"Graig Nettles has the awesome responsibility of being the captain of the most recognized and successful team in sports. No team, in any sport, is as rich as the Yankees in pride and tradition. The man chosen to lead the Yankees of today must exemplify those attributes, and in Graig there is no question. He is only the sixth man in the 80-year history of the Yankees to be so honored. Veteran Yankees, as well as rookies, see in this star of 16 major league campaigns a quick-witted family man, with a powerful bat and magical glove.
Defensively, pinstripe partisans have been treated to Graig's artistry for the past ten seasons. He combines hard work, instinct and intelligence in a formula that has made him one of the best third sackers in the history of the game. Offensively, he moved closer to the top on three all-time Yankee lists: 6th in home runs (behind Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Berra) with 230; 11th in RBI with 759; and tied with Hank Bauer for 16th with 1,406 games played. Additionally, this native of San Diego, CA owns the American League record for most home runs hit by a third baseman with 300.
Graig Nettles is the senior member of an experienced Yankees team laced with fine young prospects. On the field, he anchors the defense. At bat he strikes fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers. A star as a man and between the chalk lines, the Yankees realize how valuable Graig Nettles is. His combination of talent and professionalism blend well in a mix that will surely result in another Yankees championship."
-The New York Yankees Official 1983 Yearbook
"Nettles got off to a poor start, breaking his thumb on April 26, the same thumb he injured in the '81 World Series. Finally activated on May 18, he hit a grand slam home run off former teammate Ron Davis on May 28 in Minnesota. Graig hit his 300th career homer on June 26 at Yankee Stadium off Cleveland's Rick Waits. From July 25 through August 10 he hit safely in 16 of 17 games with four home runs and six RBIs for a .352 batting average (19-for-54). The Yankees were 13-3 in games in which Graig homered.
Graig was named Yankee captain on January 29, 1982, only the sixth Yankee captain, and is currently the senior Yankee, joining the team following the 1972 season. During the decade of the '70s, only Reggie Jackson and Carl Yastrzemski had more RBIs among American Leaguers.
His first full year was 1969 and he was a member of the AL West Champion Twins. Graig was Cleveland's Man of the Year in 1971 when he hit .261 with 28 homers and set AL records for most assists and double plays by a third baseman. He hit 32 home runs in 1976 to lead the league, the first Yankee to do so since Roger Maris hit 61 in '61. Graig finished second in 1977 with a career high of 37 and finished 5th in the MVP voting; he was also named to the Sporting News and UPI All-Star teams and was voted the All-Time Yankee third baseman in a special poll of sportswriters.
In 1978 Graig set a Yankee fielding record with a .975 average, tied Reggie for the club lead with 27 homers and led with 14 game winning RBIs. He was named to the AP, UPI, Sporting News and Baseball Bulletin All-Star teams. Graig turned around the '78 World Series with his spectacular fielding in Game 3 and finally earned nationwide recognition for his fielding
In 1980, he missed 67 games (from July 24 until the final two games of the season) with hepatitis, yet on July 21 hit his 267th career home run as a third baseman, passing Brooks Robinson as the all-time American League home run leader among third basemen (he now has 300). Graig also hit his first career inside-the-park homer in Game 2 of the ALCS. For the '81 ALCS, his .500 (6-for-12) with a home run and nine RBIs against Oakland earned him MVP honors.
Graig holds the records for most home runs and RBIs by a Yankee third baseman in a single season and has hit the most home runs at the 'new' Yankee Stadium, 95. In the last ten years (1973-82) he ranks seventh in the majors with 230 home runs, also his Yankee career total and sixth on the all-time Yankee list behind Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Berra.
Graig was a baseball and basketball star at San Diego State before signing with the Twins. An accomplished golfer and tennis player, he's nicknamed 'Puff' by his teammates. His brother Jim has played in the major leagues for the Twins, Tigers, Indians and Royals."
-1983 New York Yankees Information Guide
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