1982 Profile: Roy Smalley

"Smalley was a major disappointment to the Twins last after signing a four-year $2.4 million contract- the largest ever given out by Calvin Griffith. In Smalley's defense, he was bothered by a bad back during the second season and was second on the Twins in game-winning hits.
Born in Los Angeles, Smalley is Gene Mauch's nephew and had his best years playing for 'Unc' in 1978 and '79. He's oversized for a shortstop and a consensus is beginning to form that he is better suited for third base. Roy does not possess great range although he did set an AL record for assists with 572 in 1979.
Roy was the No. 1 pick of the January 1974 free agent draft- by Texas. His father, Roy Sr., was a shortstop with the Cubs and Phillies."

-Bill Madden, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1982 Edition

"What makes a major league veteran of eight years feel like a rookie again? For Roy Smalley, it was the early season trade that made him a New York Yankee. But the trade is more than just 'a dream come true.' It represents a new start for the 29-year-old native of Los Angeles, California.
A switch-hitting shortstop whose father also was a major league infielder, Smalley made his major league debut in 1975 with Texas. Only one year later, he was traded to Minnesota where he found his uncle, Gene Mauch, the manager and a home for the next six seasons. Twice he was named the Twins Most Valuable Player (1978 & 1979), breaking Rod Carew's six-year monopoly on the title.
Last season, however, was a major disappointment for Smalley. Plagued by back pains, he appeared in only 56 of the Twins' 109 games. But after an off-season of prescribed rest and relaxation, this philosophy major from USC is determined to prove that he is healthy again and return to the form that earned him All-Star honors in 1979 and established him as one of the premier infielders in the league.
So what would be the only fitting ending to the season that this veteran adopted the Yankee pinstripes? Roy Smalley's 'rookie' appearance in the 1982 Fall Classic."

-The New York Yankees Official 1982 Yearbook