1983 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"Winfield was third in the league in home runs and became the greatest single-season right-handed home run hitter in club history, with the exception of Joe DiMaggio. He really came into his own in the second year of a 10-year, $15-million contract. Dave was also second in the league in slugging percentage and among the leaders in RBI and total bases, and might even hit more homers this year if the owner makes good on his threat to move in the left field fence at Yankee Stadium. He picked up the slack left by the departure of Reggie Jackson and earned his sixth straight All-Star Game appearance.
Dave won a Gold Glove in left field, yet could be shifted to center if the Yankees get in a bind. He pitched at Minnesota, where he compiled a 13-1 record in his senior year. He also played basketball in college and was drafted in baseball (San Diego), in football (Minnesota) and in basketball (Atlanta in the NBA, Utah in the ABA).
Winfield started his career with the Padres without ever playing in a minor league game. He established the David M. Winfield Foundation, which works with youth groups and was at the center of a money dispute with Yankee owner George Steinbrenner last season."
-Ken Nigro, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1983 Edition
"Heart. Dave Winfield has captured the hearts of Yankee fans by displaying his own on playing fields throughout the American League. His second season with the Yankees saw this 10-year major league veteran ranked among league leaders in five major offensive categories- second to AL MVP Robin Yount in slugging percentage (.560), third in home runs (37), fifth in game winning RBI (15), and seventh in both RBI and total bases (105 and 300 respectively).
Consistency. The lumbering left fielder says of himself, 'I'm like the stock market. Sometimes I'm way up and sometimes I'm down. But overall, I'm going to do pretty well.' He has averaged 145 games, 80 RBI and boasts a lifetime batting average of .284 for nine full seasons of major league ball. In 1982, Dave started his second All-Star Game as a Yankee- it was his sixth appearance overall in the mid-summer classic. If only your stock portfolio contained a blue chipper as consistent as number 31.
Hustle. Yankee fans never know what to expect next from this bona-fide superstar. With cat-like precision, he paws familiar turf, and in a flash his 6'6", 220 lb. body will be extended high over the left field wall, robbing yet another would-be home run. He will use his long stride to leg out a perfectly placed bunt, or to turn a single into a double. No matter what the situation calls for, Dave uses his natural instincts and talent to perform to his best.
Dave Winfield wears his pinstripes proudly and he takes them very seriously. His quiet confidence, coupled with inborn ability and a desire to win, will enable this big man to lead the Yankees back to their accustomed pinnacle in 1983."
-The New York Yankees Official 1983 Yearbook
"An outstanding second season in pinstripes, finishing second in the AL with a .560 slugging percentage and third in the league with 37 homers. In addition to his homers and slugging percentage, Winfield led the Yankees with 106 RBIs and his 37 home runs were a career high. Joe DiMaggio is the only right-handed Yankee batter to hit more homers in a season (46 in 1937, 39 in 1948). Winfield is the ninth player to hit 30 or more home runs in a season in both leagues (Dick Allen, Bobby Bonds, Jeff Burroughs, Frank Howard, Frank Robinson, Reggie Smith, Dick Stuart, Jason Thompson).
Dave hit 11 homers in September (most in the AL) and was named AL Player of the Month for September (.294, 11HR, 22 RBI, .661 slugging percentage). He hit a grand slam on September 13 at Baltimore off Dennis Martinez for his 200th career home run.
Winfield hit two homers in a game on four occasions, hit seven homers in nine games from June 29-July 7 and hit 13 homers in 21 games from August 29-September 18; the Yankees were 19-14 in games that he homered. Dave had four hits in a game on two occasions and led the Yankees with 15 game winning RBI, his career high.
Dave was disabled from May 20-June 4 with a pulled left hamstring, yet appeared in his sixth consecutive All-Star Game. He was named to the AP Major League All-Star team as an outfielder and to the UPI and Sporting News American League All-Star teams as an outfielder. Dave won an American League Silver Bat Award (his second straight Silver Bat Award) from the Sporting News as an outfielder. He led all American League outfielders with 17 assists and was awarded an American League Gold Glove as an outfielder by the Sporting News.
In 1981,his first season for the Yankees, Winfield led the team in games, at bats, hits, total bases, doubles, RBI, game winning RBI and sacrifice flies. He hit his first home run as a Yankee on April 29 in Detroit off Jack Morris, and his first Yankee Stadium homer on May 23 off Rick Waits. He made his first appearance in postseason competition and was named to the UPI AL All-Star team.
Dave went to the major leagues off the campus of the University of Minnesota in 1973, hit safely in his first six major league games, and never played in the minor leagues. He played eight seasons with San Diego and holds many Padre batting and outfield defense records. In 1979 Dave finished third in the NL MVP voting behind co-winners Willie Stargell and Keith Hernandez. He was also voted by the players to the Sporting News NL All-Star team and named to both the AP and UPI NL All-Star teams.
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 MVP in the 1973 College World Series. Winfield also played basketball for Minnesota and was drafted in three different sports: Padres in baseball, Vikings in football, and Utah (ABA) and Atlanta (NBA) in basketball.
The David M. Winfield Foundation has received much acclaim for its work with youth groups and contributions to the community. Winfield set up a college scholarship program in his native St. Paul/Minneapolis area and was named 1979 winner of the YMCA Brian Piccolo Award for humanitarian services."
-1983 New York Yankees Information Guide
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