1987 New York Yankees Home Opening Roster

Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York (April 13)

Manager - Lou Piniella  14

No. Coaches
52  Mark Connor
34  Mike Ferraro
42  Stump Merrill
44  Jeff Torborg
50  Jay Ward
40  Stan Williams

No. Pitchers
38  Pat Clements (R-L)
54  Cecilio Guante (R-R)
41  Charles Hudson (R-R)
25  Tommy John (R-L)
39  Joe Niekro (R-R)
45  Dennis Rasmussen (L-L)
26  Rick Rhoden (R-R)
19  Dave Righetti (L-L)
29  Bob Shirley (R-L)
43  Tim Stoddard (R-R)  *
35  Bob Tewksbury (R-R)

No. Catchers
6    Rick Cerone (R-R)
12  Joel Skinner (R-R)

No. Infielders
23  Don Mattingly (L-L)
13  Mike Pagliarulo (L-R)
30  Willie Randolph (R-R)
11  Lenn Sakata (R-R)
2    Wayne Tolleson (S-R)
17  Paul Zuvella (R-R)

No. Outfielders
24  Rickey Henderson (R-L)
33  Ron Kittle (R-R)
21  Dan Pasqua (L-L)
22  Gary Ward (R-R)
18  Claudell Washington (L-L)
31  Dave Winfield (R-R)

Trainers - Gene Monahan, Steve Donohue
Strength and Conditioning Coach - Jeff Mangold
Batting Practice Catcher - Mike Barnett (59)


SCOREBOOK & SOUVENIR PROGRAM PORTRAIT PHOTOS
Rick Cerone (C) 48
Pat Clements (P) 38
Cecilio Guante (P) 54
Rickey Henderson (CF) 24
Charles Hudson (P) 41
Tommy John (P) 25
Ron Kittle (DH) 33
Don Mattingly (1B) 23
Bobby Meacham (SS) 20
Joe Niekro (P) 39
Mike Pagliarulo (3B) 13
Dan Pasqua (LF) 21
Willie Randolph (2B) 30
Dennis Rasmussen (P) 45
Rick Rhoden (P) 26
Dave Righetti (P) 19
Ron Romanick (P) 55
Lenn Sakata (3B) 11
Rod Scurry (P) 28
Bob Shirley
Joel Skinner (C) 12
Tim Stoddard (P) 43
Bob Tewksbury (P) 35
Wayne Tolleson (SS) 2
Gary Ward (OF) 22
Claudell Washington (OF) 18
Dave Winfield (RF) 31

1987 New York Yankees Opening Day Roster

Tiger Stadium, Detroit, Michigan (April 6)

Manager - Lou Piniella  14

No. Coaches
52  Mark Connor
34  Mike Ferraro
42  Stump Merrill
44  Jeff Torborg
50  Jay Ward
40  Stan Williams

No. Pitchers
38  Pat Clements (R-L)
54  Cecilio Guante (R-R)
41  Charles Hudson (R-R)
25  Tommy John (R-L)
39  Joe Niekro (R-R)
45  Dennis Rasmussen (L-L)
26  Rick Rhoden (R-R)
19  Dave Righetti (L-L)
29  Bob Shirley (R-L)
43  Tim Stoddard (R-R)  *
35  Bob Tewksbury (R-R)

No. Catchers
6    Rick Cerone (R-R)
12  Joel Skinner (R-R)

No. Infielders
23  Don Mattingly (L-L)
13  Mike Pagliarulo (L-R)
30  Willie Randolph (R-R)
11  Lenn Sakata (R-R)
2    Wayne Tolleson (S-R)
17  Paul Zuvella (R-R)

No. Outfielders
24  Rickey Henderson (R-L)
33  Ron Kittle (R-R)
21  Dan Pasqua (L-L)
22  Gary Ward (R-R)
18  Claudell Washington (L-L)
31  Dave Winfield (R-R)
 
Trainers - Gene Monahan, Steve Donohue
Strength and Conditioning Coach - Jeff Mangold
Batting Practice Catcher - Mike Barnett (59)

1987 Yankees Yearbook Roster, Taxi Squad and Prospects

Manager - Lou Piniella 14
First Base Coach - Stump Merrill 42
Third Base Coach - Mike Ferraro 34
Pitching Coach - Mark Connor 52
Batting Coach - Jay Ward 50
Bullpen Coach - Jeff Torborg 44
Administrative Coach/Pitching Coach - Stan Williams 40

ROSTER
Catcher - Joel Skinner 12, Rick Cerone 6
First Base - Don Mattingly 23
Second Base - Willie Randolph 30
Third Base - Mike Pagliarulo 13, Lenn Sakata 11 (2B)
Shortstop - Wayne Tolleson 2, Bobby Meacham 20
Left Field - Dan Pasqua 21, Gary Ward 22
Center Field - Rickey Henderson 24, Henry Cotto 46
Right Field - Dave Winfield 31
Designated Hitter - Claudell Washington 18 (OF), Ron Kittle 33 (OF)

Starting Pitchers:
Rick Rhoden 26 (DH)
Dennis Rasmussen 45
Tommy John 25
Bob Tewksbury 35
Joe Niekro 39
Charles Hudson 41

Relief Pitchers:
Dave Righetti 19
Tim Stoddard 43
Cecilio Guante 54
Pat Clements 38


TAXI SQUAD
Catcher - Juan Espino 58
Shortstop- Paul Zuvella 60 (2B)

Starting Pitchers:
Ron Guidry 49
Bill Gullickson 47*
Scott Nielsen 29*
Ron Romanick 55
Britt Burns 27*

Relief Pitchers:
Neil Allen 48
Mike Armstrong 36
Al Holland 17
Rod Scurry 28
Pete Filson 57
Bob Shirley 56*


PROSPECTS
Catcher - Phil Lombardi, Mitch Lyden
First Base - Orestes Destrade
Third Base - Chris Alvarez
Shortstop - Shane Turner
Outfield - Keith Hughes, Roberto Kelly, Jay Buhner

Starting Pitchers:
Brad Arnsberg
Eric Schmidt
Bill Fulton
Al Leiter

Relief Pitcher:
Alfonso Pulido


* unofficial uniform number

1987 New York Yankees Player Development

Vice-President and General Manager - Woody Woodward
Vice-President, Baseball Administration - Bob Quinn
Director of Player Development - Bobby Hofman
Director of Scouting - Brian Sabean
Assistant Director of Player Development - Peter Jameson
Assistant Director of Scouting - Roy Krasik
Director, Video Coordination - Mike Barnett
Director, Computer Services - Kevin Elfering


YANKEE FARM CLUBS
AAA
Columbus, Ohio
International League
Manager - Bucky Dent
Coaches - Ken Rowe, Champ Summers
Trainer - Kevin Rand

AA
Albany-Colonie, New York
Eastern League
Manager - Tommy Jones
Coaches - Bill Monboquette, Jerry McNertney
Trainer - Bob Barker

A
Prince William, Virginia
Carolina League
Manager - Wally Moon
Coaches - Jim Saul, Dave Wehrmeister
Trainer - Mike Heifferon

A
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Florida State League
Manager - Buck Showalter
Coaches - Carlos Lezcano, Russ Meyer
Trainer - Michael Sims

A
Oneonta, New York
New York-Penn League
Manager - Gary Allenson
Coaches - Brian Butterfield, Tony Cloninger, Jack Gillis
Trainer - Bill Guerette

Rookie
Sarasota, Florida
Gulf Coast League
Manager - Fred Ferreira
Coaches - Fernando Gonzalez, Hoyt Wilhelm
Trainer - Brian Sifferlin


SCOUTING
Major League Scouts:
Hank Bauer
Al Cuccinello
Bob Lemon
Eddie Lopat
Charlie Silvera
Mickey Vernon

Cross-Checkers:
Fred Ferreira - Latin American Supervisor and Special Assignment
Jack Gillis - East Coast
Don Lindeberg - West Coast
Bill Livesey - National

Regular Scouts:
Luis Arroyo (Puerto Rico)
Mark Batchko (Texas (North of Waco), New Mexico, Oklahoma)
Hop Cassady (Big Ten and Mid-American Conferences)
Arturo de Freitas (Dominican Republic)
Joe DiCarlo (New York, New Jersey)
Bill Emslie (Florida)
Orrin Freeman (Southern California, Arizona)
Jack Gillis (Florida (South of Gainesville))
Fernando Gonzalez (Puerto Rico)
Dick Groch (Michigan (North of I-70), Illinois, Indiana, Ohio)
Jim Gruzdis (North Carolina, South Carolina)
Bob Hartsfield (Alabama, Florida Panhandle, Georgia, Mississippi)
Don Lindeberg (Southern California, Arizona)
Jim Naples (Upstate New York)
Ramon Naranjo (Dominican Republic)
Greg Orr (Northern California, Nevada, Utah)
Meade Palmer (Pennsylvania)
Roberto Rivera (Puerto Rico)
Joe Robison (Texas (South of Waco), Arkansas, Louisiana)
Lou Saban (East Coast of Florida: West Palm Beach to Daytona Beach)
Stan Saleski (Kentucky, Tennessee (South of I-70), Illinois, Indiana, Ohio)
Rudy Santin (Miami)
Jeff Taylor (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia)
Dick Tidrow (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado)
Paul Turco (New England)
Frank Verdi (Special Assignment)
Jerry Zimmerman (Idaho, Oregon, Washington)

1987 Yankee Spring Training Scout Signings
VINCE CAPECE: Chris Lombardozzi (1985)
HOP CASSADY: Jeff Hellman (1985)
MURRAY COOK: Bill Fulton (1983)
AL CUCCINELLO: Tim Byron (1982), Dan Pasqua (1982)
WHITEY DEHART: Mitch Lyden (1983)
JOE DICARLO: Dan Arendas (1986), Carlos Contreras (1986), Maurice Guercio (1984), Matthew Harrison (1984), Al Leiter (1984), Mark Marris (1986), Rich Scheid (1986)
FRED FERREIRA: Oscar Azocar (1983), Tim Bishop (1987), Lou Blanco (1986), Casanova Brito (1985), Dennis Brow (1985), Angel Cantres (1986), Doug Carpenter (1983), Amalio Carreno (1983), Jovino Carvajal (1986), Roberto Concepcion (1986), Henry Cruz (1986), Orestes Destrade (1981), Ray Didder (1985), Reynaldo Fernandez (1985), Fernando Figueroa (1985), Roberto Garcia (1986), Santos Garcia (1986), Steve George (1982), Ysidro Giron (1985), Ed Gonzalez (1986), Fredi Gonzalez (1982), Hector Guzman (1985), Jose Guzman (1985), Yanko Hauradou (1985), Jose Herrera (1986), Ramon Jimenez (1986), Roberto Kelly (1982), Jose Laboy (1983), Ramon Lantigua (1986), Harvey Lee (1984), Temis Liendo (1986), Jose Lopez (1986), Ramon Manon (1985), Ricardo Martinez (1985), Hensley Meulens (1985), Edgar Morales (1985), William Morales (1986), Steve Niewulis (1986), Mike Pagliarulo (1981), Alejandro Penn (1986), Alfredo Perez (1986), Julio Ramon (1985), Miguel Ramos (1986), Rolando Reyes (1986), Cesar Rivera (1986), Gabriel Rodriguez (1984), Aris Tirado (1985), Ricky Torres (1984), Hector Vargas (1985), Yovanny Veras (1986), Bernie Williams (1985)
ORRIN FREEMAN: Luc Berube (1986), Art Calvert (1984), Rob Lambert (1985), Tim Layana (1986), Jason Maas (1985), Darren Reed (1984), Dana Ridenour (1986), Andy Stankiewicz (1986), Dean Wilkins (1986), Chuck Yaeger (1984)
JACK GILLIS: Tim Becker (1986), Gary Cathcart (1984), Randy Foster (1986), Jerry Rub (1986), Bob Tewksbury (1981), Turner Ward (1986)
DICK GROCH: Darrin Chapin (1986), Casey Close (1986), Scott Kamieniecki (1986), Mark Manering (1986), Michael McClear (1984), Hal Morris (1986)
JIM GRUZDIS: Mike Christopher (1985), Bob Davidson (1984), Scott Gay (1985)
EPY GUERRERO: Juan Espino (1975)
BOBBY HOFMAN: Mickey Tresh (1986)
GARY HUGHES: Brad Arnsberg (1983), Pete Dalena (1982), Randy Graham (1982)
JOHN KENNEDY: Dick Scott (1981)
DON LINDEBERG: Tony Gwinn (1986), Phil Lombardi (1981), Jeffrey Pries (1984), Shane Turner (1985)
BILL LIVESEY: Chris Carroll (1985), Jim Leyritz (1985), Kevin Maas (1986), John Ramos (1986)
RUSS MEYER: Robert Ryan (1986)
GREG ORR: Ted Higgins (1985), John Ramos (1986)
MEADE PALMER: Steve Adkins (1986), Rick Balabon (1985), Steve Frey (1983)
GUST POULOS: Don Mattingly (1979), Tony Russell (1982)
JAX ROBERTSON: Don Mattingly (1979)
BRIAN SABEAN: John Begeal (1986), Chris Byrnes (1986), Kevin Crofton (1986), Bob Green (1985), Chris Howard (1986), Johnny Pleicones (1985), Mark Rose (1986), Steve Rosenberg (1986), Scott Shaw (1985), Bill Voeltz (1986)
STAN SALESKI: Ralph Kraus (1986), Ken Patterson (1985)
STAN SANDERS: Jim Riggs (1982)
CHARLIE SILVERA: Brent Blum (1985)
DICK TIDROW: Troy Evers (1985)


1987 YANKEES YEARBOOK "ON THE WAY UP"
Chris Alvarez (3B)
Jay Buhner (OF)
Orestes Destrade (1B)
Bill Fulton (RHP)
Roberto Kelly (OF)
Al Leiter (LHP)
Phil Lombardi (C)
Mitch Lyden (C)
Eric Schmidt (RHP)
Shane Turner (SS)

ALBANY-COLONIE MAJOR LEAGUE LIST GROWS
"Everybody likes to win, especially the late Vince Lombardi who once said 'winning isn't everything, it's the only thing.' And I guess at his level it was. But in the minor leagues the idea, when you get down to the nitty gritty, is develop talent for the majors. The Albany-Colonie franchise has certainly done that. Four members of the 1986 A-C Yankees made the New York winter roster and a fifth traded away (Carlos Martinez) was with the Chicago White Sox. In 1986 Keith Hughes, Roberto Kelly, Logan Easley and Mitch Lyden did well enough for a look-see. Easley was traded to Pittsburgh where he was being counted on to provide help in their major league bullpen.
1986 was also a moving-up year for members of the 1985 A-C Yankee squad. Bob Tewksbury became a big league pitcher right out of spring training and posted a fine 9-5 record with an ERA of 3.31 with New York. Catcher Phil Lombardi had two stints with the big club in '86. He ended up hitting .278 for New York in 20 games with a couple of homers and showed progress not only behind the plate but in the outfield as well. Doug Drabek had a 7-8 record with New York but he too was traded to Pittsburgh during the off-season. Scotty Nielsen was 4-4 with the Yanks and he too was traded, to the Philadelphia Phillies. Brad Arnsberg pitched briefly in New York.
Still with the grads, catcher Mickey Tettleton from the Albany-Colonie A's part of the franchise, won the starting job with Oakland and hit ten homers. But his season was marred by a long nagging injury that kept him out of many games. Infielder Tim Pyznarski was the MVP of the Pacific Coast League and then made the San Diego Padres the final month, only to be traded to the Milwaukee organization. Pyznarski hit 29 homers for Albany-Colonie in 1983, a club mark that still stands (since the revival of the franchise). Relief pitcher Steve Ontiveros was a key reliever for Oakland in 1986. Infielder Luis Quinones, the first player to go from the Albany-Colonie franchise to the majors, was traded back to Oakland from San Francisco and during the off-season was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Ron Cey.
Former A's second baseman Mike Woodward also was with the Giants for much of the season and catcher Charlie O'Brien was on the Milwaukee roster. The Eastern was once called 'the gateway to the big leagues' and that seems to be still true around Heritage Park."

-Rip Rowan, 1987 Season Albany-Colonie Yankees Official Program/Yearbook

1987 Yankee Minor League Manager and Coaches Profiles

GARY ALLENSON (Manager, Oneonta)
"Gary attended Arizona State, where he played on their college World Series team in 1975. Selected by the Red Sox in the 9th round of the June 1976 free agent draft, he led Florida State League catchers in fielding percentage (.989) and assists (80) in 1977. Allenson was International League MVP and All-Star catcher in 1978, leading catchers in putouts (735), assists (86) and throwing out base stealers (43).
He hit his first major league home run on April 15, 1979 against Cleveland's Rick Wise. Gary signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as a free agent for the 1985 season.
1987 will be Gary's first season in coaching."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


JOE ALTOBELLI (Minor League Coordinator)
"Signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Indians organization in 1950, Altobelli holds the Florida State League mark with a 36-game hitting streak. He led American Association first basemen in fielding percentage (.987) in 1958.
Joe was sold to Toronto (International League) in January 1959, traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for third baseman Clyde Parris in April 1960, purchased by the Minnesota Twins in July 1961 and returned to the Dodgers organization in October of '61.
Traded to the Baltimore Orioles' organization in October 1962, Joe was named Appalachian League Manager of the Year in 1967. He was named International League Manager of the Year in 1971, 1976 and 1980, and named Minor League Manager of the Year by The Sporting News in 1974.
Altobelli was named National League Manager of the Year in 1978. He piloted the Orioles to the World Championship in 1983, his first season as manager after Earl Weaver's retirement.
He coached with the Yankees in 1981, 1982 and 1986. In 1987, Joe will travel to each of the Yankees' six farm clubs in his role as minor league coordinator."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


BRIAN BUTTERFIELD (Coach, Oneonta)
"Brian graduated from Florida Southern College with a B.S. in physical education in 1980. Signed as a free agent by the Yankees in June 1979, he coached at Florida Southern (1979) and Eckerd College (1980-81). He was named Most Valuable Player of the Ft. Lauderdale squad in 1981.
Brian is the son of the late Jack Butterfield, who was Yankees Vice-President of Player Development and Scouting."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


TONY CLONINGER (Pitching Coach, Oneonta)
"Tony spent over eight seasons in the Milwaukee-Atlanta Braves organization. He won 19 games for the Braves in 1964 and bettered that with 24 wins in 1965, the Braves' last season playing in Milwaukee. He was traded to Cincinnati along with Clay Carroll and Woody Woodward for Milt Pappas, Ted Davidson and Bob Johnson on June 11, 1968.
He conducted baseball camps and clinics in the years following his retirement in 1972. Tony will be in his first season as a pro coach in 1987, handling the Oneonta hurlers."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


BUCKY DENT (Manager, Columbus)
"Drafted by the White Sox in the 1st round of the secondary phase of the June 1970 draft, Bucky played in the first major league game he ever saw in 1973. After four years in Chicago, he was acquired by the Yankees just prior to the start of the 1977 season.
In 1978, Dent won the Eastern Division playoff game for the Yankees at Boston with a dramatic three-run homer off Mike Torrez, erasing a two-run Red Sox lead. He went on to lead the Yankees in their six-game World Series victory over the Dodgers, hitting .417 while earning the Most Valuable Player award for the Series.
He was traded to the Texas Rangers in August 1982 and played there through 1983. In 1984, he had a short stint with the Columbus Clippers before joining the Kansas City Royals for their stretch drive to the AL West title.
Bucky managed Ft. Lauderdale in 1985-86, and his 1986 club narrowly missed the playoffs by a .005 margin. He'll skipper at Columbus in 1987."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


FRED FERREIRA (Manager, Sarasota)
"Ferreira signed with the Red Sox in 1955 but never played due to military service in Korea. He scouted Florida for the Kansas City Athletics, San Diego, Philadelphia and California from 1967-80 before joining the Yankees in 1981.
He owned the Pompano Beach club of the Florida State League from 1976-77, and owned and operated the Ft. Lauderdale Baseball School from 1967-77. Fred signed current Yankees Mike Pagliarulo, Orestes Destrade and Roberto Kelly. He is responsible for the Yankee Academy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, along with supervising all Yankees Latin American scouting.
Fred returns to the helm of the Sarasota Yankees in 1987."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


JACK GILLIS (Coach, Oneonta)
"Gillis did not play pro baseball but built a strong reputation as a college coach at two Florida schools- Eckerd and St. Leo. He joined the Yankees organization in 1980 as a coach at Oneonta. Jack managed the Sarasota Yankees in 1984. He returns to coach at Oneonta in 1987.
Jack is also the Yankees East Coast Cross-Checker for the scouting department."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


FERNANDO GONZALEZ (Infield Coach, Sarasota)
"Gonzalez attended Mayaguez College (Puerto Rico) where he was MVP of the baseball team in 1967 and 1968. He signed as a free agent with the Seattle Pilots in December 1968. After his release from the Milwaukee Brewers (formerly Pilots) organization, he signed with the Pittsburgh organization in January 1971. Gonzalez was named Eastern League Player of the Year in 1972 after pacing the circuit in batting (.333), hits (172), and doubles (42).
He was traded with pitcher Nelson Briles to the Kansas City Royals in December 1973 for infielder Kurt Bevaqua, catcher-first baseman Ed Kirkpatrick and first baseman Winston Cole. Purchased by the Yankees in May 1974, Fernando played 51 games for New York that year and hit his only career home run in the American League. Later sent to the Mexican League, he returned to play for the Pirates and finished his major league career with San Diego in 1979.
Fernando is General Manager of the Aricebo club in the Puerto Rican Winter League. He serves in his second year as infield coach at Sarasota in 1987."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


TOMMY JONES (Manager, Albany-Colonie)
"Jones attended the University of California-Davis for two years, where he played football. He graduated from the University of the Pacific with a B.A. in history. Tommy was named co-MVP of the baseball squad in his senior year. He signed as a free agent with the independent Grays Harbor Club in 1976 and led Northwest League outfielders in assists (10) and double plays (5) that year.
He joined the Padres major league coaching staff for the last month of the 1979 season. Jones was voted the Pioneer League Manager of the Year for 1982 and 1983. He spent five years managing in the Kansas City organization.
Tommy looks to return the Albany-Colonie Yankees to winning ways in 1987."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide

"1987 will for sure be an upbeat season with new manager Tommy Jones around. T.J. is a fiery competitor who likes to do his managing from third base when the A-C Yankees are at the plate.
The Stockton, California native comes to us by way of the Kansas City organization, and in five seasons as a minor league manager he has never finished out of the playoffs. Last season he was probably best known as Bo Jackson's first pro manager, as the Heisman Trophy winner started his career in Memphis, Tennessee, where Jones was manager.
A former college quarterback and outfielder, Jones spent seven years in the minors before he started to manage in 1982. This will be T.J.'s fourth year as a double A manager."

-1987 Season Albany-Colonie Yankees Official Program/Yearbook

"Tommy Jones makes his debut as the new Albany-Colonie skipper this season. He comes to us from the Kansas City organization. T.J., as he is called by his friends, managed the Memphis Chicks of the Southern League in 1986, finishing third.
The 32-year-old Stockton, California native was close to signing as an 'eye in the sky' coach- one who sits in the press box and sets defensive outfield alignments- with the San Francisco Giants. There was a shakeup in the coaching staff, and the end result was that the Giants opted to stay in house with their coaches.
Mike Port, general manager of the California Angels, offered him the job as manager of that team's Double-A club in Midland, Texas. Then Bobby Hofman (the Yankees' Director of Player Development) called Jones and offered him a job with the Yankees' Double-A affiliate. He had never spoken to Hofman before.
'There was something special about beating the Yankees,' said Jones of his days of managing against Yankee farm teams. 'Our players would get up to play them, knowing the amazing background and tradition of the Yankees. The guys knew about baseball and the tradition, they were psyched out. But there is a very special feeling being associated with the Yankees,' he quickly added. 'I'm glad to be a Yankee now.'
Tommy had managed nothing but winners, back-to-back second place teams at Butte in 1982 and 1983, and the best record in the Florida State League at Fort Myers in 1984. A competitive fire rages in him and the desire to win is all-powerful. 'I don't even like to finish second,' he says. 'You play to win championships.'
He played and coached in the San Francisco Giants organization from 1976 through 1981, then earned his first managerial post with the Royals' farm team at Butte in '82. He was Manager of the Year that season and again in '83.
T.J. was a three-letter man at Franklin High School in Stockton. Then he was a standout outfielder at the University of California-Davis and at the University of the Pacific before signing with the Giants organization.
As a manager, Tommy is a fiery motivator as he leads pregame practice, and then during games as he works from the third base box. He is very civic-minded and enjoys working clinics with youngsters.
Jones sees his toughest task as trying to serve two masters, refining the players to a point where they can be promoted while also trying to win as many games as possible. 'Then you have to get a grip on what you can do to allow for development without losing the confidence of the other players. That is probably the toughest part of managing in the minor leagues.'"

-1987 Season Albany-Colonie Yankees Official Program/Yearbook

CARLOS LEZCANO (Coach, Ft. Lauderdale)
"Signed by the Cubs as a free agent in May 1977, Carlos signed as a six-year free agent with Oakland in January 1984 and was released in May of '84. He signed with Detroit as a free agent in June of '84 and was released that July. He worked as an outfield and hitting instructor for the Oneonta Yankees in 1985 and coached at Sarasota in 1986.
Carlos rejoins Buck Showalter at Ft. Lauderdale in 1986."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


JERRY MCNERTNEY (Coach, Albany-Colonie)
"Jerry attended Iowa State University. His first 11 seasons in pro baseball were spent in the White Sox organization after signing with them in 1958. He began his career as a first baseman-outfielder, but switched to catching in 1961.
He caught four years in Chicago (1964-66-67-68), then went to the Seattle Pilots in the 1969 expansion draft. He wound up his playing career in the National League with the Cardinals and Pirates in 1971-72-73. Jerry joined the Yankees as a coach at West Haven in 1978 and has been coaching at Columbus since 1979.
Jerry's best year as a batter was 1960, when he hit .341 and drove in 125 runs for Idaho Falls in the Pioneer League. He tied for the Nebraska State League lead in doubles in 1958 with 16.
1987 will be Jerry's 10th year of coaching in the Yankee organization."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide

"Another of the new Yankee members this season is coach Jerry McNertney.
He comes to us by way of the Ft. Lauderdale Yankees in the Florida State League. He joined the Yankee organization in 1977 as a coach with Syracuse. In 1978 Jerry coached at West Haven, Connecticut, and then spent the next five seasons with Columbus before he coached with the parent team for part of 1984. In 1985 he was again at Columbus, and last season with Ft. Lauderdale.
Jerry spent nine seasons in the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Pilots, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Pittsburgh. The former catcher called it a career in 1973 with the Pirates.
Jerry says he's looked forward to coming to this area for quite some time. He resides in Ames, Iowa during the off-season."

-1987 Season Albany-Colonie Yankees Official Program/Yearbook


RUSS MEYER (Pitching Coach, Ft. Lauderdale)
"Russ began his professional baseball career in 1942. He led 1946 Southern Association pitchers with 48 appearances. He made his major league debut in 1946 with the Cubs and played in the majors through 1959. Meyer was a member of the 1950 NL champion Philadelphia Phillies.
He coached at Illinois Valley Community College before joining the Yankees organization in 1981. Monk's 1985 Oneonta staff had a combined ERA of 1.87.
Monk moves along to Ft. Lauderdale with manager Buck Showalter in 1987."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


BILL MONBOUQUETTE (Pitching Coach, Albany-Colonie)
"Bill set an American League record with 17 strikeouts in a night game on May 12, 1961, a mark later broken in 1974 by Nolan Ryan. He pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox on August 1, 1962. He was named to the American League All-Star team in 1960, 1962 and 1963. In 1963, Bill won 20 games for the Red Sox.
He scouted for the Yankees in 1969-74. After scouting and doing instructional work for the Yankees in 1984, Monbo became the pitching coach at Ft. Lauderdale in 1985. Bill worked the last two months of '85 as the Yankees major league pitching coach.
Monbo returns to Albany-Colonie in 1987 for his 27th season in pro ball."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide

"Monbo returns for his second season as Albany-Colonie pitching coach. Last season Bill had his work cut out for him when he had to juggle the A-C pitching rotation around with the many injuries and player movement within the Yankee system.
The Massachusetts native spent 11 seasons as a major league pitcher, recording his best season in 1963 when he was a 20-game winner. In 1962 Monbo pitched a no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox against the Chicago White Sox. When he called it a career, he had a record of 114 major league victories.
Bill joined the Yankees in 1984 as a coach and is happy to be back in the Capital District this season."

-1987 Season Albany-Colonie Yankees Official Program/Yearbook


WALLY MOON (Manager, Prince William)
"Wally attended Texas A & M University, where he earned his Master's degree in education in 1951. He homered in his first major league at-bat on April 13, 1954 and was named National League Rookie of the Year that season. Moon was traded with pitcher Phil Paine to the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Gino Cimoli in December of 1958. He won a Gold Glove as an outfielder in 1960 and tied the National League record for most home runs in the month of April (8) in 1961.
The Coach at John Brown University (Arkansas), 1965-76, and President/Owner of the San Antonio Dodgers, 1977-81, Wally will head the Prince William club in its first year affiliated with the Yankees."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


KEN ROWE (Pitching Coach, Columbus)
"Ken signed with Detroit in 1953 and was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in December 1955. After two years in the Army stationed in Germany, he returned to win 28 games over the next two seasons.
In 1962, he was converted to a reliever. Ken won 16 games and led the PCL in appearances (88) at Spokane in 1964. He was purchased by Baltimore later that year and earned a victory on his first day in the majors. He set a professional baseball record for appearances that season with 94.
Ken earned All-Star honors six times in his career. He spent 15 years in the Oriole organization, the last one and a half as the big league pitching coach."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


JIM SAUL (Coach, Prince William)
"Jim played 14 years in pro ball. 1987 marks his 15th year as a [manager or] coach."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


BUCK SHOWALTER (Manager, Ft. Lauderdale)
"Buck graduated form Central (Florida) High School in 1975. He attended Chipola J.C. in Marianna, FL and graduated from Mississippi State University in 1979. Buck was named an All-American at both Chipola and Mississippi State.
In 1980 he led the Southern League in hits, finished second in batting and was named to the SL All-Star team. He also led the Southern League in hits with 152 in 1982.
Buck coached at Ft. Lauderdale in 1984, and in 1985 earned New York-Penn League Manager of the Year laurels in his inaugural campaign. His O-Yanks set a league mark for wins with 55 in 1985, only to better that with 59 in 1986.
His meticulous preparation and yeoman's effort are evidenced by a .735 managerial winning percentage."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


CHAMP SUMMERS (Hitting Instructor, Columbus)
"Champ graduated from Southern Illinois-Edwardsville with a B.S. degree in education in 1972. He played four years of college basketball, but played only 35 games of college baseball in his senior year before signing with the Oakland A's in 1971. Champ did not play football but was offered a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys.
In 1974 he was the first player to pinch-hit for Reggie Jackson. Named American Association Player of the Year in 1978, Summers hit 20 homers in only 246 at-bats (1 HR every 12.3 at-bats) in 1979. He homered (career homer No. 50) in his first at-bat for San Francisco on April 14, 1982.
Champ will serve as the hitting instructor for Columbus in 1987."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


DAVE WEHRMEISTER (Pitching Coach, Prince William)
"Dave attended Northeast Missouri State College in Kirksville, MO and was drafted by San Diego in the first round in January 1973. He earned his first big league win on May 30, 1977 against San Francisco. He was traded to the Yankees for Jay Johnstone on June 15, 1979.
He led the International League in winning percentage (.736) in 1981. Dave was traded to Philadelphia on June 17, 1983 for Kelly Faulk and Jim Rasmussen, and signed as a six-year minor league free agent with the White Sox in December 1984.
Dave returns to the Yankee organization as the Prince William pitching coach in 1987."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


HOYT WILHELM (Pitching Coach, Sarasota)
"Hoyt began his pro career in 1942 for the independent Mooresville, North Carolina club near his hometown of Huntersville. He moved into the Giants' farm system in 1948 at Knoxville and reached the big leagues in 1952.
He remained in the majors for the next 21 years, retiring in 1972 at age 46- as baseball's all-time premier relief pitcher. He holds the following major league career records: most games pitched (1,070), most games in relief (1,018), most innings in relief (1,870), most games finished (651) and most wins in relief (124).
Hoyt was used as a starter in the middle of his career (1958-60) and hurled a no-hitter for the Orioles against the Yankees in 1958. He also holds the distinction of hitting a home run in his first major league at-bat (April 23, 1952). He participated in the 1954 World Series with the Giants and was named to the NL All-Star team in 1953 and 1970, and to the AL All-Star team in 1959, 1961 and 1962. Hoyt was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide

1987 Yankee Prospect Profiles

BRAD ARNSBERG
"'When I took this job, I was looking to give the young pitchers in our organization the opportunity to make the club,' says manager Lou Piniella. Brad Arnsberg is hoping to cash in on the manager's enthusiasm.
Looking to follow the trail blazed by Bob Tewksbury a year ago, Arnsberg has posted some impressive numbers on his way to the bigs. Before joing the Yankees for two September appearances in 1986, the young right-hander led the International League in games started and innings pitched. His 8-12 record at Columbus, however, was a disappointment compared to his previous season in Double-A Albany. In 1985, Arnsberg was masterful as he compiled a 14-2 record with Albany, leading the Eastern League in both ERA (1.59) and winning percentage (.842).
'We feel confident that Brad will come back strong and reach his potential in 1987,' says one Yankees executive. At 23, Brad Arnsberg is indeed one prospect to watch in the Yankees' future."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"Brad began 1986 with Columbus and remained with that club until his contract was purchased by the Yankees on September 1 when the roster was expanded to 40 players.
He made his major league debut by pitching the final three innings of the Yankees' 9-2 loss at California on September 6. In those three innings he gave up five hits and two runs (both earned), including a seventh inning solo home run to George Hendrick, while recording one walk and three strikeouts and was not involved in the decision. His other appearance as a Yankee came in his first major league start on September 15 against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. In that game, Brad got a no-decision after pitching five-plus innings, giving eight hits (all but one were singles) and allowing one run (earned) without a walk or a strikeout. After giving up two hits to start the sixth inning with the score tied 1-1, he was relieved by Bob Shirley, who retired the side without giving up a run as the Yankees went on to win the game 5-3. In those two big league appearances Brad gave up a total of 13 hits and three runs (all earned) in eight innings (3.38 ERA) with one walk and three strikeouts.
Brad was one of at least five rookie pitchers to start at least one game for the Yankees in '86. Before joining the Yankees, he started 25 games for the Clippers and was 8-12 with a 4.21 ERA; the eight wins were the second highest total by a Columbus pitcher. He had six complete games and two shutouts, a 2-hit 5-0 win against Richmond on May 25 and a 2-hit 9-0 victory at Syracuse on August 9. In 177.1 innings pitched Brad allowed 168 hits and recorded 53 walks and 96 strikeouts [1.25 WHIP]. He ranked first in the International League in games started (28) and innings pitched, fifth in batting average against (.248) and fourth in walks per nine innings pitched (2.64).
In his two innings with the Yankees in spring training last year (both were relief appearances) Brad was 0-1, allowing 10 hits and six runs (all earned) in seven innings pitched (7.71 ERA) with no walks and three strikeouts. His cumulative minor league record in three seasons is 34-19 with a 3.02 ERA (477.1 IP, 160 ER), with all his appearances as a starter.
Brad posted a 14-2 record and a 1.59 ERA for AA Albany in 1985, leading the Eastern League in ERA and winning percentage (.842), and was tied for lead in wins. He was named the Eastern League All-Star right-handed pitcher, named to the Topps AA All-Star team and voted the Yankees 1985 Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
In his first season of pro ball in 1984, he was 12-5 with a 2.95 ERA for Greensboro of the 'A' South Atlantic League, and tied for the league lead in shutouts (4) and complete games (10). Brad pitched a 5-0 no-hit victory against Savannah on May 24, 1984.
Brad attended Merced Community College where he received his Associate degree in June of 1983. He was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 18th round of the June 1981 free agent draft, selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round of the secondary phase of the January 1982 free agent draft, selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1st round of the secondary phase of the June 1982 free agent draft, selected by the California Angels in the 1st round of the secondary phase of the January 1983 free agent draft, and was the Yankees' 1st round draft choice in the secondary phase of the June 1983 free agent draft- and was signed by Yankee scout Gary Hughes.
In high school Brad was a first-team all-state selection in football and baseball, and in college was a first-team Junior College All-American selection in baseball. His brother Tim is a pitching prospect in the Astros organization.
Brad's hobbies are fishing, hunting, golf and music, and his favorite spectator sports are baseball and college basketball. His favorite team growing up was the Cincinnati Reds, his favorite player was Johnny Bench, and his favorite stadium is Anaheim Stadium. His favorite entertainer is Bill Cosby.
Brad's most memorable moment was 53,000 fans watching his first major league pitch."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


BILL FULTON
"The Yankees' second round pick (secondary phase) in the 1983 June draft, Fulton has pitched two no-hitters in the minors. He was 10-12 in 1986 pitching in Triple-A as well as Double-A and was named to the Eastern League All-Star team while with Albany-Colonie. Fulton features a rising fastball and an outstanding curve."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"Bill began 1986 with the Albany-Colonie Yankees in the AA Eastern League. In 14 games (all starts), he was 6-6 with a 4.72 ERA (80.0 IP, 90 H, 46 R, 42 ER, 24 BB, 46 K) [1.43 WHIP] along with five complete games and had a .289 batting average against.
He had two shutouts: a 4-hit blanking of Vermont on May 4 (with a season high seven strikeouts) and a 2-hit shutout of Glens Falls with five strikeouts; both shutouts were seven-inning complete games. Bill was named to the Eastern League All-Star team but did not pitch in that game because he was promoted to the Columbus Clippers (AAA International League) on July 5.
In 12 starts at Columbus, he was 4-6 with a 3.84 ERA (75.0 IP, 89 H, 42 R, 32 ER, 25 BB, 36 K) [1.52 WHIP] along with a .301 batting average against. Bill had two complete game wins, against Maine on July 11 and Toledo on July 26. His high strikeout game with Columbus came on August 15, recording five strikeouts at Maine.
Bill has a riding fastball which can sink, and also features an outstanding curve.
He started the 1985 season in Florida in the Florida Instructional League and moved to Fort Lauderdale on May 29. Bill hurled a seven inning no-hitter against Lakeland on July 2. He tied for second in the Florida State League with nine complete games, was third with a 1.61 ERA and had a .217 batting average against.
The Yankees' second round pick in the secondary phase of the June 1983 free agent draft, Bill had been selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the first round of the January 1983 free agent draft. On July 25, 1983 Bill pitched a no-hitter against the Geneva Cubs as Oneonta won the game 1-0. In 1984 he posted a 2-3 record in 10 games (eight starts) with 'A' Greensboro, including three complete games, and had a 4.15 ERA.
Bill's nickname is 'Fulty,' started by Lou Piniella, and his favorite spectator sport is football. His favorite team growing up was the Pittsburgh Pirates and his favorite player was Pete Rose. Bill was signed by Murray Cook."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


PHIL LOMBARDI
"Lombardi was the Yankees' third round pick in the 1981 June draft. He hit .292 at Columbus in 1986 and held a .278 batting average in 20 games with New York. He showed he was fully recovered from 1985 knee surgery. Lombardi is a versatile player who could be of value on a 24-man roster."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"Phil began the 1986 season at Columbus but was recalled by the Yankees on April 24 when Butch Wynegar was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Before his recall he batted .429 (12-for-28) at Columbus with a homer and three RBIs. He made his major league debut on April 24 against Cleveland in Yankee Stadium at catcher when Ron Hassey was ejected following a called strike three in the fourth inning. Phil struck out against Don Schulze in his first major league at-bat in the sixth inning.
He started at catcher on May 1 against Minnesota, his first major league start, and recorded his first big league hit, a single in the third inning off Frank Viola. He went 1-for-3 in that game. Phil made a defensive appearance at catcher on May 4 against Texas before being optioned to Columbus on May 6. In those three games with the Yankees he hit .200 (1-for-5) and gave up two stolen bases in two attempts.
During his second tour at Columbus, Phil hit .277 (69-for-249) in 68 games with seven home runs and 25 RBIs. He was recalled by the Yankees on September 1. His first major league home run came in a pinch-hitting role, a two-run shot off Curt Young on September 2 at Oakland, a key hit in the Yankees' 9-8 win. His second major league homer came on September 22 at Baltimore, a two-run blast off Scott McGregor that also gave Phil his first game-winning RBI.
Phil had a four-game hitting streak from September 21-24, batting .455 (5-for-11) with two runs scored, a home run and three RBIs. Of his 17 games following his September recall, nine were in a pinch-hitting role and eight were as the starter in left field. In those 17 games he hit .290 (9-for-31) with six runs, three doubles, two homers and six RBIs.
In his nine games as a pinch hitter Phil was 3-for-9 (.333) with two runs, a double, a homer and two RBIs. He had one multiple-hit game, going 2-for-3 on September 24 at Baltimore, and had an assist as an outfielder.
Phil was unable to play a full season in '85, suffering an injured ligament in his left knee which required surgery to repair, and also played with a broken finger in early '85. He did catch 65 games, played 10 as an outfielder and one at shortstop for Albany (AA), batting .256.
He was the Yankees' third round selection (fourth overall) in the June 1981 free agent draft. He stole 22 of 26 bases in 1984 while leading Ft. Lauderdale in RBIs (70). Phil has played the outfield, first base, third base and shortstop in addition to his experience as a catcher.
Phil graduated from Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, California where he was named the 1981 Los Angeles City Player of the Year. He was signed by [Yankee scout] Don Lindeberg.
His nickname is 'Lombo' and his hobbies are sports and fishing, and his favorite spectator sports are baseball and basketball. His favorite team growing up was the Los Angeles Dodgers, his favorite player was Johnny Bench, and his favorite ballpark is Fenway Park. Phil's most memorable moments were hitting his two major league home runs, one that tied a game and one that won a game. His favorite entertainers are Bill Cosby and Rodney Dangerfield."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


AL LEITER
"Leiter was the Yankees' second round pick in the 1984 June draft. He was 4-8 with a 4.05 ERA at Class-A Fort Lauderdale in 1986 and struck out 101 batters in 117 innings. Leiter has an above average fastball, curve and slider."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"Leiter appeared in 22 games (21 starts) for the 'A' Ft. Lauderdale Yankees and posted a 4-8 record with an ERA of 4.05 (117.2 IP, 96 H, 63 R, 53 ER, 90 BB. 101 K) [1.58 WHIP]. He had one complete game, a 2-hit 6-0 shutout of West Palm Beach on May 24, recording eight strikeouts in that contest. He followed that by pitching five shutout innings of 2-hit ball with seven strikeouts against Daytona Beach on May 30 and received credit for the Yankees' victory. Al had a season high nine strikeouts twice, on May 13 against Vero Beach and on July 9 at Ft. Myers, but did issue six or more walks six times including a season high of seven walks on June 17 at St. Petersburg. He missed two starts when he was sidelined with a bruised left elbow from July 26-August 8.
Al has an above fastball, curve ball and slider. He was selected by the Yankees in the second round (regular phase) of the June 1984 free agent draft. He began his pro career at Oneonta of the 'A' New York-Penn League, going 3-2 in 10 starts with a 3.63 ERA and notching 48 strikeouts in 57 innings pitched.
He began the 1985 season at Ft. Lauderdale and posted a 1-6 record and 6.48 ERA in 17 starts and recorded a complete game. He finished the year at Oneonta and went 3-2 in six starts with a 2.37 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 38 innings, including two complete games.
Al graduated from Central Regional High School in Bayville, New Jersey in 1984, where he participated in baseball, football and track and led the baseball team to the state championship. His older brother Kurt was a pitcher in the Orioles organization from 1982 through 1984 and his older brother Mark has been a pitcher in the Oriole system since 1983.
Al's hobby is mechanical drawing. His favorite player is Tom Seaver and his favorite entertainer is Bruce Springsteen."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


MITCH LYDEN
"Lyden was selected by the Yankees in the fourth round of the 1983 June draft. He overcame knee surgery last spring to bat .302 and collect 29 RBI in only 46 games at Albany-Colonie. Lyden is an excellent catcher with home run potential."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"In 1986 Lyden suffered ligament damage to his left knee on April 6 in spring training after sliding into home plate as a baserunner. Surgery on the knee was performed the following day by Dr. Dan Kanell.
Following rehabilitation Lyden joined Sarasota, the Yankees entry in the Rookie Gulf Coast League, where he batted .340 (17-for-50) in 17 games with eight runs, seven doubles, three homers and 16 RBIs and had a slugging percentage of .660. He was promoted to Albany-Colonie (AA Eastern League) on July 13 and hit .302 (48-for-159) in 46 games with 14 doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 29 RBIs (including five game winners) and had a slugging percentage of .553. He homered once every 19.9 at-bats and committed just three errors in his 31 games as a catcher. Mitch joined the Columbus Clippers (AAA International League) on August 31 following the completion of Albany's schedule and was 0-for-7 in two games with the Clippers.
Mitch played a full season at Fort Lauderdale ('A' Florida State League) in 1985. He was second on the club in games (116) and at-bats (438); tied for second in doubles (21) and homers (10); and third in total bases (155) and RBIs (58). He caught 101 games, led FSL catchers in fielding percentage (.988), assists (63), putouts (607) and total chances (678), and was named to the Florida State League All-Star team.
The Yankees' first pick (fourth round) in the June 1983 free agent draft, Lyden hit just .148 in 47 games with Oneonta in '83, but led New York-Penn League catchers with a .991 fielding percentage. He began the 1984 season at Sarasota and hit .235 in 54 games. He was promoted to Greensboro and batted .219 in 14 games.
Mitch graduated from Beaverton [Oregon] High School in 1983 and was signed by [Yankee scout] Whitey DeHart. He played baseball, football and basketball in high school, was all-state in football as a defensive back and was offered both football and baseball scholarships by a number of PAC-10 colleges.
His hobbies are fishing, camping, skiing and traveling, and his favorite spectator sport is football. His favorite team growing up was the Cincinnati Reds and his favorite player was Johnny Bench. The greatest influence on Mitch's career was Bucky Dent.
Mitch likes uniform No. 13 because Wilt Chamberlain was his idol as a young basketball player."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


ORESTES DESTRADE
"Destrade signed with the Yankees as a free agent in May 1981. The International League's Rookie of the Year in 1986 as he hit .276 with 19 home runs and 56 RBI, he had his season cut short in late July due to a broken ankle. Destrade has excellent power from both sides of the plate."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"Destrade was having an exceptional year at Columbus (AAA International League) in 1986 when he suffered a season-ending broken and dislocated right ankle sliding into second base in a game at Tidewater on July 23. He underwent surgery (by Dr. John Bonamo) to repair the injury on July 28 and missed the remainder of the season.
He finished with a batting average of .276 (99-for-359) in 98 games with 59 runs, 21 doubles, four triples, 19 home runs, 56 RBIs, 185 total bases and a slugging percentage of .515. At the time of his injury, he ranked first in the IL in total bases, second in home runs and third in runs scored. Despite missing more than a month of the season, Destrade still finished tied for third in the IL in home runs and was second in slugging percentage. He hit a home run once every 18.89 at-bats, the fourth best ratio in the IL, led Columbus in home runs and finished third on the club in RBIs.
Orestes was named as the Rookie of the Year in the International League and was named IL Player of the Week for May 19-25. He had a fielding percentage of .986 in 79 games at first base.
In 1985 he led Albany (AA Eastern League) in games (136), at-bats (564), runs (82), hits (119), doubles (24), home runs (23), RBIs (72) and slugging percentage (.471). He was named Eastern League All-Star designated hitter despite leading the circuit in games played at first base (134), total chances (1,194), putouts (1,103) and double plays (99). He finished second in the EL in homers and total bases (222), tied for second in walks (86) and third in runs.
Destrade has progressed steadily through the minors while showing the ability to play both first and the outfield. A switch-hitter, he hits the ball to all fields from both sides but makes better contact from the right side.
In 1981 at Painstville he led the Appalachian League in home runs with 14 and in 1982 hit four homers with 30 RBIs in 64 games at Oneonta. In 1983 at Ft. Lauderdale he led the Florida State League in walks with 82 and was named the league's All-Star first baseman; Orestes was second on the Ft. Lauderdale club in homers and RBIs with 18 and 74 respectively. In 1984, he led the Ft. Lauderdale Yankees with 12 home runs and also had six homers in 35 games with Nashville.
Orestes attended Coral Park High School and Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, where he graduated in 1980. He was all-city in basketball and baseball and was offered college scholarships in both sports. Orestes was a junior college All-American at Florida College and was signed by Yankee scout Fred Ferreira.
His hobbies are basketball, reading, movies and computers and his favorite spectator sport is college basketball. His favorite teams growing up were the Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds and his favorite player was Tony Perez.
Orestes is nicknamed 'Big O.'"

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


JAY BUHNER
"Buhner was acquired from the Pittsburgh organization in 1984. An arm injury last year kept him off the field until late July. He hit .302 at Fort Lauderdale in 36 games, and in that short span also had seven homers and 31 RBI. Buhner has outstanding power to all fields and an excellent arm."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"Buhner was ticketed to start the 1986 campaign at the AA level, but suffered a fractured ulna bone in a spring training game on April 1. As a result, he was placed on the disabled list on April 11 and remained there until July 27.
He made his season debut on July 28 with the Ft. Lauderdale Yankees of the 'A' Florida State League. In 36 games with that club, Jay hit .304 (42-for-138) with 24 runs, nine doubles, seven home runs and 31 RBIs. He has outstanding power to all fields and an excellent arm.
Jay was acquired by the Yankees along with Dale Berra and Alfonso Pulido in exchange for Steve Kemp and Tim Foli in December 1984. He spent the 1985 season with Ft. Lauderdale, batting .296 in 117 games with 11 home runs and 76 RBIs. Jay led the Florida State League in game winning RBIs (15) and was named 'Star of Stars' in the FSL All-Star Game.
He was the Pirates' second round pick (secondary phase) in January 1984. In his first pro season, at Watertown of the 'A' New York-Penn League, Buhner hit .323 in 65 games with nine home runs and a league leading 58 RBIs. He was named to the New York-Penn League All-Star team as an outfielder.
Buhner graduated from Clear Creek High School in League City, Texas and was All-State in baseball. He attended McClellan Community College in Waco, Texas. Selected in the ninth round of the regular phase of the June 1983 draft by Atlanta, Jay signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Texas prior to being drafted by the Pirates. He was awarded a college scholarship only after attending a tryout camp.
An avid hunter and fisherman, Jay's favorite spectator sports are pro basketball and baseball. His favorite team growing up was the Cincinnati Reds and his favorite players were Dave Parker and Willie Stargell. The greatest influences on his career were Stargell and Bucky Dent.
Jay would like to start a guiding business (hunting and fishing) after his baseball career. His favorite entertainers are Chuck Norris, John Wayne and Dominique Wilkins."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


CHRIS ALVAREZ (1986 Yankee Minor League Player of the Year)
"Alvarez was acquired from the White Sox in February 1986. He was voted the Yankees 1986 Minor League Player of the Year after he hit .322 at Fort Lauderdale with eight home runs and 90 RBI. Alvarez was named 'Star of Stars' in the Florida State League All-Star Game."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook


ERIC SCHMIDT
"Schmidt was acquired from the White Sox in February 1986. He spent most of the year at Albany-Colonie, going 7-6 with a 3.96 ERA in 17 starts. Schmidt was 0-2 in five starts at Columbus late in the year."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook


ROBERTO KELLY
"Kelly signed with the Yankees in 1982 as a free agent. He was named to the 1986 Eastern League All-Star team, and in 86 games with Albany-Colonie hit .291, drove in 43 runs and scored 42 times. Kelly missed a good part of the season due to an ankle injury."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"In 1986 Roberto batted .291 (87-for-299) in 86 games with the Albany-Colonie Yankees (AA Eastern League) with 11 doubles, two homers, 43 RBIs, 42 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. He was placed on the disabled list on July 10 due to the presence of bone chips in his right ankle and was not activated until August 23. Roberto was named to the Eastern League All-Star team but was unable to play in the All-Star Game due to his injury.
He was signed as a free agent by the Yankees (scout Fred Ferreira) on February 21, 1982. In his first pro season he hit .198 in 31 games at Bradenton. In 1983 Roberto batted .265 in 20 games at Greensboro and .216 in 48 games in Oneonta, and in 1984 hit .238 (86-for-361) with 68 runs and 32 stolen bases.
He batted .247 (103-for-417) in 1985 in 114 games at Ft. Lauderdale of the 'A' Florida State League and led that circuit with 13 triples. Roberto had 86 runs along with 49 stolen bases, which represents his professional highs in those categories.
Roberto played Little League and in 1982 graduated from Instituto Jose Delores Moscote, a high school in Panama City, where he played baseball, basketball and volleyball."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


SHANE TURNER
"Turner was the Yankees' sixth round pick in the 1985 June draft. He hit .320 with 48 runs scored and 36 RBI in only 66 games at Fort Lauderdale, as a finger injury cut short his season. Turner was named to the Florida State League All-Star Game."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook


KEITH HUGHES
"Hughes played most of the 1986 season with the Albany-Colonie Yankees (AA Eastern League) and batted .307 (99-for-323) in 94 games with seven home runs and 37 RBIs. He missed more than a month of the season with a broken right wrist, which he injured on July 21 against Nashua by slipping while rounding first base following a base hit. Keith was placed on the disabled list on July 22 and wasn't activated until August 26.
He was named to the Eastern League All-Star team prior to his injury. He was promoted to Columbus on August 31 and batted .125 (1-for-8) in two games with the Clippers.
Keith has above average power and is an aggressive outfielder. He was acquired by the Yankees along with pitcher Marty Bystrom on June 30, 1984 from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for pitcher Shane Rawley. Before the trade, he batted .261 (60-for-230) in 70 games with Reading, the Phillies' AA Eastern League affiliate. After he was acquired by the Yankees, he hit .180 (9-for-50) at Nashville, the Yankees' AA affiliate. Hughes spent most of 1985 at Albany, where he hit .269 (97-for-361) in 104 games with 10 homers and 54 RBIs, and batted .296 (16-for-54) in 18 games with Columbus.
Hughes made his pro debut in 1982 by batting .257 at Bend with three home runs and 26 RBIs. He enjoyed the best year of his pro career in 1983, setting highs in average (.329), hits (159), home runs (15) and RBIs (90) at Spartanburg and was named to the South Atlantic All-Star team as the designated hitter.
Hughes graduated from Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania in 1981 and played American Legion baseball. He attended Albright College in Reading, PA but did not play baseball. Keith was signed out of a tryout camp by the Phillies on August 24, 1981.
His hobbies are skiing, tennis and golf, and his favorite spectator sport is snow-skiing. His favorite team growing up was the Phillies and his favorite player was Mike Schmidt. His favorite entertainers are Peter Gabriel and Steven Wright."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


ALFONSO PULIDO
"Alfonso split the 1986 season between the Yankees and the Columbus Clippers. He began the season in Columbus and went 3-4 in eight games (all starts) with a 2.96 ERA (54.2 IP, 57 H, 24 R, 18 ER, 15 BB, 12 K) [1.32 WHIP] before the Yankees purchased his contract on June 12.
He made his American League and Yankee debut that night in a starting role against the Orioles in Baltimore and pitched five innings, giving up six hits and four runs (all earned), the runs coming on two solo home runs by Juan Beniquez and a two-run homer by Eddie Murray. Pulido issued one walk and recorded a single game career high of seven strikeouts but did not receive a decision in the Yankees' 7-5 win.
In his next appearance, pitching in relief of Joe Niekro on June 17 against Boston, he pitched 6.2 scoreless innings (his longest major league outing) and gave up just two hits with two walks and two strikeouts and did not get a decision in the Yankees' 7-6 loss. That began a span of six consecutive relief appearances through June 28, allowing just 12 hits and three runs in 9.1 innings pitched (1.42 ERA) along with five walks and four strikeouts [1.82 WHIP]. Alfonso recorded his first major league save on June 21 at Toronto, pitching one inning and giving one hit and one run (a solo homer by Cliff Johnson) to preserve Dave Righetti's win in the Yanks' 4-2 10-inning victory.
Following those six relief outings, Alfonso picked up his first major league win in a starting role on July 3 against Detroit, going five innings and allowing four runs (three earned), including a Darrell Evans solo homer. He left after pitching to two batters in the sixth inning and the Yankees ahead 8-4 and was credited with the win in the Yankees' eventual 9-5 victory. Alfonso followed with his first major league loss in his next outing, a start at Texas on July 8, lasting just one inning and giving up seven hits and five runs (all earned), including two-run homers by Pete O'Brien and Oddibe McDowell in the Rangers' 6-1 win.
He was outrighted back to Columbus on July 17. In his second stint with the Clippers, he appeared in 15 games (including two starts) and posted a record of 2-4 with three saves and a ERA of 3.07 (41.0 IP, 36 H, 17 R, 14 ER, 10 BB, 16 K) [1.12 WHIP]. He rejoined the Yankees for a second time on September 1 when his contract was purchased from Columbus. In his two stints with the Clippers, Pulido's overall AAA totals in '86 were a record of 5-8 with three saves and a 3.01 ERA (23 G, 10 GS, 95.2 IP, 93 H, 41 R, 32 ER, 25 BB, 28 K) [1.23 WHIP].
He made one appearance with the Yankees after rejoining the club, on September 1 at Oakland pitching 0.2 innings of relief against the A's and giving up four hits and one run (earned). Overall in his two stays with the Yankees, Pulido was 1-1 with one save, a 4.70 ERA (10 G, 3 GS, 30.2 IP, 38 H, 17 R, 16 ER, 9 BB, 13 K) [1.53 WHIP] and a .306 batting average against. In his three starts he was 1-1 with a 9.82 ERA (11.0 IP, 22 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 4 BB, 9 K) [2.36 WHIP] and a .407 batting against, and in his seven relief appearances he was 0-0 with one save, a 1.83 ERA (19.2 IP, 16 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 4 K) [1.07 WHIP] and a .229 batting average against.
Alfonso throws a screwball, which he developed in 1982, at three different speeds. He began his professional career as an outfielder. He had to borrow a glove and spikes, and tried out in street clothes the day he signed his first professional contract.
In 1977 he led the Mexican Center League with 14 games started, and in 1978 led the MCL in games started (16) and tied for the league lead with three shutouts. Alfonso made his Mexico City debut in 1981, and in 1982 pitched all but one game out of the bullpen.
Alfonso opened the 1983 season at Mexico City and was a member of the Mexican League All-Star team. He tied for the Mexican League league lead in wins (17) and had his contract purchased by the Pirates in July, although Pittsburgh did not recall him from Mexico City until September. Alfonso made his major league debut on September 5 (second game) when he started against St. Louis, lasting only two innings and giving up four hits and three runs (two earned) along with a walk and a strikeouts but was not involved in the decision.
He had an outstanding year at Hawaii (AAA) in 1984, going 18-6 with a 2.54 ERA. Named the Pacific Coast League's left-handed pitcher of the year in 1984, Alfonso led the PCL in innings pitched (216), complete games (16) and shutouts (4), and his 2.54 ERA was the league's second best, behind teammate Bob Walk's 2.26. He had a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.67:1 and was 1-1 in PCL postseason play. Alfonso appeared in one game with Pittsburgh after his recall on September 9, pitching two innings of relief against St. Louis on September 15.
He was traded to the Yankees with infielder Dale Berra and outfielder Jay Buhner for outfielder Steve Kemp, infielder Tim Foli and cash in December 1984. Alfonso spent the entire 1985 season with the Clippers, posting a record of 11-8 with a 3.39 ERA in 31 games (including 20 starts). He pitched a complete game shutout and had a save.
Alfonso was born on a ranch between Cordoba and Vera Cruz. His hobbies include hunting, fishing and listening to music."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide

Other 1987 Yankee Profiles

RON GUIDRY
"They were standing in the aisles. And on the walkways. And in the grandstand. And, finally, when the 14, 491 were more than Heritage Park seating could accommodate, they stood on the warning track in the outfield.
The appearance of New York Yankees left-hander Ron Guidry was the reason for the overflow crowd at Heritage that July night, as both baseball fans in general and New York Yankees fans, in particular, came to see the veteran work three innings in a rehabilitation stint.
Guidry gave up only one hit- a RBI double to former Albany-Colonie A's catcher Mike Ashman- and struck out three in his work against the Nashua Pirates. And he allowed the local fans to get a close-up look at a major leaguer.
'That was the nicest ovation I ever got from 12,000 people,' Guidry said of the tremendous response he got when he emerged from the Yankee clubhouse to begin his work. He earned praise from both his teammates (for a day) and the opposition.
'It was quite an honor, quite an experience,' said Albany-Colonie catcher Mitch Lyden, Guidry's batterymate in his first minor league game in nearly 10 years.
'He came out and acted like a professional,' praised Nashua manager Dennis Rogers. 'He went after our hitters, even though they are just Double-A players. And he's a successful major league pitcher.'
Guidry's appearance drew the largest crowd for a baseball game to Heritage Park, better than 2,000 more than had come to a game against Waterbury in July 1983, the first week the park was open.
'This was a very big night for us, and a very big night for the sports fans of the Capital District,' said Albany-Colonie owner Ben Bernard. 'Not only did it give area fans a chance to see a great major league pitcher, it also proved that they will come to see a first-class sporting event.'
Guidry's presence seemed to bring out the best in the Yankees. They scored five runs in the first inning and led by a 5-1 margin when Guidry left.
Guidry, limited to 50 pitches in his first outing after suffering a cut on his pitching hand three weeks earlier on a line drive off the bat of Lance Parrish, used nearly half of his allotment in the first inning. He gave up a run that inning but then got into a rhythm. He retired the Bucs on 11 pitches in the second inning, including one four-pitch walk. In his third and final inning, he got the side in order.
'I threw mostly what I throw in games, the fastball and slider, and they worked most of the time,' Guidry said. 'I was happy to throw strikes and be around the plate that much. When you can do that, you know you're not too far off.'
The night ended for Guidry after a mass interview in the Yankees' clubhouse, a situation he handled with class. He had one last obstacle to overcome as he left the park. A huge throng of well-wishers had gathered near his car, wanting one last look at the major leaguer.
And when Guidry finally drove away, headed back to New York City and Yankee Stadium, he left the local fans with memories they would treasure."

-1987 Season Albany-Colonie Yankees Official Program/Yearbook


SCOTT NIELSEN
"Will receive a long look in spring training after mixed 1986 results. His contract was purchased from Columbus on July 4, following a 4-0 start in a rehabilitation assignment at Fort Lauderdale (A) and a 9-3 mark at Columbus (AAA).
Nielsen won his first two major league starts, including a rare shutout at Minnesota's Metrodome on July 12. He then was routed in three straight starts, permitting 25 earned runs in 7 1/3 innings, and was optioned to Columbus on July 30. He pitched well after his recall in September, winning his last two starts, including a 5-hit shutout of Boston. Nielsen wound up 4-4 with a 4.02 ERA as a Yank.
Nielsen was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. A sixth round draft choice of Seattle in the June 1983 draft, he was acquired by the Yankees from Seattle with Eric Parent for Larry Milbourne in February 1984."

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


AL HOLLAND
"Al Holland will try to make his second time around with the Yankees better than his first. Signed as a free agent prior to the 1986 season, he was asked to strengthen the Yankees' left-handed relief corps. Somehow, though, those plans never worked out.
Holland began the year in Columbus, and after joining the Yankees in May he was inconsistent at best. A torn hamstring cost him more than a month of action in mid-season. He threw well for a short time after his return, but then a quick drop-off in August forced the Yankees to release him.
The Yankees invited him to spring camp again this year. This time, Holland wants to show the club that they made the right move."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"Al was signed by the Yankees as a free agent last year on February 2, went to spring training and appeared in 11 games, going 0-1 with a 3.77 ERA. He was assigned to Columbus to begin the season.
He was 1-1 with a 1.44 ERA with six saves in 11 games with the Clippers when he was recalled to New York on May 13. Al appeared in 10 games with the Yankees (1-0, 4.76 ERA) before placed on the 15-day disabled list with a partial tear of the right hamstring on June 9. His only win of '86 came on May 15 against California (coming as the result of a failed save situation).
Al was activated from the DL on June 24 and threw well in his first 13 games after his return, allowing earned runs in just four of those games (five earned runs total) in 22.0 innings pitched for a 2.05 ERA, lowering his overall ERA to 2.97. The bottom fell out in back-to-back outings, August 3 at Cleveland and August 7 against Milwaukee.
On August 3, he broke a string of 266 consecutive relief appearances, starting his first game since May 8, 1982 while with the Giants. He allowed seven runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings pitched, including two-run homers by Cory Snyder and Brook Jacoby. On August 7, in relief, he allowed five earned runs in 2.2 innings pitched, including a three-run homer by Cecil Cooper. Waivers were requested for the purpose of his unconditional release on August 8.
Al made his major league debut in 1977 with the Pirates. In 1978 he started 19 of his 20 games at Columbus, posting an 8-5 record, and led Columbus with a .615 won-loss percentage. Al was a key part of the 1979 deal that sent Bill Madlock to the Pirates and appeared in three games with San Francisco in '79.
In 1980, Al earned a spot in the Giants' bullpen in his rookie season and allowed no earned runs in 19 of his first 20 outings for a 0.90 ERA at the end of June. He had another successful streak from July 18 through September 1, allowing two earned runs in 28.0 innings pitched, 0.64 ERA, going 3-0 with two saves. His first major league win came on May 16 in San Francisco over St. Louis. Al was 7-5 in 1981, primarily as a reliever, with seven saves.
The Giants' Opening Day pitcher in 1982, then a most effective reliever, Al made seven starts before pulling his right hamstring at Shea on May 8. He was placed on the DL, returned on June 8 and relieved from then on. He was 2-3 with 3.79 ERA as a starter, 5-0 with a 3.13 ERA in relief and was 4-0 with a 2.82 ERA after the All-Star break. Al had a 17.2 inning hitless streak over eight games, September 9-26; he faced 58 batters and allowed three men to reach base (one by error, two by walks). He was National League Player of the Week, September 20-26 (1-0, two saves in four games).
[With the Phillies in 1983] Al won the NL Rolaids Relief Man and Sporting News Fireman of the Year Awards. He had an incredible streak of 95 consecutive relief appearances without a loss broken on August 9 against the Pirates. He reached the 100 strikeout mark for the only time in his career. Al had a 1.74 ERA in September and allowed just one earned run in 19.1 innings pitched (0.47 ERA) in his last 15 outings, with seven saves.
He set the Phillies club record for saves in a season with 29 in 1984 and set career highs for games and saves. He was selected to the NL All-Star team but did not pitch.
Al started the 1985 season with Philadelphia and was 0-1 with one save in three games before the trade that sent him to Pittsburgh on April 20. He was 1-3, 3.38 ERA with four saves in 38 games with the Pirates before being dealt to California on August 2. He appeared in 15 games with the Angels going 0-1, 1.48 ERA.
Al is a 1971 graduate of Lucy Addison High School in Roanoke, Virginia where he capped his senior year by pitching three no-hitters in a week. He earned a BS degree in recreation from North Carolina A&T in Greensboro in 1975. As a freshman, he struck out 25 while tossing a no-hitter and was named to the All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and NAIA All-District first teams. He was 7-0 with a 1.03 ERA as a sophomore.
His hobbies include basketball and collecting classic cars."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


PETE FILSON
"At 28, Pete Filson has been aging much like a fine wine, maturing into what the Yankees hope will be a productive major league pitcher. 'We feel we got a fine left-handed pitcher in Filson,' says general manager Woody Woodward.
The Yankees got Filson in an off-season trade with the Chicago White Sox at a time when the pitcher seems ready to peak. In his third pro season, Filson was named the Yankees 1981 Minor League Pitcher of the Year after posting a 7-1 record at Ft. Lauderdale, then going 10-2 with Nashville. Following his 1982 trade to the Minnesota organization, he notched three-plus years of big league experience with the Twins and the Sox.
What excited the Yankees about Filson in 1986 was his 14-3 record at Triple-A Buffalo. In addition, he was named the American Association Pitcher of the Year.
'As the award attests, he has good potential,' says Woodward, 'and coupled with his major league experience, he should make a positive contribution to the Yankees this season.'"

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"Acquired by the Yankees from the Chicago White Sox in January 1987 along with infielder/outfielder Randy Velarde in exchange for pitcher Scott Nielsen and infielder Mike Soper, Pete originally started his professional career as property of the Yankees. He began the 1986 season with the Minnesota Twins, where he was 0-0 in four games with a 5.68 ERA. He appeared in all four of those games in relief and pitched 6.1 innings, giving up 13 hits, four runs (all earned) and one home run with two walks and four strikeouts. His contract was assigned to the Buffalo Bisons, Chicago's AAA affiliate in the American Association, on April 30.
Filson posted a 14-3 record with six saves and a 2.26 ERA with the Bisons, leading the league in wins and ERA, and was named as the 1986 American Association Pitcher of the Year. He appeared in 36 games including 12 starts, pitched four complete games including a shutout, struck out 80 and walked 32 in 139.1 innings pitched. Pete joined the White Sox on September 2 in a waiver transaction.
He appeared in three games with Chicago, going 0-1, with a 6.17 ERA. His one decision came in his only big league start of '86, a 6-2 loss to Oakland on September 10 (3.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K). In 11.2 IP with the White Sox he gave 14 hits, nine runs (eight earned) and four home runs with five walks and four strikeouts.
His longest outing of the year came on October 3 at Minnesota, when he went five innings in relief and gave up two runs on solo homers by Kirby Puckett and Greg Gagne. Filson had a season high three strikeouts twice, on April 15 against Oakland while with the Twins and as a member of the White Sox in his September 10 start against Oakland. He gave up a season high two walks twice, on September 10 and on September 16 at Seattle.
Filson was the Yankees' eighth round draft choice in June of 1979 and began his minor league career by winning his first 12 decisions. Pitching for Paintsville, he led the Appalachian League in wins, ERA, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched and strikeouts, while tying for the league lead with a 1.000 winning percentage and was named the left-hander on the league's all-star squad. In 1980, Pete was 3-0 at Greensboro and 10-9 with Ft. Lauderdale, and pitched a no-hitter for Greensboro on April 25, blanking Gastonia 4-0. Named Yankee Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 1981, he was 7-1 at Ft. Lauderdale and 10-2 with a 1.82 ERA at Nashville while tying for the Southern League lead in winning percentage (.833).
He began the 1982 season with the Yankees' AAA affiliate at Columbus but was acquired by the Twins along with infielder Larry Milbourne and pitcher John Pacella for pitcher Roger Erickson and catcher Butch Wynegar in May. Pete was 0-2 with an 8.76 ERA in five games (three starts) with the Twins. With Toledo, he was 8-10 and led the International League with 11 complete games.
Pete was disabled for much of the 1983 season with a posterior shoulder strain. His first big league save came on April 18 against Seattle and he recorded his first major league win with a strong 2.1 inning relief stint at California on May 15. He spent the final week of August with Toledo in the International League and then came back to make five strong starts for the Twins in September; Pete was 3-0 in those five starts. Until that point, 18 of his previous 21 appearances for the Twins had been out of the bullpen. His only loss of the year came in his one ineffective start, on June 8 at Kansas City.
In 48 relief appearances in 1984 he was 4-3 with a 3.63 ERA, and overall for the season posted a 6-5 mark with a 4.10 ERA in 55 games. Of the 44 runners he inherited, just 12 (27%) scored. Pete won his first three decisions of the season, his first full year in the majors, but dropped his last three after winning his sixth game in a start against Seattle on July 30. He struck out six batters in a hitless three innings against Toronto on August 26.
In 1985 Pete went 4-5 with a 3.67 ERA in 40 games (six starts) with the Twins. His best effort was a 7.2 inning, 3-hit relief stint to beat Toronto 8-2 on May 19. Five losses came in a stretch of six consecutive starts, May 25-June 24. Pete was 3-0, 2.43 in 34 relief outings and led the club's relievers by stranding 28 of 38 inherited runners (74%) over the season.
Pete is a graduate of Ridley High School in Folsom, Pennsylvania. He attended Temple University, majoring in criminal justice, and pitched in the College World Series in 1977. He spent the winter prior to the 1987 season pitching for Escogido in the Dominican Winter League and was one of the circuit's ERA leaders."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


RON ROMANICK
"Pitching has been a serious problem for the Yankees in each of the last two seasons, and the team showed their determination to remedy this problem when they acquired Ron Romanick in an off-season trade with California.
Though he suffered through an off-year in 1986, the Yankees hope that Romanick will return to the winning form he displayed in his first two major league seasons with the Angels. His 12 wins in 1984 were the most by an Angels rookie since 1974, and his 26 victories in two years (1984-85) ranked second on the team. After his 14-9 record in 1985, Romanick dipped to 5-8 last year. The big right-hander struggled through most of the 1986 season and eventually wound up in Triple-A Edmonton, where he finished the season.
This year he tries to get new results in a new city."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"Ron was acquired by the Yankees in December 1986 along with a minor league player to be named later in exchange for Butch Wynegar. He split the 1986 season with the Angels and the Edmonton Trappers, their AAA affiliate in the Pacific Coast League.
He began the year by winning his first two starts with the Angels, a 10-3 victory over Oakland on April 11, and then his first career 2-hit shutout, a 4-0 complete game win against Seattle on April 16 with five walks and six strikeouts (his season high and one shy of his career high). It was Ron's career low-hit game, his fourth career shutout and his only complete game of 1986.
Over his next six starts, from April 21 through May 24, Ron was 1-1 (a win on May 13 against Boston and a loss on April 21 at Oakland) with a 5.86 ERA (35.1 IP, 37 H, 23 R, 19 BB, 15 K). He lost each of his next four starts, from May 30 through June 15, with a 6.65 ERA (21.1 IP, 16 ER). He rebounded by winning his next two starts, a 6-2 victory at Kansas City on June 20 (7.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K); from that point, however, in his final four starts with the Angels, from June 29 through July 21, he was 0-3 with an 8.85 ERA (20.1 IP, 20 ER).
Ron had his contract assigned to Edmonton on July 22. At that point, in his 18 games (all starts) with the Angels, he was 5-8 with a 5.50 ERA (106.1 IP, 124 H, 68 R, 65 ER, 44 BB, 38 K); he pitched at least seven innings in seven of those starts.
His best month was May when he went 1-1 in five starts with a 3.89 ERA (34.2 IP, 34 H, 16 R, 15 ER, 17 BB, 10 K). Ron had a season high seven walks on May 24 at New York. After he joined Edmonton, he finished the season there and posted a 2-3 record with the Trappers in eight games (all starts) with a 5.71 ERA (52.0 IP, 67 H, 39 R, 33 ER, 14 BB, 17 K).
Originally drafted by Toronto and San Diego, Ron was selected by California in the first round of the secondary phase of the January 1981 draft. In his first professional season at Redwood, he led the circuit in ERA (2.91), strikeouts (178) and innings pitched (207), while finishing second in wins (15) and shutouts (3). He went 6-3 with a 4.26 ERA at Holyoke in 1982.
Ron posted a 9-12 record with a 4.86 ERA in 1983 at Nashua of the Eastern League. He tied for first in the league with 27 games started and tied for second in complete games (10), while finishing third in innings pitched (171) and strikeouts (112).
In 1984 he earned a spot in the Angels starting rotation following a spring effort that saw him fashion a 2-0 record and a 1.67 ERA in six appearances covering 27 innings. Ron acquired his first major league win against Milwaukee on April 11 (a 9-5 Angel win) and tossed his first major league shutout (9.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K) at New York on May 20, winning 3-0. He finished with the most victories (12) by an Angels rookie since Frank Tanana totaled 14 in 1974, and set an Angel rookie record for fewest bases on balls (61), eclipsing the standard set by Dean Chance (66) in 1962.
He posted a 14-9 record for the Angels in 1985 in 31 starts, along with a 4.11 ERA. Coupled with his 12 wins in 1984, his total of 26 victories was topped only by Mike Witt's 30 in 1984-85 among Angels pitchers. At one point, he captured 15 of 19 verdicts dating back to September 16, 1984.
Ron pitched best against Eastern competition, logging a 9-2 mark and a 3.92 ERA, and pitched well at home, where he was 8-3 with a 3.54 ERA. The Angels were 20-11 in games he pitched, and he was involved in 10 one-run verdicts with California, sporting an 8-2 record in those contests. Ron worked into the seventh inning or later in 17 of his 31 starts and tied for club honors in complete games with six.
His lowest hit total in a complete game effort was four in a 4-0 shutout of the Indians in Cleveland on June 20. He enjoyed a sparkling month of July, recording a 5-0 mark and a 2.97 ERA, and had a 13-4 record and a 3.02 ERA on July 31.
He failed to post a win in his next eight starts, from August 8 to September 11, losing four games in the process. Ron suffered through a frustrating contest in Seattle on August 13, allowing a club record 10 runs on 12 hits (3.2 IP) in an 11-3 loss to the Mariners. He recorded his season-high strikeout total of seven in his last outing of the season at Kansas City on October 2 (a 4-0 Angel loss).
Ron graduated from Newport High in Bellevue, Washington, receiving scholarship offers from every PAC-10 school before electing to enroll at Arizona State; he later attended the University of Washington. In high school, he gained All-State and All-American honors, posting a 9-3 record and a 0.81 ERA in his senior year, the latter a state record. Ron also averaged 15 points per game as a forward on the Newport basketball squad and maintained a six-handicap on the golf team.
In 1980, Ron pitched Fairbanks to a 7-3 win against Liberal for the National Baseball Congress Championship. He registered a 12-1 log and a 3.20 ERA overall and bested Mike Moore, now with Seattle, in the championship game."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


ROD SCURRY
"Former Pirates pitcher Rod Scurry showed why many had labeled him the best southpaw curve baller in the business when he notched 17 strikeouts in only 12.2 innings after joining the Yankees late in 1985. Excited about what Scurry might accomplish over the course of an entire season, his injury-plagued 1986 campaign proved to be a real setback for the Yankees. 'I didn't have that bad of a year, but the injuries did get to me,' says the pitcher.
If he can stay healthy there is no doubt he can play a major role coming out of the pen in 1987. Scurry is ready to prove his reputation is no fluke. 'He's got the best breaking ball of any left-hander in the league,' praised pitching coach Mark Connor, 'and he hasn't yet reached his potential.'"

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"Scurry appeared in 31 games for the Yankees in 1986, all in relief, and compiled a record of 1-2 with two saves and a 3.66 ERA.
In his first four outings of the year, from April 8-13, he pitched five scoreless innings with five strikeouts. He picked up his first save on April 11 against Milwaukee at Yankee Stadium in the Yanks' 3-2 win, pitching 1.2 perfect innings to save Bob Tewksbury's first major league win. He was charged with his first loss on April 19 at Milwaukee in the Yanks' 4-3 defeat after coming in to pitch the bottom of the 11th inning in a 3-3 game and giving up the winning run with one out on a walk to Jim Gantner and a game-winning RBI triple by Charlie Moore. He picked up his second save of the year on May 3 against Texas in the Yankees' 9-4 win, pitching three scoreless innings in his longest outing of the season (3 H, 2 BB, 2 K) to save another Tewksbury victory. Following his next outing, on May 11 at Texas, Scurry developed a sprained left knee and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 13.
He was then transferred to the 21-day disabled list on May 27. At that point, he was 0-1 with two saves and a 2.57 ERA in 11 appearances (14.0 IP, 14 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 10 BB, 11 K). He was assigned to Ft. Lauderdale ('A' Florida State League) on July 7 as part of Major League Baseball's 20-day rehabilitation program.
Rod made seven relief appearances at Ft. Lauderdale through July 18 and went 1-0 with one save and a 3.68 ERA (7.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 7 BB, 16 K). His save came on July 9 against Ft. Myers, striking out the side in his one inning pitched, and his win came in his next outing, July 11 against Ft. Myers, when he recorded six strikeouts in two innings, giving him nine strikeouts in three innings in that span. Rod also struck out the side in his one-inning final appearance on July 18 against St. Petersburg. He returned to New York, but then suffered a pulled left hamstring.
He was activated from the disabled list on July 25, and following his return pitched six scoreless innings from July 25-30, covering four appearances; in fact, in a stretch of eight appearances from April 26 (before his injury) through July 30, he pitched 13.1 scoreless innings (7 H, 7 BB, 8 K) to lower his ERA from 5.40 to 1.80.
Rod recorded his only win of '86 on August 3 at Cleveland in the Yankees' 12-8 victory, pitching 2.2 innings in relief of Al Holland and giving up three hits, one run (earned) and one walk, with Brian Fisher pitching the final 1.2 innings for a save. He gave up his only home run on August 7 against Milwaukee, a three-run homer by Rick Manning. Rod was charged with his second loss of the year on August 24 against Oakland in the A's' 11-4 win, going 1.2 innings in relief of Tommy John and giving up three hits and two runs (both earned) with one walk and three strikeouts. He matched his season high in innings (3.0) and strikeouts (4) at Seattle on August 30.
In his final six appearances, from September 2-19 covering 5.2 innings, Rod gave up 11 hits and eight runs (all earned) for a 12.71 ERA with eight walks and eight strikeouts, raising his overall earned run average from 2.14 to his final 3.66 mark. In his last game, September 19 at Detroit, he matched his season high with four strikeouts; in his previous outing on September 17 against Baltimore, he gave up his season high three walks.
For the season, Rod retired the first batter he faced 19 of 31 times, including 5-for-13 in opportunities with at least one runner on base, and prevented 14 of the 24 runners he inherited from scoring. He was 2-for-2 in save opportunities and overall had a .252 batting average against (38-for-151). At Yankee Stadium he was 0-1, two saves, a 2.70 ERA and a .224 BA against, while on the road he was 1-1, no saves, a 5.06 ERA and a .288 BA against. During the day he was 1-2, one save, a 2.33 ERA and a .276 BA against, and at night he was 0-0, one save, 4.95 ERA and a .227 BA against.
Rod enjoyed a good minor league career as a starter- in 1979 he finished second on the Portland staff in starts and strikeouts and was third in appearances and innings pitched- but was moved to full-time relief when he joined Pittsburgh in 1980. His rookie season was hampered after he suffered a groin pull in the second half of the season. In 1981, after being used mainly in relief in 1980, Rod earned his first major league win as a starter on April 19 at Houston.
In 1982, he was third in the National League in appearances (76) and his 1.74 ERA was the lowest of any major league pitcher with 20 or more appearances. He set a Pirate team record for appearances by a left-hander. Scurry started the 1983 season strong, picking up two wins and save in his first three appearances, but struggled after that, and his overall 5.56 ERA was the highest in his major league career.
Scurry made two relief appearances in 1984 before going on the DL on April 7 when he entered a drug rehabilitation program. He was activated on May 13 and returned to action the same day at Atlanta, striking out the only batter he faced. He appeared in 27 games before returning to the DL on August 5 with a tender left elbow. Rod appeared in 14 games after coming off the DL on August 27, notching two wins and two saves. In those 14 games he allowed only two earned runs (15.1 innings pitched) for a 1.17 ERA and had a batting average against of .175. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees on October 1 to remove loose fragments.
After starting the 1985 season with Pittsburgh, his contract was purchased by the Yankees for an undisclosed amount of cash on September 13. Rod made five appearances while a Yankee, going 1-0 with a save and a 2.84 ERA (12.2 IP, 10 BB, 17 K). He had four walks on September 25 at Detroit. His Yankee save came on September 29 (second game) against Baltimore, while his win came on October 4 at Toronto, pitching 3.1 innings and allowing one run on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
Before coming to New York he was 0-1 with two saves and a 3.21 ERA for Pittsburgh in 30 games, all in relief. Scurry had a .236 batting average against as a Pirate, and his only loss with Pittsburgh came in his final outing with the club on September 1 at Cincinnati. His saves came on June 1 against Atlanta and August 22 against Cincinnati.
Rod grew up in Auburn, California but later moved to Sparks, Nevada. He was AAA Player of the Year in baseball as a senior at Proctor High School in Reno, NV. Rod's hobbies are golf and snowmobiling, and his favorite spectator sports are baseball and basketball. His favorite team growing up was the San Francisco Giants, his favorite player was Willie McCovey, and his favorite ballparks are Yankee Stadium and Royals Stadium. Rod is also a fan of Clint Eastwood."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


BOB SHIRLEY
"The role was the same, but the results were a whole lot different. Lefty Bob Shirley, without a doubt the most versatile member of the Yankees pitching corps, again wore many hats for his team in 1986, only they didn't fit as well as they had the previous year. Going an effective 5-5 in 1985, Shirley was heralded by pitching coach Mark Connor as the 'staff savior' for his ability to spot start or pitch middle or short relief.
Shirley provided the Yankees with that same kind of flexibility last season, coming to the rescue at the last minute when Ed Whitson was unable to pitch at Yankee Stadium. Despite his dismal 0-4 mark and 5.04 ERA, Connor noted, 'The whole staff benefits when you have a pitcher with the durability Shirley has.' In one stretch last summer Shirley was asked to pitch in five consecutive games. He hopes to play the same role with much more effectiveness this year.
'There's no loss of confidence here,' says Shirley. 'I know I can still help this club.'"

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"Bob served as a reliever and a spot starter last year.
His first three appearances were in relief, and then he made his first start of the season on April 26 against Cleveland, lasting just 0.1 innings after giving up four hits and three runs (all earned) and getting tagged with the Yankees 3-2 loss for his first decision. His next decision also came in a starting role, on May 2 against Texas, when he went 5.2 innings while giving up six runs (all earned) on six hits, along with a career high nine walks (the most by a Yankee pitcher in a single game in '86) and five strikeouts and was charged with the Yanks' 7-0 loss.
Bob made his third start on May 14 against Chicago, going eight innings and giving up two runs (earned) on five hits with two walks and his single-game high of seven strikeouts, his highest total since he struck out eight Houston Astros on September 26, 1982 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds; he left the game after giving up two singles leading off the top of the ninth with a 2-0 lead, but was not involved in the decision when both those runners, as well as the game winning run, scored off Brian Fisher to give the Sox a 3-2 win. In his next outing, a start against Oakland on May 22, Bob pitched nine innings, his longest outing of the year, and gave up three runs (earned) on seven hits, one walk and three strikeouts, leaving the game with the score tied at 3-3 and was not involved in the decision in the Yankees' 4-3 11-inning win.
In his next eight appearances, all in relief, from May 26 through June 13, he gave up just three earned runs in 17.1 innings pitched (1.56 ERA), including 10.0 consecutive scoreless innings from May 26-June 7. His longest relief outing came on June 2 at California when he pitched 6.2 shutout innings in relief of starter Ed Whitson, giving up two hits with one walk and one strikeout, and was not involved in the Yankees' 8-7 loss. Bob picked up his first save of the year on June 9 at Detroit, facing two batters in the 11th inning with the Yankees leading 9-7 and getting a double play and a groundout to preserve Whitson's win. Through June 13 he was 0-2 with one save and a 4.09 ERA, his lowest of the season.
Over his next 15 appearances, from June 15 through September 1, Bob went 0-2 with an 8.38 ERA (36 ER, 38.2 IP), raising his overall ERA to 5.94. His two losses in that span came as a reliever on June 18 against Boston (1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER) in the Yankees 5-2 defeat and as a starter on July 20 against Chicago, lasting two innings (7 H, 5 R, 4 ER) in the Yanks' 8-0 loss. Bob's final start of the year came on August 2 at Cleveland (3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER) in the Yankees' 6-5 loss.
In his final six appearances of the season (all in relief), beginning on September 13, Bob pitched 16.0 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits with five walks and seven strikeouts, and had just two saves. He began that stretch by notching his second save of the year on September 13 against Boston, pitching four scoreless innings and giving up only one hit to save Dennis Rasmussen's win in an 11-6 Yankee victory. He recorded his third and final save of the season two outings later on September 16 against Baltimore, pitching four scoreless innings of 1-hit ball with a strikeout in relief of Doug Drabek to preserve his win in the Yanks' 8-1 victory. In his next appearance on September 21 at Detroit, Bob pitched six shutout, hitless innings with two walks and three strikeouts in relief of Drabek, but [got no decision] in the Tigers' 3-1 win.
Bob finished the year with 39 appearances, an 0-4 record, three saves (in three save opportunities), a 5.04 ERA (105.1 IP, 108 H, 60 R, 59 ER, 40 BB, 64 K) and a .271 batting average against (108-for-398). In his six games as a starter he was 0-3 with a 6.35 ERA (28.1 IP, 34 H, 21 R, 20 ER, 14 BB, 18 K) and a .296 BA against (34-for-115); in his 33 games as a reliever he was 0-1 with three saves and a 4.56 ERA (77.0 IP, 74 H, 39 R, 39 ER, 26 BB, 46 K) and a .261 BA against (74-for-283). Overall at Yankee Stadium Bob was 0-4 with two saves, a 5.46 ERA and a .296 BA against, while on the road he was 0-0 with one save, a 4.47 ERA and a .234 BA against; his career record at Yankee Stadium is 11-8 with a 3.06 ERA (264.1 IP, 90 ER, 75 BB, 138 K).
He [began] his major league career in the National League after splitting time in 1976 between Hawaii and Amarillo, two championship teams. In his rookie season with San Diego in 1977, he posted career highs with 12 wins, 25 starts, 214 innings pitched and 146 strikeouts. Bob made his major league debut on April 10 beating Cincinnati 12-4 with all runs against him unearned, pitching 8.2 innings while allowing only four hits and striking out 11. On April 23, he retired the first 25 batters in a game at Houston, registering a 4-2 victory.
In 1983 Bob recorded his first American League [and first Yankee] win with an 8-hit shutout at Yankee Stadium against the Royals on April 27. In 1984, he appeared in 41 games, third on the Yankee staff, posting a 3-3 record and making seven starts.
Bob pitched as both a middle reliever and as a spot starter in 1985. His 48 appearances were his most since 1980 with San Diego, and his 2.64 ERA was his best posted as a professional.
He was 0-1 with no saves before making his first 1985 start on June 10 against Toronto, getting the win after allowing one run in 6.1 innings pitched. He won his next start on June 16 against Detroit, a 4-hit complete game, and made three more starts prior to the All-Star Game, going 0-1. Bob started just three games after the All-Star break, losing at Cleveland on July 30 (second game), a no-decision against Toronto on September 14, and losing 1-0 to Milwaukee on October 2- another 4-hit complete game. Both 4-hitters were career low-hit games. Bob's first save came on September 4 against Seattle- his first save since August 29, 1981- and his second save came on September 10 at Milwaukee.
He was 3-2 with no saves and a 3.54 ERA at the '85 All-Star break, then was 2-3 with two saves and a 1.93 ERA after the break. Overall he was 3-2 with a 2.27 ERA in relief, 2-3 with a 3.15 ERA as a starter; 5-1, a save, a 1.86 ERA and a .226 BA against at Yankee Stadium, while on the road he was 0-4, a save, a 3.92 ERA and a .288 BA against. He had an overall strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.1:1.
Bob grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and attended Putnam City (OK) High School. He had a fine collegiate career at the University of Oklahoma, where he was an All-American in 1975 and a teammate of [former Yankee] George Frazier. Seattle Seahawk wide receiver Steve Largent was his high school catcher, and Bob also played scholastically with Alvin Adams of the Phoenix Suns.
Bob's favorite team growing up was the Yankees, his favorite player was Mickey Mantle and his favorite ballpark is Yankee Stadium. His hobbies are golf and fishing, and he enjoys restoring antiques. His favorite entertainer is Bill Murray."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


MIKE ARMSTRONG
"Mike began the 1986 season with the Columbus Clippers and made seven appearances before being recalled by the Yankees on May 2. In those seven appearances (all in relief), he went 2-1 with two saves and a 2.84 ERA (12.2 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 7 BB, 16 K).
After he joined the Yankees, his first appearances with the club came in relief in both ends of a May 11 doubleheader at Texas. In the first game he pitched a scoreless, hitless inning with a walk and a strikeout in the Yankees' 6-3 loss, and in the second game he pitched another scoreless inning, giving up one hit with a walk and a strikeout in the Yanks' 9-1 loss, but was not involved in the decision in either game. Mike had a rough outing in his next game, on May 12 at Minnesota. He entered the game in relief of Dennis Rasmussen with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Yankees ahead 9-3, but gave up a two-run single to Al Woods and a three-run homer to Kirby Puckett before Dave Righetti came on to preserve the Yankees' 9-8 win; in those 0.0 innings pitched, Mike was charged with those two hits and two runs (both earned).
He rebounded to pitch well in his next outing, three innings of scoreless relief on May 15 against Chicago, giving up just three hits and one walk while striking out his season high three batters in the Yanks' 8-1 loss to the White Sox. Mike made one other relief appearance, a scoreless, hitless inning on May 16 against Seattle before being optioned back to Columbus on May 21. At the time of his option, he was 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA (6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) in his five relief appearances with the Yanks.
Following that option, Mike pitched 24 games for the Clippers (including 14 starts) and went 4-8 with two saves and a 4.24 ERA (93.1 IP, 92 H, 50 R, 44 ER, 46 BB, 87 K). He was named International League Pitcher of the Week for July 7-13. Coupled with his earlier stint at Columbus, that gave him an overall record of 6-9 with two saves and a 4.08 ERA (31 G, 14 GS, 106.0 IP, 103 H, 54 R, 48 ER, 53 BB, 103 K) with the Clippers in '86. His 103 strikeouts ranked fourth in the International League. Mike's best outing at Columbus came on July 12 against Maine, going six innings with one hit, three walks and seven strikeouts, but with no decision in the Clippers' 1-0, 10-inning loss.
Mike was recalled by the Yankees a second time on September 1 and made his only 1986 start for the club that night in Oakland, going just 1.2 innings and giving up five hits (including home runs to Dwayne Murphy and Jose Canseco) and six runs (all earned) along with two walks and two strikeouts, and was charged with the Yankees' 9-8 loss to the A's. He made his final appearance of the year on September 17 against Baltimore, pitching one inning of relief and giving up two hits and one run (earned) on a solo home run by Rick Dempsey, and got no decision in the Orioles' 8-3 win. Overall with the Yankees in his seven games (one start) in '86, Mike was 0-1 with a 9.34 ERA (8.2 IP, 13 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 5 BB, 8 K).
Mike began his career with the Reds organization as a 1st round selection in the January 1974 draft and was traded to the Padres organization in 1979. He spent his first four years in pro ball as a starter, compiling a 16-10 record with Three Rivers in 1977, before being converted into a reliever the following season. He made his major league debut with the Padres against Cincinnati on August 12, 1980, pitching one inning and allowing a walk.
He was traded to the Royals on April 4, 1982 for a player to be named later and made his AL debut on May 19 against the Yankees, allowing only two hits over three scoreless innings. He posted his first major league win on May 23 against Texas and his first major league save on June 29 against Oakland.
In 1983, his first full major league season, Mike appeared in 58 games, all in relief, and finished 32 games. He had a five-game streak, June 19-30, without allowing any runs (9.2 IP) and won his final three decisions [of the season]. He was the number two man in the Kansas City bullpen, often preceding Dan Quisenberry, who set a major league record (since broken by Dave Righetti) that year with 45 saves. Mike was acquired by the Yankees along with catcher Duane Dewey from Kansas City in December 1983 in exchange for Steve Balboni and Roger Erickson.
He missed the latter part of spring training in 1984 with a tender elbow and began the season on the 15-day disabled list. He was went to Ft. Lauderdale on May 31 on the Major League Baseball rehabilitation program. Mike was placed on the active roster on June 16, making his Yankee debut that night in Baltimore, and notched his first Yankee win on July 16. He excelled in relief from July 23 through August 18, appearing in 12 games (19.0 IP), allowing one run and recording two victories and his only save (August 18 against Oakland). Used primarily in middle inning relief, Mike equaled his career long three-game win streak, July 16-August 3.
In 1985 Mike was assigned to Columbus on April 6, two days before Opening Day. He appeared in 13 games, going 1-0 with a save and 23 strikeouts in 20.2 innings. Recalled to the Yankees on June 3, Mike made his first Yankee appearance of the year on June 6 at Minnesota. He pitched in six games before being optioned to Columbus on July 17 and was again recalled on August 5. He made no appearances before another trip to the club's AAA affiliate on August 16 where he remained until September 5. He made just three appearances in September, allowing one run in eight innings pitched. Mike threw five innings on September 24 against Detroit, his longest outing as a Yankee. Opposing batters hit just .173 against him in 1985.
A native of Long Island, Mike played his college ball at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. His hobby is golf and his favorite spectator sport is wrestling. His favorite team growing up was the Mets, his favorite player was Willie Mays and his favorite ballparks are Royals Stadium, Yankee Stadium and Anaheim Stadium. The greatest influences on his career were Dick Howser and Cloyd Boyer.
His favorite entertainers are Bill Cosby and Jimmy Stewart, and the most dramatic occurrence of Mike's career was waiting one month for the [Royals'] win in the Pine Tar Game."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


BRITT BURNS
"Burns was sidelined for the entire 1986 season with a degenerative hip condition. He did begin spring training with the Yankees and made two appearances. He started and went two innings against Texas on March 12 (2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K), giving up a home run to Pete Incaviglia, and a made start against Toronto at Dunedin on March 17 (3.0 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 0 K). Burns finished with a spring training record of 0-0 and a 10.80 ERA in those two games over five innings pitched. Continued pain in both hips affected those two outings, and he was placed on the 60-day emergency disabled list on March 31 because of his hip condition. He remained on the 60-day DL for the entire season.
He underwent surgery on his right hip on May 27. A flexion and rotation osteotomy of the right proximal femur was performed and Britt spent the rest of the season rehabilitating from that surgery.
With the Chicago White Sox in 1985, Burns finished tied for third in the AL in victories with a team leading and personal high 18. He tied for second in the league with four shutouts, three of which were 4-hitters, the fourth being a 5-hit performance, and finished sixth in strikeouts with a career high 172.
He started a career high 34 games, appearing only twice in relief. He had four outings in which he achieved double figures in strikeouts, setting a personal single-game high with 12 at Baltimore on July 1. He had three shutouts against Cleveland, ending the season with 33.2 consecutive scoreless innings against the Indians. Britt was acquired by the Yankees from the Chicago White Sox in December 1985 along with shortstop Mike Soper, outfielder Glen Braxton and two players to be named later in exchange for catcher Ron Hassey and pitcher Joe Cowley.
In 1978, his first pro season, Britt appeared in two games for the White Sox, both starts, and lost them both, going 0-2 with a 13.75 ERA. He pitched six games with Appleton, Chicago's 'A' affiliate, and four games with AA Knoxville in addition to his brief major league stint. He pitched six games with the White Sox in 1979, all in relief, and also spent time with Chicago's Iowa (AAA) and Knoxville affiliates. In 1980 Burns struck out 133 batters in his rookie season, second best in his career. He had a 15-13 record with a 2.84 ERA in only 32 starts and was named Sporting News Rookie Pitcher of the Year.
Britt won six straight midseason games in 1981 and was named to the AL All-Star team, but didn't appear in the game. His success was tempered when his father was struck by an automobile near Birmingham, Alabama on July 16 and passed away without regaining consciousness on September 12. Over his father's two-month fight for life, Britt commuted between his father's bedside and his starts in the rotation. He hurled 30 consecutive scoreless innings in August.
He led the Sox in wins (13) and win-loss percentage (.722) in 1982 despite missing the final weeks of the season with a shoulder injury. Burns began the 1983 season on the DL after being sidelined in spring training with a viral infection in his pitching arm. He didn't pitch in a game until May 9 and was inconsistent early. Burns returned to form late in the year and won several key games in the Sox' pennant chase. He pitched a 1-hit shutout against the Angels on September 9 in Chicago and followed that with a 2-hit blanking of the Angels in California on September 24. Despite only 26 starts, his four shutouts were second best in the AL.
Britt volunteered to start the 1984 season in the bullpen due to the quality of White Sox starting pitching. He was placed back in the starting rotation six weeks into the season, his first start a May 13 8-1 win over Texas. He then went 0-8 in his next 11 starts and was returned to the bullpen on July 5. Britt made three relief appearances before developing a bacterial infection, going on the 15-day disabled list on July 19. After brief rehabilitation work at two farm clubs (Appleton and AAA Denver), his next appearance with the White Sox came on August 20.
He returned to the starting rotation on September 7 and snapped a 10-game losing streak on September 12 with a 4-2 win at Oakland; his 10-game losing streak was the longest in the AL in 1984. Britt's best game was on September 23 at Comiskey when he beat Seattle 4-0, allowing three hits in 8.2 innings. He recorded three seven-strikeout games in '84.
Burns was 'discovered' by former Chicago Tribune book critic Robert Cromie, who read an article about his high school heroics while in Birmingham on business. Cromie clipped the article and mailed it to White Sox president Bill Veeck, a friend of Cromie. Burns' sensational prep career at Hoffman High School in Birmingham included a 0.12 ERA and a 35-2 record with 30 hits, 30 walks and 292 strikeouts in 139 innings; included was an 18-game winning streak. Britt also played scholastic basketball. His favorite team growing up was the Baltimore Orioles and his favorite player was Boog Powell.
His favorite ballparks are Comiskey Park and Yankee Stadium and his most memorable moment is pitching in the fourth game of the 1983 American League Championship Series. Britt's hobbies are horses, fishing and bird hunting and his favorite entertainers are David Letterman, Eddie Murphy and Lionel Ritchie."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


JUAN ESPINO
"Juan began the 1986 season at Columbus and played 53 games for the Clippers, all at catcher, and hit.302 (54-for-179). He had five home runs and 21 RBIs and committed five errors. Juan was recalled by the Yankees on August 1 when Butch Wynegar was placed on the restricted list.
He played 27 games with the Yanks, all as a catcher, more than his previous total major league experience, and hit .162 (6-for-37). Espino had one multiple-hit game, August 6 against Milwaukee, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, a double and a RBI. Two of his six hits last year were doubles, the one on August 6 and another on August 29 at Seattle; the latter double, off Karl Best, drove in Dave Winfield for the winning run with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to give the Yankees a 13-12 win over the Mariners, and is the only game winning RBI of Espino's career.
Juan made nine starts behind the plate in '86. He was successful in throwing two of 11 base stealers (both times it was Seattle's John Moses).
He also began the 1985 season at Columbus and had his contract purchased from Columbus on June 21. Juan played in six games between June 23 and July 2, all at catcher, starting three games, then was outrighted to Columbus on July 3. He went 2-for-4 on June 23 at Detroit and 2-for-3 on June 26 at Baltimore- the only games in which he hit safely, having only four at-bats [the rest of the season]. Juan's contract was again purchased from Columbus on August 30. He appeared in only three games [more] games through October. At Columbus he hit .250 in 74 games, catching 73.
Signed by Epy Guerrero for the 1975 season, Juan had his first major league hit on May 24, 1983 at California and his only major league homer on September 7 at Milwaukee off Jaime Cocanower.
Juan had been in the Yankee organization for nine seasons before being sold to the Cleveland Indians organization in March of 1984. He was named to the International League All-Star team as a catcher for Maine."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


PAUL ZUVELLA
"Paul was acquired by the Yankees from the Atlanta Braves along with Claudell Washington in exchange for Ken Griffey last June 29. He joined the Yankees after spending the '86 season to that point at Richmond, the Braves' AAA International League affiliate. At Richmond, Paul hit .317 in 66 games (80-for-252) with 44 runs, 10 doubles, a triple, a homer and 24 RBIs and was 8-for-10 in stolen base attempts. He committed eight errors while playing every game at shortstop.
He made his Yankee debut on June 30 against Detroit as the team's starting shortstop and started each of his first 10 games with the Yankees at short. Zuvella was hitless in each of those games before getting his first hit, a single on July 12 at Minnesota, breaking an 0-for-28 streak covering those 10 games, although he did have a a RBI (on July 7 at Texas) in that span. He had his only extra base hit as a Yankee on July 17 against Chicago, a double, and also had his second RBI in that contest. That began a three game hitting streak (3-for-5) through July 19, accounting for the rest of his four hits as a Yankee. Zuvella started 18 of his 21 games as a Yankee at shortstop and had a fielding percentage of .966 (three errors in 87 total chances).
He was outrighted to Columbus on July 30 after hitting .083 with the Yankees (4-for-48) with two runs scored and two RBIs. In 23 games with Columbus (playing shortstop in 20 of those contests) Paul hit .256 (21-for-82) with 12 runs, three doubles, a homer and seven RBIs while committing just two errors. Including his earlier stint at Richmond, his overall AAA average was .302 (101-for-334) with two homers and 31 RBIs in 89 games while committing a total of 10 errors. Paul was one of six shortstops to start a game for the Yankees in '86. He was named as the shortstop on the International League All-Star team.
Despite being the Braves' leading spring training hitter (.350) in 1985, he was the last cut from the major league team, being optioned to Richmond on April 8. He was called up to Atlanta on April 19, stayed with the Braves through June 7 and was recalled again to Atlanta from Richmond on June 17. Paul hit safely (7-for-14) in each of the first five games in which he had an at-bat following his second recall. He started each of the Braves' last 12 games of the season and hit .390 (16-for-41) while filling in for injured players at second base and shortstop. Paul hit .293 in his 81 games with the Braves and .219 in his eight games at Richmond. He played 42 games for Atlanta at second (20 starts), 42 games at shortstop (27 starts) and five games at third (two starts).
Zuvella progressed rapidly through the Braves' minor league system, hitting .315 at Durham (A) in his first pro season in 1980, and .299 at Savannah (AA) in 1981. He spent most of the 1982 season at Richmond, but did see playing time in two games with Atlanta, going hitless in his one at-bat.
In 1983 at Richmond he struck out only 34 times in 425 at-bats, third lowest in the IL. He hit grand slams two days apart, on June 9 at Toledo and on June 11 against Syracuse. He played three games with the Braves but was hitless in five at-bats. At Richmond in 1984, Paul was selected to the Topps-National Association AAA All-Star team at shortstop, finishing fourth in the International League in batting with a .303 average, tied for the league lead in triples (6) and fifth in hits (140) and led IL shortstops in fielding (.975) for the second year in a row. He was called up to Atlanta and saw action in 11 games. In his first game after being recalled, he got his first major league hit, a double off Mark Grant at San Francisco on September 7.
Zuvella lettered in baseball as well as in baseball at Samuel Ayer High School in Milpitas, California, where he was the class valedictorian in 1976. He graduated in 1980 from Stanford with a B.A. degree in communications. He was an All-American in baseball in 1980 and was a member of the USA All-Star team that played Cuba at the World Games in Italy in 1978.
He played against Dave Stieb and Kevin Bass in high school. His favorite team growing up was the San Francisco Giants and his favorite player was Willie Mays. Paul's greatest career influence was [manager] Eddie Haas at Richmond.
His favorite ballpark is San Diego Stadium and his favorite spectator sport is football. His hobbies are golf, reading, movies and chess, and he plays the piano and the banjo. Paul has worked as a substitute teacher at the junior high school and the high school he attended as a youngster.
Paul was signed by scout Charlie Silvera. His father, Richard Zuvella, played in the Red Sox organization in the 1940s."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


BILL GULLICKSON
"A 2-4 finish ruined what would have been an outstanding season in his Reds debut. 'Gully' was still the biggest winner on the club, thanks to a sensational August, when he was NL Pitcher of the Month with a 5-2 record and a 0.79 ERA. Beginning with a July 29 outing against San Diego, he remarkably made nine consecutive starts in which he yielded one earned run or less, yet twice was a 2-1 loser during that stretch.
Born in Marshall, Minnesota, Gullickson was the Expos' No. 1 pick in the 1977 draft following a sensational schoolboy career which included a 23-1 record and six no-hitters at Joliet (IL) Catholic. He was traded to the Reds with Sal Butera for Jay Tibbs, Andy McGaffigan, John Stupor and Dann Bilardello prior to the 1986 season."

-Nick Peters, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1987 Edition


NEIL ALLEN
"The most recent of his problems- torn fibers in his right tricep- wiped out most of the second half of a 7-2 season. Allen began the year in the bullpen, then moved into the starting rotation and didn't suffer his first loss until July 2. He had a scoreless string of 21 2/3 innings. He had been obtained in February of 1986 from the Yankees with Scott Bradley and Glen Braxton in exchange for Ron Hassey, Matt Winters, Eric Schmidt and Chris Alvarez.
Allen was one of the premier relievers in the National League with the Mets before being dealt with Rick Ownbey to St. Louis for Keith Hernandez in June 1983. He spent half a season with the Yankees in 1985, when the Cardinals traded him for cash and a minor leaguer to be named. Allen possesses an excellent breaking ball, but has had trouble controlling it.
He was born in Kansas City, Kansas."

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


DR. JOHN J. BONAMO (Team Physician)
"Dr. John J. Bonamo is in his ninth season as the Yankees team doctor. He is a clinical associate professor of orthopedic surgery at New York University Hospital in Manhattan."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"Dr. John J. Bonamo enters his ninth year as the Yankees team physician. He is an orthopedic surgeon affiliated with Staten Island and NYU Hospitals, and is a graduate of Boston College and New York Medical College."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


GENE MONAHAN (Trainer)
"Gene Monahan is in his 16th season as Yankees trainer. He has spent 25 years in pro baseball and is a certified member of NATA."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"A certified member of NATA (National Athletic Trainers Association) and a member of PBATS (Professional Baseball Athletics Trainers Society), serving as chairman of the grants and scholarships committee, Gene has 25 years of service in professional baseball. He started in 1962 at Ft. Lauderdale and is entering his 15th year at the helm of the Yankee training duties.
Gene served as American League trainer at two All-Star Games (1977 at Yankee Stadium and 1986 at Houston's Astrodome). All three of his previous assistants during his Yankee tenure advanced to head training positions in the major leagues."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


STEVE DONOHUE (Assistant Trainer)
"Steve Donohue is in his second year as the Yankees assistant trainer. He has been in the Yankees organization since 1979. Steve graduated the University of Louisville."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"A certified member of NATA and a certified member of New York State EMT (Emergency Medical Technicians), Steve is in his second season as the Yankees' assistant trainer. He has been a member of the Yankees organization since 1979 working at West Haven (1979), Nashville (1980-81) and Columbus (1982-85).
Steve was also assistant trainer for the New York Jets (1974-78) and assistant trainer for the University of Lousville's NCAA Champion basketball team in 1980."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


JEFF MANGOLD (Strength and Conditioning Coach)
"Jeff Mangold is in his fourth year as the Yankees strength and conditioning coach. He supervises in-season and off-season weight and conditioning programs."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"Jeff Mangold is entering his fourth year as the Yankees strength and conditioning coach, supervising the team's daily weight training program. He previously spent three years each as assistant strength coach at the University of Florida and the University of Nebraska."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


NICK PRIORE (Clubhouse Manager)
"Nick Priore has worked in the Yankees clubhouse for over 20 years. He was Pete Sheehy's assistant."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook


BOB FLEMING (Assistant Clubhouse Manager)
"Bob Fleming is in his second year as the Yankees clubhouse man. He works closely with Nick Priore."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook


LOU CUCUZZA (Visitors Clubhouse Manager)
"Lou Cucuzza is in his 12th season of hosting the visiting teams at Yankee Stadium."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook


STEVE GREGORY (Umpires' Room Attendant)
"Steve Gregory is in charge of the umpires locker room for the ninth season."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook


BOB SHEPPARD (Public Address Announcer)
"Bob Sheppard has been the public address Voice of the Yankees [since 1951]. He also teaches speech at St. John's University."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook


EDDIE LAYTON (Stadium Organist)
"Eddie Layton is the Yankee Stadium organist and has recorded more than 25 albums. He also records commercials, and plays at Radio City and other New York entertainment centers."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook


JIM OGLE (Yankees Alumni Association)
"Jim Ogle heads the Yankees Alumni Association and coordinates Old Timers' Day. He was a New York sportswriter for more than 20 years."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook


MARSH SAMUEL (Spring Training Coordinator)
"Marsh Samuel began his baseball career as a publicist with the 1946 White Sox. He developed the first press guide."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook


TOM COLLUZZI (Stadium Superintendent)
"Tom Colluzzi is in his first season as Stadium superintendent."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook


BOB ADAMENKO (Yankees Photographer)
"Bob Adamenko has been the Yankees' official photographer since 1984. He also photographs many other New York sporting events."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook


CHRIS SCHWENK (Yankees Photographer)
"Chris Schwenk is in his second year as a Yankees photographer. He works alongside Bob Adamenko."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook


MIKE FENNELL (Bullpen Catcher)
"Mike Fennell, the Yankees' bullpen catcher, is in his first season in that capacity. He was a catcher in the Yankees organization from 1983-85 and then served as bullpen catcher at Albany in 1985 and at Columbus in 1986."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


KEVIN ELFERING (Batting Practice Pitcher)
"Kevin Elfering is in his first season as batting practice pitcher. He will chart the Yankee defense and will be in charge of the Yankees' baseball computer statistics. Kevin played infield at the University of South Florida in 1981-82 and then served as assistant coach in 1983."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide


MIKE BARNETT (Video Coordinator)
"Mike Barnett is in his sixth year coordinating the Yankees' video tape operations. He is a graduate of Ohio University where he both played and coached. Mike also served as bullpen catcher at Columbus from 1978-81."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide