HITTING
"With the legs of Rickey Henderson and the bats of Don Mattingly and Dave Winfield, no team can beat you in more ways than the Yankees. Henderson (.314, 24 homers, 80 stolen bases) is the catalyst, a leadoff hitter with that rare combination of speed and power. Mattingly (.324, 35 homers, 145 RBI) is merely the best overall hitter in the game. Another AL MVP season is not out of the question for the hard-working first baseman. Winfield (.275, 26 homers, 114 RBI) is still going strong at 34.
The Yankees pose a terrific lineup on paper, but still have some questions to answer. Can Mike Pagliarulo develop into a full-time third baseman by learning how to hit left-handers? Is Dan Pasqua (nine homers in 148 at-bats) ready for a full season in the big leagues? Can new manager Lou Piniella keep his overstocked bench happy? Piniella has to find time for Ken Griffey and former Oriole Gary Roenicke, among others."
-Tom Verducci, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1986 Edition
PITCHING
"Left-handed pitching has always been important in Yankee Stadium, where the deep dimensions in left center frustrate right-handed hitters. That was one of the reasons the Yankees were so intent on acquiring Britt Burns from the White Sox. Burns (18-11, 3.96) and Ron Guidry (22-6, 3.27) were two of the winningest left-handers in the AL last year. Guidry has learned how to mix in off-speed pitches with his fastball, which he can still pop at times. Phil Niekro (16-12, 4.09) and Joe Niekro (13-11 with the Astros and Yanks) can still make hitters knuckle under.
One of Piniella's first moves as manager will be to give Dave Righetti a more clearly defined role out of the bullpen. Righetti (12-7, 2.78 ERA, 29 saves) was used for as much as four innings and as little as one batter by Billy Martin last year. Righetti will pitch no more than two innings per outing in 1986. If Brian Fisher (4-4, 2.38 ERA, 14 saves) continues to develop, the Yankees will have the best lefty-righty relief tandem in the AL."
-Tom Verducci, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1986 Edition
FIELDING
"Mattingly gained deserved recognition for his outstanding defense, winning the first of what will be many Gold Gloves for the first baseman. Second baseman Willie Randolph may have lost a step, but he still turns one the smoothest double plays you'll ever see. Shortstop Bobby Meacham has great range, but tends to be erratic with his sidearm throws. Pagliarulo has soft hands and a good arm at third.
Winfield remains one of the premier outfielders in the game and his arm is rarely challenged. Henderson can outrun a lot of his mistakes in center, but teams do not hesitate to run on his arm. Butch Wynegar, plagued by injuries last season, is only adequate behind the plate."
-Tom Verducci, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1986 Edition
OUTLOOK
"The Yankees' story is a familiar one. They have the talent to win the division, based on the fact that they are slightly better than last year, when they won 97 games. But can they avoid self-destructing? No one knows how good a manager Piniella will be in his first managerial try. He is blessed with a talented club in his first year, but cursed by the pressures imposed by the club's owner and its fans."
-Tom Verducci, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1986 Edition
"It's Lou Piniella's turn to be dipped into George Steinbrenner's bubbling cauldron at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees owner has made 14 managerial changes since taking over the team in 1973, including bringing in and releasing Billy Martin four times.
Martin, who set a major league record for most different times managing one club, did an excellent job, as he usually does, with the Yankees last season. But his off-the field actions, including the well-publicized bout with pitcher Ed Whitson, and Steinbrenner's dissatisfaction with anything but a world title (remember, this is the man who fired Dick Howser in 1980 after he led the Yanks to 103 wins but lost in the AL playoffs) led to yet another change of bench bosses.
Martin, of course, was hired 16 games into the 1985 season when the Yankees stumbled out of the gate under Yogi Berra. Leave it Steinbrenner to besmirch a Yankee legend in the name of the almighty winning record.
And Martin was hired, in essence, as a caretaker until Piniella was ready was ready to assume his first managerial duties. Piniella, who retired in June 1984 with a .291 lifetime batting average, served as the team's batting coach last season and must have done a good job: New York scored 21 more runs than anyone in the league. He also managed five games in Cleveland when Martin was recuperating from a collapsed lung.
'I've wanted to manage, I've said that before,' says Piniella. 'I know it's a tremendous challenge that will take hard work, but it's something I wanted and it's up to me to make the most of this opportunity.
'I'm going into this with open eyes. I've been here 11 or 12 years and seen the different changes at the position. I'm no fool. I realize if, for whatever reason, you don't do a good job, you get replaced. I plan on doing a good job and staying around for a while.'
Seems like Bob Lemon, Gene Michael, Martin, Berra and Howser said something similar.
At least Piniella has the bats to keep him in runs. But the Yankees need more pitching after being forced to use Bob Shirley and acquire Joe Niekro late last season to try to keep pace with the Blue Jays.
Enter Britt Burns, a lefty who went 18-11 with a 3.96 ERA for the White Sox last year. He joins Ron Guidry and Dave Righetti, the aces of the staff. Guidry was 22-6 with a 3.27 ERA and 11 complete games, two shutouts and 143 strikeouts in 259 innings. It was an impressive comeback from Guidry's worst major league season, in which he was 10-11 while suffering through financial problems. To top '85 off, Guidry finished second in the Cy Young voting and copped a Gold Glove for his defensive work.
At 47, Phil Niekro can still make a knuckler dance and he won his 300th game on the final day of the '85 schedule. The Yankees looked like they would invite both Phil (16-12, 4.09 ERA, 149 K's in 220 innings) and Joe Niekro (2-1 in New York) back. Dennis Rasmussen, a powerful lefty, seems to have the tools despite a 3-5, 3.98 ERA in '85.
Whitson had the right to demand a trade and, even with Martin gone, figured to do so. Big question marks surround the careers of Marty Bystrom and the aging Niekros, and John Montefusco will attempt a comeback.
Righetti (12-7, 2.78, 29 SV) will stay in the bullpen, along with Brian Fisher, who was 4-4 and 2.38 with 14 saves as a rookie. They make for a dynamic duo and Piniella has a decent long reliever in southpaw Shirley (5-5, 2.64, 8 SV). As for Neil Allen (1-0, 1 SV in 17 games), he might be worth one more season of reclamation.
Rod Scurry and Mike Armstrong will have trouble staying in the majors while Alfonso Pulido also looks for more mound work.
On offense, the Yankees are strong and deep. Any lineup featuring Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield, Rickey Henderson and Willie Randolph is in good shape.
Mattingly is one of three best pure hitters in the AL. Taking into account the New York first baseman, KC's George Brett and Boston's Wade Boggs, every league batting crown for a decade might be taken.
Mattingly's numbers in '85 were .324, 35 homers 145 RBI, 211 hits, 107 runs and 48 doubles. He ranked first in the AL in RBI (tops in the majors), two-base hits and game winning RBI (21), and was second in hits and slugging percentage (.567), third in average and fourth in homers. He also was nearly flawless in the field, earning a Gold Glove.
Winfield's production was down slightly from '84 when he battled Mattingly to the final at-bat for the batting crown. He hit .275 with 26 homers, 114 RBI, 105 runs, 174 hits and 34 doubles. Winfield also earned a Gold Glove from The Sporting News and was superb afield.
Henderson, who is the speedy leadoff man the team needs to spark it, batted .314 with 146 runs and 80 stolen bases. He was first in the AL in runs and steals and fourth in walks (99) and on-base percentage (.419). But his fielding was erratic and his attitude inconsistent.
The steady second baseman Randolph hit .276 and has been a solid citizen for 10 seasons. Other fine bats in the lineup include Ken Griffey (.274), who had a fine fielding campaign as well. With Butch Wynegar a free agent, New York may need another backstop, though Juan Espino will get a shot and Scott Bradley is available. The Yanks were trying hard to keep Wynegar in New York.
Mike Pagliarulo (.239, 19 HR, 62 RBI) will handle third and Bobby Meacham (.218, 25 SB) will go at shortstop, with Andre Robertson (.328 in 50 games) pushing them. If DH Don Baylor (.231) is allowed to take his 23 homers and 91 RBI elsewhere, Don Pasqua (.209, 9, 25 in 60 games) will have to show he can hit in the majors. The Yankees acquired ex-Oriole slugger Gary Roenicke just in case. Infield support will be supplied by Mike Fischlin, Dale Berra, Miguel Sosa, Juan Bonilla and Leo Hernandez.
Piniella figures to give Henry Cotto a shot in the outfield and the umpires a hard time.
With a bit more pitching, he also could keep the Yankee ship in the Eastern regatta."
-Barry Wilner, Baseball Forecast 1986
"PROBLEMS: New skipper Lou Piniella now has two of the top southpaws in the league on his starting staff, with Britt Burns joining Ron Guidry. But the 3, 4 and 5 spots in the rotation are strict question marks. The bullpen needs a couple of solid long men to help in setting up Dave Righetti and Brian Fisher.
Catching depth is a major trouble, with Butch Wynegar still a free agent at the turn of the year and Ron Hassey gone in the swap for Burns.
When Billy Martin took the helm from Yogi Berra last year, the club spurted into contention. Martin again fell into disfavor when the team misfired in its final series [of the season] against Toronto, and Billy became involved in a barroom tussle with hurler Ed Whitson.
The Martin/Steinbrenner personalities have completely turned off designated hitter Don Baylor, and have left Dave Winfield somewhat disenchanted. Whether Piniella will be able to smooth these burbling waters is a major question.
PITCHING: Can the 40 and 46-year-old Niekros hold up a very shallow rotation? After Guidry and Burns, the Yanks are left with unsatisfactory Dennis Rasmussen, Ed Whitson (if he is not traded as he has requested) and some fairly bright-looking kids. Martin had indicated he wanted to remake Righetti into a starter, but apparently Lou will keep Dave in the bullpen with Fisher.
The short relief is highly effective, but veteran Bob Shirley was the only effective middle man. A right-hander to replace the departed Rich Bordi will have to discovered this spring.
One final question concerns the health of newcomer Burns. Although Britt has had some big winning years, there are rumors he suffers twinges of hip pain. Hurts have caused him to have two non-productive years during his career in Chicago.
HITTING: The Bronx Bombers scored a major league leading 839 runs a year ago, led by MVP Don Mattingly, Winfield, Baylor and sparkplug Rickey Henderson. Owner Steinbrenner, however, is critical of the clutch hitting of some of the big thumpers and is anxious to see his club acquire another solid right-handed bat since the New Yorkers did not fare well against southpaw hurling in '85. In all of the Yankee platoon positions, the left-handed hitters far outperformed those swinging from the right.
Willie Randolph is steady, though slowing down in the field. But shortstop Bobby Meacham and third baseman Mike Pagliarulo, who is expected to be asked to play every day in '86, have dismal averages. The addition of Gary Roenicke from Baltimore helps a little, but Gary is not expected to be a regular. Mike Fischlin comes in from Cleveland as infield backup; Mike carries a light bat, however.
Regardless of who catches, the Yankees will miss the steady plate work of Ron Hassey, who had a lot of pop.
INFIELD: Randolph is still among the league leaders in turning the double play, but his range is down a bit and he is being given more and more rest each year. Meacham is a defensive gem at short, and Fischlin is good bench protection for short and the keystone in case Andre Robertson is included in any deal for pitching.
Mattingly is as good with the glove as he is with the stick, which is saying a lot. Pagliarulo is no Clete Boyer at third, but he does journeyman work afield and has good thump in his low-average bat. Dale Berra is still around for protection.
The hole is behind the plate, and it will be a month or two into the season before the management learns how the changes will affect run production from whoever catches, and how the defense and pitcher-handling capability of the backstop affects the slim starting staff.
OUTFIELD: Henderson and Winfield are at the top of the class for their respective positions. Rickey has proven he can play defense with the best of the league's center fielders despite not having a great arm.
In left, Roenicke and Griffey may platoon if Ken stays in pinstripes. This could bring back memories of the Roenicke/Lowenstein tandem in left which helped to bring a couple of titles to Baltimore a few years back. Yet even hitting only against left-handers, Gary produced only a .218 average to go with his 15 homers in 225 at-bats.
Henry Cotto and Dan Pasqua are two youngsters highly coveted by other clubs in trade talks last winter. Both may be ready to become important contributors to the New York cause in '86.
PROGNOSIS: The pitching thinness is glaring, and it cost the club last year's pennant. Additionally, some of the key figures in the organization are past their baseball primes (Randolph, Griffey, Baylor, the Niekros and Guidry).
New manager, some wild off-season dealing by Steinbrenner and a bench very weak in several spots- are the Yankees as bad as the tail-enders of last April under Berra, or the Martin-driven contenders?
This is an explosive yet temperamental squad which could wind up next October anywhere from first to sixth in the tough East Division (no one looks worse then Milwaukee). The feeling is that winter deals have resulted in New York giving up more than they gained. A finish no better than fourth is likely, although the title fight could result in three, four, five or even six clubs still having a good shot at the East crown in early September."
-Tommy Kay's Big Book of Baseball 1986
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