"Since this classy second baseman will earn veto power over trades at the end of the 1985 season, he would seem like a candidate for a trade before then. Last season the Yankees were 34-25 in games he led off by reaching second base.
His range has diminished at second but with no dropoff offensively. Randolph had one of his best all-around years at the plate; he tied for sixth in the AL in walks.
Willie was acquired from the Pittsburgh system with Ken Brett and Dock Ellis in a trade for Doc Medich prior to the 1976 season. A four-time All-Star selection, he originally signed with the Pirates as a seventh round choice in the 1972 draft. His brother Terry was drafted by the NFL Green Bay Packers and played for the New York Jets. Willie was born in Holly Hill, South Carolina but grew up in Brooklyn, New York."
-Tracy Ringolsby, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1985 Edition
"'I'm not very outspoken or flamboyant,' says Yankees veteran Willie Randolph. 'I understand my job.' The second baseman not only understands his job, he has mastered it, on and off the field. 'I've been a silent leader for a long time,' Randolph adds.
Aside from his excellent field play, he has helped other players develop a professional attitude toward their occupation. He's been taking pride in his own talent and approach to the game since his rookie year in 1976. Now he's passing it on to the Yankees of the New Era in 1985.
In 1984, Randolph had one of his best seasons while anchoring an infield that employed youngsters at third, short and first. He and pitcher Ron Guidry are the remaining two players from the Yankees championship teams of the late '70s.
'I just get a kick out of winning, and after getting a taste of winning early in my career, I know what it's like,' he says."'
-The New York Yankees Official 1985 Yearbook
"Randolph had one of the fines seasons of his nine-year Yankee career in 1984. With 86 walks, tied for sixth in the AL with Rickey Henderson, he had an on-base percentage of .377.
He hit a two-run homer in the Yankee Stadium opener. Willie had two nine-game hitting streaks, May 9-19 and June 13-21, and flirted with a .300 batting average all season. Consistent all year, he kept his average between .290 and .310 from June 11 to September 25. Willie stole the 200th base of his Yankee career on July 16 at Texas; he ranks third on the all-time Yankee stolen base list.
Willie has been on four All-Star teams in his nine full seasons. He was leading the International league in hitting when he was called up in 1975 to the Pirates. He was named the James P. Dawson Award winner as the top rookie in the 1976 Yankee camp and was on the All-Star ballot as a rookie. Randolph was named to the Topps All-Rookie team in 1976, though he was hampered by a right shoulder injury and an injury to the outside of the right knee that required minor surgery. In 1977, he was named to the AP, UPI and Sporting News All-Star teams.
He had a five-RBI game against Boston on September 7, 1978 and despite a bruised left knee and a pulled left hamstring, still made the AP and UPI All-Star teams. The hamstring kept him out of postseason play. In 1979, his 13 triples were third in the AL and the most by a Yankee since Henrich's 14 in 1948. He committed only 13 errors and his .985 percentage was just .003 behind league leader Duane Kuiper.
In 1980, as the Yankee leadoff hitter, Willie had his best season ever. He led the AL in walks with 119, the most by a Yankee since Mantle's 122 in 1962. He had a 13-game hitting streak in May, at that time the longest of his career, and was named to the UPI and Sporting News All-Star teams and won the Sporting News Silver Bat award for AL second basemen. Willie's homer in Game 3 of the 1981 ALCS was the game winner to win the AL pennant and in 1982 he led the Yankees in games played (144), at-bats (553), runs scored (85), hits (155) and walks (75).
Although born in South Carolina, Willie's family moved to the Brownsville section of Brooklyn when he was an infant. He played stickball in the streets and fields of Canarsie and baseball at Tilden High School. His brother Terry was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1977 and also played for the Jets."
-1985 New York Yankees Information Guide
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