1987 Profile: Dave Winfield

1987 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"Winfield hit a career low .262, 22 points below his career average entering the season- he never fully recovered from his .222 first half. Despite his disturbing average, he finished with 24 home runs and 104 RBI. He surpassed 100 RBI for the fifth consecutive season; the last Yankee to enjoy so many [100] RBI seasons was Joe DiMaggio, who ran off seven straight from 1936-42. Winfield also became the 54th player to achieve 300 home runs with a two-run blast against Seattle on August 20.
The ten-time All-Star has had flaps with owner George Steinbrenner, who seeks more clutch production from him. He appeared to lose a step last season, although he remained an outstanding defensive right fielder.
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Winfield was selected by San Diego in the first round (fourth pick) of the June 1973 draft. He signed a 10-year, $23-million pact as a free agent with the Yankees in December 1980. Winfield batted a career high .340 in 1984, losing the batting championship to teammate Don Mattingly on the last day. He heads the Winfield Foundation, which performs various community services."

-Don Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1987 Edition

"Dave Winfield is widely considered to baseball's finest all-around athlete. Even sports neophytes probably know by now that the 6'6" 220-pounder was drafted by professional teams in three sports- baseball, football and basketball. He's been a baseball All-Star every year since 1977, and he's very likely headed for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 1986, Winfield put together his fifth consecutive 100-RBI season, something that hadn't been done by a Yankees player since Joe DiMaggio had seven straight 100-RBI seasons from 1936 through 1942.
Winfield, in his six Yankee seasons, has failed to reach 100 RBI only once- in the strike-shortened 1981 season- and even then he led the Yankees with 68 RBI. And keep in mind that Mickey Mantle, for all his greatness, produced only four 100-RBI seasons in his eighteen Yankees campaigns.
No one is more consistent than Winfield. No one more consistently produces runs. Winfield's yearly RBI totals beginning in 1982 read like this: 106, 116, 100, 114 and 104. DiMaggio was a little more spectacular, with successive RBI seasons of 125, 167, 140, 126, 133, 125 and 114, but then you'd expect perhaps the greatest player in the game's history to put up great numbers.
DiMaggio was the best right-handed hitter in Yankees history. Winfield might well be the second best. The dimensions of Yankee Stadium, a brutal place to play for right-handed power hitters, were unfriendly toward DiMag and don't exactly accommodate Winfield. In Joe's day, the distances to the fences were 402 feet to straightaway left, 457 feet to left-center (the power alley), 461 to dead center and 407 to right-center.
Death Valley, where fly balls go to die. It was a killer in DiMaggio's era, and while the fences are closer today, Yankee Stadium still limits right-handed effectiveness. The 1974-75 Stadium renovation reduced the distance to left-center to 430 feet, and in 1985, when a walkway was installed to open Monument Park to the public, the distance shrank a little more. The lessened distance to left-center: 411 feet- still a good poke when you recognize that a ball hit 400 feet has to be really tagged.
Winfield has done as well as any right-handed hitter except DiMaggio in coping with Yankee Stadium. Dave has hit 151 homers, or about half his career total of 305, while with the Yankees in spite of Death Valley. He should, in 1987, surpass Joe Gordon (153), Hank Bauer (158), Elston Howard (161), Bill Skowron (165) and Tony Lazzeri (169) and move into second place behind DiMaggio for the most Yankee homers by a right-handed batter.
But Winfield is not just a slugger who swings for the fences- although he does smash the ball as hard as anyone in the game. His .288 batting average for his six Yankee seasons places him a lofty 20th in the club's history for those who have played at least 500 Yankee games. He hit a robust .340 in 1984, only to lose the batting title by three points to teammate Don Mattingly in a thrilling race. In June of that season Dave had a trio of five-hit games and tied Ty Cobb's record for the most five-hit games in one month. Season after season, Winfield ranks in the American League Top Ten in several offensive categories.
Although he is a steady and commanding presence at the plate, Winfield is most often perceived in terms of his exceptional all-around skills. He is the complete ballplayer, right down to his baserunning; indeed, big league ball has no baserunner more daring than Dave, who with seven or eight strides can turn a routine single into a leg double. He'll pull four or five games a year out of a hat with his aggressive style on the basepaths.
'The main thing,' Winfield says, 'is winning ballgames, regardless of how you do it, even it doesn't show up in the box scores.'
There is no better defensive outfielder in the game than Winfield. He has made some of the most memorable catches in Yankee Stadium history and was the winner of a Gold Glove, the award given for fielding excellence, four years in a row (1982-85). In 1986 he stretched his large frame over the outfield wall to take away six potential home runs, according to Dave, who does not dabble in false modesty. And baserunners rarely take liberties with his strong throwing arm; those who do often wind up dead ducks.
Winfield hits and hits with power, runs with swift, skillful daring, fields spectacularly and throws with powerful accuracy. And that's not all. He plays with tremendous intensity. He is one of the hardest playing practitioners of the professional game- he never stops hustling.
He's big, he's strong, he's handsome, he's intelligent. As a senior at the University of Minnesota, the St. Paul native posted a 13-1 record as a pitcher and batted over .400 as an outfielder. He was the Most Valuable Player of the 1973 College World Series and then, without playing a single game in the minors, went off to major league baseball and hit safely in his first six games with the San Diego Padres.
Winfield has remained mentally tough. 'Mentally, you can accomplish just about anything you want,' he says, 'and mentally I'm as tough as anyone in the game. I'll do whatever it takes to win.'
Including bunting if the situation calls for a bunt. Former Yankees manager Joe McCarthy was once asked if Joe DiMaggio could bunt, and he replied, 'I don't know, and I have no intention of ever finding out.' Fine. But if Dave Winfield feels a bunt will help the Yankees win a game, he'll bunt.
Dave was batting only .233 at the All-Star break in 1986. He rebounded in the second half to finish at .262. The year wasn't his best season, but it was anything but a disaster. Dave says, 'I wouldn't let anybody say I had a horrible year.'
Certainly not. Winfield really had an excellent 1986 season. He hit 24 homers, knocked in 104 runs and scored 90 runs- another solid, consistent year from Dave Winfield. And a consistent Dave Winfield season is an 'outstanding' year for most other ballplayers.
'I know my best years are ahead of me because I'm wiser,' Winfield said after hitting his 300th career home run last year. 'I'm sure I'll have 400-something, maybe 500-something (home runs), but I'm more worried about collecting some wins, some rings, some postseason checks, things like that.'"

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"In 1986 he had good numbers for most major leaguers, but slightly below Dave Winfield standards. He became the first Yankee to reach the 100 RBI mark for five consecutive seasons since Joe DiMaggio did it seven straight years, 1936-42. RBI No. 100 came on September 29 at Yankee Stadium against Toronto; his 104 RBIs in '86 ranked ninth in the American League.
His at-bat in the sixth inning on July 5 at Chicago was career at-bat No. 7,000. His RBI triple in the fifth inning on July 7 at Texas off Mickey Mahler was career hit No. 2,000. His two-run home run on August 20, a second inning blast off Seattle's Mike Moore, was career home run No. 300, with Winfield becoming only the 54th player in history to reach that peak.
Winfield got off to a slow start, hitting just .228 (13-for-57) with one homer and eight RBIs after his first 15 games, with 10 walks and 12 strikeouts. He went 11-for-30 (.367) over his next nine games, raising his overall batting average to .276 on May 4. That hot streak was followed by another cold spell- a 10-game stretch from May 5-15, going 4-for-36 (.111). He had just three homers through his first 35 games.
He came around to hit in seven straight, May 16-24 (his longest hitting streak until September), going 10-for-29 (.345) with three homers and 10 RBIs, raising his batting average to .257. That streak included a 3-for-5, six-RBI performance against Seattle on May 17, with two runs, a double and his sixth career grand slam (New York's lone grand slam of '86). The six RBIs matched his career high, now accomplished three times, and were the team high for '86. From May 25-July 5 Dave went 23-for-127 (.181) in 36 games with four doubles, one triple, six homers, 19 RBIs, 20 walks and 30 strikeouts, with his overall batting average falling from .257 to .222, his lowest point of '86. He went 17 games between homers No. 12 and 13, June 14-July 6, and hit just one homer in 28 games between June 15 and July 21.
From July 6-30, 18 games, Dave went 25-for-65 (.385) with 18 RBIs, raising his overall average from .222 to .253. He had just 13 RBIs in 28 August games, going 30-for-104 (.288) and ending the month at .261. Dave had just two hits in September's first seven games (2-for-23, .087 BA) with his average falling to .253, but from September 11 to season's end went 29-for-94 (.309) with four homers and 21 RBIs to end at .262.
His .262 batting average was the lowest of his professional career, and his total of 148 hits was his fewest in a full season since getting 139 in 1976. His 77 walks were the most since receiving 79 passes in 1980, yet he broke the 100 strikeout mark for the first time in his career- his previous high had been 96 in 1974 and 1985. Dave went hitless in five straight games on two occasions: May 25-30 (0-for-13) and September 3-9 (0-for-17, his longest 0-fer of '86).
Dave hit second in the batting order for the first time in his career on June 27 against Toronto. He appeared as a designated hitter in six games, going 2-for-18 (.111), and was 1-for-7 with a walk in eight pinch-hitting appearances (.143). Dave was 48-for-161 (.298) with runners in scoring position.
He led Yankee outfielders with nine assists. He went 104 games between his second and third errors of '86- he had two errors in his first nine games of the season, three in his last 42 games and none in between. Dave made his first career appearance at third base on July 2 against Detroit in the ninth inning- and had no fielding chances.
Dave hit a pair of homers on June 4 at California and scored four runs (matching the '86 team high) on June 23 at Boston. He appeared in his 10th straight All-Star Game.
In 1981, his first season as a Yankee, Dave 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.
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). Winfield became the ninth player to hit 30 or more home runs in a season in both leagues. He was named AL Player of the Month for September (.294 BA, 11 HR, 22 RBI, .661 slugging percentage).
Winfield led the Yankees in 1983 in games, at-bats, runs, 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 a rare American League win. He was selected as AL Player of the Week [for each of] the first two weeks of August. On August 4 at Toronto, he fatally beaned a seagull during between-innings warm-ups and was charged by Toronto Police with cruelty to animals- the charges were dropped the next day.
In 1984 Winfield finished second to Don Mattingly for the American League batting championship with a career high .340, fourth in the AL with 193 hits, fourth with a .393 on-base percentage, and sixth with 106 runs. He had a career high 20-game hitting streak from August 17-September 8. Dave had three five-hit games in June, tying a record held by Ty Cobb [for five-hit games in one month]. He won his fourth straight Sporting News Silver Bat Award and was named to the American League, Sporting News and UPI All-Star teams.
He had an outstanding year in 1985 at the plate, with the glove and on the basepaths. He was second in the American League with 19 game winning RBI, third with 114 RBI, tied for seventh with 66 extra base hits, ninth with 105 runs and 10th with 298 total bases. Dave recorded 100+ RBI for the fourth straight year, the first Yankee [to do this] since Yogi Berra (1953-56), was the first Yankee to score 100+ runs in consecutive seasons since Mickey Mantle (1960-61), and the first Yankee to record 100+ runs and 100 RBIs since Joe DiMaggio (1941-42). He scored his 1,000th career run on July 26 at Texas.
Winfield lost 17 spring training days, March 17 through April 2, with an infected left elbow which required a six-day hospital stay. He began the '85 regular season struggling at the plate, hitting .257 through April and dropping to a season low of .234 on May 18. At this point he began a season-high 13-game hitting streak which lasted through June 1, raising his batting average 23 points (he also had a 10-game hitting streak from July 9-22). He had only five homers through June 6, yet went 36-for-105 (.343) in June, driving his average up to .289; it peaked at .300 on July 22, then from July 23 to August 18 he went 18-for-96 (.188), his overall average dropping to .280.
His 96 strikeouts in '85 matched a career high set in 1974, yet his 19 stolen bases were his most since 1980. He stole home on September 7 against Oakland. He won his fourth straight AL Gold Glove (sixth overall) and appeared in his ninth consecutive All-Star Game.
Dave went right to the majors off the University of Minnesota campus in 1973, hit safely in his first six major league games and never played in the minors. He hit .284 in his eight-year career in San Diego and in 1976 led NL outfielders with 15 assists. He had his best season in the National League in 1979, leading the National League with 118 RBIs and 333 total bases and finishing third with 34 homers. Winfield won his first Gold Glove in '79 in addition to placing third in the BBWAA MVP voting behind co-winners Keith Hernandez and Willie Stargell.
Prior to college Winfield attended St. Paul Central High School. At the University of Minnesota, he was 13-1 on the mound in his senior year while batting over .400 [as an outfielder]. 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.
He established the David M. Winfield Foundation, receiving much acclaim for its work with youth groups and further contributions to the community. Winfield was named 1979 winner of the YMCA Brian Piccolo Award for humanitarian services. He opened a restaurant in Manhattan called 'Border Cafe' in November of '86."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide