"Wynegar spent the first six weeks of the season alternating with Rick Cerone, but finally took command of the starting catcher's job and posted a career-high average.
He was able to beat back the challenge of Cerone but couldn't avoid injuries to his hamstring, shoulder and the arch of his foot that limited him to less than 100 games for the third consecutive season, including strike-shortened 1981. Wynegar was sidelined for the second half of 1982 by viral meningitis and opened 1981 on the disabled list because of surgery to remove a bone chip from his right elbow.
Wynegar is a four-time All-Star selection, including 1976, when he became the youngest player ever picked to play in the All-Star Game (20 years, 121 days old). Originally a third baseman, he was converted into a catcher in high school. He was acquired from the Twins in a five-player deal in May 1982."
-Tracy Ringolsby, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1984 Edition
"When my mother heard I was traded to the Yankees, she said, 'Oh, Butch, you're going to that zoo?' But my father said, 'Butch, you've been a Yankee fan all your life and so have I. This is your chance. You're with a winning organization, now make the most of it.'
So recalled Butch Wynegar when he spoke of the May 1982 trade that brought him from the Minnesota Twins to the New York Yankees.
Wynegar missed the last half of 1982 with a devastating viral infection, but he faced 1983 with high hopes. Anybody would, particularly a bright young catcher who was buried in mediocrity with the Twins. He had a new manager (Billy Martin) and was content to split the catching duties with Rick Cerone. He could have gone free agent or asked for a trade, but he yearned to be with a winner.
It didn't quite work out, but Wynegar- who hit a solid .296- at least experienced a taste of playing in front of packed stadiums, and playing in August and September when every game meant something.
'In Minnesota,' he says matter-of-factly, 'the season was over in July. The season seemed like it would never end. Here, I couldn't wait to get to the ballpark. I wasn't nervous, but I had a sense of expectancy, and I truly enjoyed the pennant race.
'Sure it was disappointing to finish third, but I learned something. I knew the Yankees were a winning organization, and they proved it.'
The Yankees- and Butch Wynegar- will prove it again this year, if only to allay the 'fears' of Butch's mom."
-The New York Yankees Official 1984 Yearbook
"Wynegar was the Yankees' regular catcher in 1983 and his batting average never fell below .290 all season. On May 10 he suffered a ruptured blood vessel in his left arm on a tag play at the plate and missed half a month on the disabled list, and was hampered by a sore foot in September. Butch had two six-game hitting streaks and caught Dave Righetti's July 4th no-hitter.
Butch was an All-Star selection each of his first four seasons as a professional. In 1976 he became the youngest player (20 years, 121 days) to appear in a major league All-Star Game. He hit his first career home run off Catfish Hunter. Coming into 1984, Butch has thrown out 33% of runners trying to steal on him. He also starts '84 with a .264 average batting left-handed and a .251 average batting right-handed.
He missed the first month and a half of the 1981 season because of a bone chip that was found in his throwing elbow and which required surgery to remove. His trade to the Yankees in May 1982 coincided with Rick Cerone's broken thumb, but the trade had been worked out with Minnesota in advance of Cerone's injury. Wynegar was the Yankees' No. 1 catcher with Cerone on the disabled list and split the catching duties with Cerone upon Rick's return in mid-July.
Wynegar played third base until he was moved to catcher his junior year at Red Lion High in York, Pennsylvania. He was a four-year letterman in baseball and also lettered in football, basketball and wrestling."
-1984 New York Yankees Information Guide
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