 showing in the World Series, Winfield comes off an impressive initial season in New York, though a six-point boost in his batting average could give the Yanks an all-.300 outfield.
Veterans Lou Piniella and Oscar Gamble, plus youngsters Bobby Brown and Mike Patterson, serve as outfield reserves, though Piniella and Gamble could form a right-left designated hitter platoon.
With a full season ahead and good health for all, the Yanks should shake their uncharacteristic weak offensive standing of a year ago. If that happens and the pitching holds, the team will be tough."
-Dan Schlossberg, Baseball Forecast 1982
"PROBLEMS: Age and a thin pitching staff are the two problem areas that confront the 1982 edition of the Bronx Bombers. Key performers Bob Watson (36), Graig Nettles (37), Lou Piniella (38), Tommy John (38) and Rudy May (37) are all in the twilight of their careers. When you add Rick Reuschel (31), Oscar Gamble (32) and newcomer Ken Griffey (32) to the over-thirty group, it's easy to see that the Yanks may soon fall prey to Father Time.
Pitching is also weak, but the staff was bolstered by the return of free agent Ron Guidry, who was 11-5 last year. The Yankee bench can also disappoint in '82, especially if Dave Revering continues to struggle at the plate.
But if you like experience in a pennant chase, you've still got to like New York's chances of again capturing the AL East title. It won't, however, be easy in this very tough division.
PITCHING: Veteran sinkerballer Tommy John will again be the staff ace. Last year he led the club with seven complete games. He's joined in the rotation by AL Rookie of the Year Dave Righetti, veteran workhorse Rudy May and the club's main right-handed starter, ex-Cub Rick Reuschel.
This group will be okay now that southpaw Guidry has returned to the fold. It would have been thin without him.
In the bullpen is the Goose, ace Rich Gossage. All he did in '81 was to save 20 games, notch a 3-2 win-loss record, and register an almost unbelievable 0.77 ERA. As if the hard throwing Gossage isn't enough, New York can also throw Ron Davis and young George Frazier at the opposition. Both have quality arms, even though Frazier was pinned with three World Series losses.
HITTING: Despite his bad World Series, Dave Winfield was the Bombers' most consistent performer during the trying '81 campaign. The multi-million dollar outfielder paced the club with nine game-winning hits and swiped 11 bases to go with his 13 homers and 68 RBIs.
Ken Griffey, picked up from the Reds, will add a lot of offensive punch at the plate and on the bases. Last year in Cincy, he hit .311 with 12 stolen bases. His speed and defense will be a big asset.
A couple other Yanks who can move on the basepaths are Jerry Mumphrey and Willie Randolph. In spite of his low batting average, Randolph is considered the offensive catalyst on the club due to his ability to get on base in some way or another.
Neither Rick Cerone nor Bucky Dent is known as a threat to capture a batting crown, but both can be potent at times with the stick. Larry Milbourne is also a factor.
Left-handed punch comes from third baseman Nettles, veteran Oscar Gamble and possibly Revering. From the right side, veteran slugger Bob Watson must rebound from a poor season. Lou Piniella can still hit but he is slow afield.
INFIELD: Nettles will again be at third. They talk about his age, but when healthy Graig still plays the hot corner masterfully. Dent will return at short, with Milbourne filling in very capably when needed. Veteran Randolph is still young and can turn the double play at second. Watson and Revering will get shots at the regular first base job, with Gamble available if neither hits.
The postseason problems with owner George Steinbrenner can be forgotten- Rick Cerone will be the everyday catcher. He is a star defensively and has occasional power.
OUTFIELD: The All ex-National League Yankee crew is probably the best in baseball today. Mumphrey in center is solid and covers a lot of ground. Griffey in right and Winfield in left have great arms and super range and are steady defensive performers. All can hit over .300 with good power.
Winfield is the best of the bunch and ranks with the best defensive performers in the game. Blessed with speed, a great arm and a solid glove, Dave has been known to chase balls into the stands in pursuit of an out.
Bobby Brown and the veterans Gamble and Piniella are around for backup duty.
PROGNOSIS: If age doesn't catch up with all the New York veterans at once, they will again be the team to beat in the AL East. Griffey will add a lot to this club.
Look for Ken to bat third with Winfield moving into the cleanup spot. This will be a swifter, more aggressive club with more than enough of everything to repeat as division winners."
-Tommy Kay's Big Book of Baseball, May 1982 Edition
1982 Yankees Depth Chart
Manager - Bob Lemon
C Rick Cerone (.244-2-21)
1B Bob Watson (.212-6-12)
2B Willie Randolph (.232-2-24)
3B Graig Nettles (.244-15-46)
SS Bucky Dent (.238-7-27)
LF Dave Winfield (.294-13-68)
CF Jerry Mumphrey (.307-6-32)
RF Ken Griffey (.311-2-34)
Designated Hitter: Oscar Gamble (.238-10-27) or Lou Piniella (.277-5-18)
Starting Pitchers: Tommy John (9-8), Dave Righetti (8-4), Rudy May (6-11), Rick Reuschel (4-4), Ron Guidry (11-5)
Relief Pitchers: Rich Gossage (3-2, 20 saves), Ron Davis (4-5, 6 saves),
Key Reserves: Bobby Brown, Larry Milbourne, Dave Revering
-Tommy Kay's Big Book of Baseball, May 1982
No comments:
Post a Comment