1985 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"Winfield decided to sacrifice power for average in 1984, but came up just short in the chase for the AL batting title he coveted. He finished as runner-up to teammate Don Mattingly by three points after going 1-for-4 on the final day of the season. Winfield ranked 10th in the league in RBI and eighth in slugging percentage (.515). He had three five-hit games and took his strong throwing arm from left to right last season.
He signed a 10-year contract with the Yankees as a re-entry free agent prior the 1981 season. Dave has been selected to eight consecutive All-Star Games. A streak hitter, he hit .045 in 22 World Series at-bats in 1981. Dave has a tendency to let go of his bat while swinging.
Dave went to the majors directly from the Minnesota campus after being selected by San Diego in the first round of the 1973 draft as the fourth player taken overall. He was also drafted by the NFL Minnesota Vikings, NBA Atlanta Hawks and ABA Utah Stars. In 1982, Winfield became the only right-handed hitting Yankee batter other than Joe DiMaggio to hit as many as 37 home runs in a season.
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Winfield has conducted a cold war with Yankee owner George Steinbrenner in dispute over contractual funding of the Dave Winfield foundation."
-Tracy Ringolsby, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1985 Edition
"Is there anything Dave Winfield can't do? As manager Yogi Berra said last year, 'He's our most valuable player. Nobody did as much for us this year as Winfield.'
Since joining the Yankees in 1981, he has redefined the term 'complete player.' He has hit for power (37 home runs in 1982) and average (.340 in 1984). He has played all three outfield positions, won five Gold Gloves and may possess the best arm in baseball.
'I still say Dave Winfield is one of the greatest athletes in the game today,' says Principal Owner George Steinbrenner, 'maybe even the greatest all-around athlete to ever play the game.'
Dave Winfield, with all of his talent, wants to badly to play on a winning Yankees team in 1985. He says, 'This year, I'm all business. I want the team, the manager and Mr. Steinbrenner to know that. Whatever they need me to do in order to win, I'll do.'"
-The New York Yankees Official 1985 Yearbook
"Winfield had his finest season as a Yankee and found himself dueling with teammate Don Mattingly for the American League batting championship, losing the two percentage point lead he took into the final day's play, finishing at .340 to Mattingly's .343. Winfield was also among the AL leaders in seven other offensive categories: fourth with 193 hits and a .393 on-base percentage; sixth with 106 runs; tied for seventh with 14 game winning RBI; eighth with a .515 slugging percentage; tenth with 100 RBI and tied for tenth with 292 total bases. His .349 road batting average was also second to Mattingly in the AL, and he was the first Yankee right-handed hitter to hit .340 for a season since Elston Howard hit .348 in 1961. He tied for fourth in fielding percentage among outfielders at .994, making two errors in 311 total chances (his second error came on September 29). Dave set new personal season highs in batting average, hits, runs, doubles and longest hitting streak.
Dave's longest hitting streak was 20 games, August 17-September 8, surpassing his previous high of 17 games set earlier in the season from May 22-June 10. He had other streaks of ten, seven (twice), six and five games, and his 20 game streak was the third longest in the AL. His 53 multiple-hit games were a team second to Mattingly's 59. Dave had three five-hit games (June 3, 5 and 25), equaling Ty Cobb's mark of three five-hit games in one month.
Dave was on the DL from April 16 to May 1 with a pulled hamstring and missed a game on May 23 with food poisoning. His jammed shoulder on June 25 limited him to a pinch-running appearance in the next four games.
Named to his eighth straight All-Star team, Winfield scored a team season high of four runs in a game, doubled twice in the same game four times and had two four-RBI games. He combined with Mattingly and Don Baylor to hit three consecutive home runs in the sixth inning on May 29 at California. Dave hit .426 against Boston, .409 against Detroit, .434 against Oakland and .418 against Toronto. He won his fourth straight Silver Bat and was named to the UPI and Sporting News All-Star teams.
Winfield led the Yankees at the plate in 1983 in games played, at-bats, runs scored, hits, triples, homers, RBI, game-winning RBI and walks. He finished second in the AL with 21 game winning RBI, third with 116 RBI, fifth with 307 total bases, tied for fifth with 32 homers, tied for fifth with eight triples, seventh with a .513 slugging percentage and tied for eighth with 99 runs scored. Named to his seventh consecutive All-Star team, Dave contributed three hits in the American League's win. He was selected as AL Player of the Week in two consecutive weeks in the first two weeks of August. On August 4 at Toronto Dave fatally beaned a seagull during between-innings warm-ups and was charged by Toronto Police with cruelty to animals, charges that were dropped the next day. He was named to the 1983 UPI and Sporting News AL All-Star teams, won his second consecutive Gold Glove and third straight American League Silver Bat, and was named one of Ten Outstanding Young Men of America by the U.S. Jaycees.
In 1982 he finished second in the AL with a .560 slugging percentage and third with 37 homers. He also led the Yankees with 106 RBI 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). Dave was named AL Player of the Month for September (.294, 11 HR, 22 RBI, .661 slugging percentage). In 1981, his first season for the Yankees, he 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. Dave made his first appearance in postseason competition and was named to the 1981 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 minors. 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 a first team All-American and was MVP of the 1973 College World Series. He 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."
-1985 New York Yankees Information Guide
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