1986 Profile: Dan Pasqua

1985 Yankee Minor League Player of the Year

"Shuttled between Columbus (AAA) and the Yankees in 1985, though he may have earned a permanent 1986 spot on the big club with his power. Pasqua hit .321 with 18 homers and 69 RBI in 287 at-bats for Columbus last year, and crushed nine homers and drove in 25 runs in 148 at-bats for the Yankees. He batted only .209 for the Yanks, but the club believes the left fielder has the swing to hit for a decent average. Pasqua has a stroke that is tailor-made for Yankee Stadium's short porch in right.
Born in Yonkers, New York, Pasqua was picked by the Yankees in the third round of the June 1982 draft. He hit 33 homers for Nashville (AA) in 1984."

-Tom Verducci, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1986 Edition

"It's hard to believe that a player who hit nine home runs and collected 25 RBIs with the Yankees in 1985 could have had time to compile statistics impressive enough to be named the Yankees 1985 Minor League Player of the Year. As incredible as it seems, that's he kind of season Dan Pasqua enjoyed last year. Shuffling back and forth between the big club and the Triple-A Columbus Clippers for half a season, Pasqua's .321 average with 18 home runs and 69 RBIs in 78 games with the Clippers was good enough to earn him the top player honor. Pasqua accumulated his impressive major league stats in only 60 games with the Yankees.
'I've got to be happy with what I've done so far,' Pasqua says. And so are the Yankees. During the 1985 off-season more than one team approached Yankees management about the New Jersey native to which they replied, 'No way!' They saw what Dan Pasqua could do in only 60 games and are eager to see what he can do in a full season."

- The New York Yankees Official 1986 Yearbook

"Playing only 78 games at Columbus, Pasqua was named International League Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player, hitting .321 with 18 home runs and 69 RBIs.
After starting the season with the Clippers, Pasqua was recalled to the Yankees on May 30 when Henry Cotto was placed on the 21-day DL with a punctured left eardrum. His first major league hit was a home run in his second at-bat of his first major league game, in the fifth inning on May 30 at California off Ron Romanick. Dan remained with New York until optioned to Columbus on June 17. He was again recalled on July 11 and hit two homers in his second game after his recall, July 12 against Texas- both upper deck blasts to right field at Yankee Stadium off Dave Stewart and Dave Rozema.
Demoted to Columbus for the final time on August 5, only to be recalled after the minimum 10 days on August 16, Dan went 3-for-4 with a double and a three-run homer for four RBIs on August 25 at Seattle. He hit four home runs in six games, September 3-10, with 10 RBIs.
He averaged one home run every 16.4 at-bats (Mattingly averaged one home run every 18.6 at-bats). Pasqua has too many at-bats to be [officially] considered a rookie in 1986.
Pasqua played the entire year at Nashville in 1984, performing at the AA level for the first time. He led the Sounds in home runs (33), total bases (231), RBIs (91) and slugging percentage (.502). In 1983 Dan led the Ft. Lauderdale Yankees in games, at-bats, runs, doubles, triples, home runs and RBIs, was second in walks and third in batting (players with 100+ games) and hits. In 1982, Dan was named to the Appalachian League All-Star team and was winner of the league MVP award. He led the league in home runs with 16.
Dan attended Old Tappan (NJ) High School where he played football and baseball and was All-County in baseball in 1979. He was an All-American in baseball at William Patterson College in 1981 and 1982. He played Little League in Congers, New York and in Harrington Park, New Jersey. Originally a center fielder, he was changed to right field at Ft. Lauderdale in 1983.
Dan would like to own his own business after his [baseball] career."

-1986 New York Yankees Information Guide