"There's no doubt that Hensley Meulens has the physical tools needed to be a major league player. What he needs now is the mental toughness it takes to succeed at this level. Meulens came to the Yankees with all the right credentials. He was the International League Player of the Year in 1990 and, with a nickname like 'Bam-Bam,' seemed well-suited for the New York stage.
But a funny thing happened on the way to left field. Meulens was named the starting left-fielder, only to have Mel Hall respond with an outstanding year to take the position away from the rookie. Accustomed to playing every day, Meulens had difficulty adjusting to the role of a part-time player. The 24-year-old, a gifted and talented athlete, must step up to the next level and show he has what it takes to get the job done. Determination? They don't call him Bam-Bam for nothing?"
-The New York Yankees Official 1992 Yearbook
"1991 was Meulens' first full season on the major league level. He had just 111 major league at-bats prior to 1991.
He was the Opening Day left fielder in Detroit, going 2-for-4, his only multi-hit game in April. Overall he started 11 of the club's first 17 games, all in left field, hitting .205 (9-for-44) with four RBIs. Meulens struck out 16 times, batting .321 (9-for-28) when putting the ball in play.
He started 16 of the club's 27 May games, hitting .220 with three homers and six RBIs for the month. His first home run came on May 3 at Seattle off Brian Holman in his 49th at-bat of the season. On May 16 against California, Hensley notched his first career three-hit game, raising his season batting average from .205 to .237. On May 27 against Boston, he made his major league debut at first base, replacing an injured Don Mattingly. He followed that the following day with his first major league start at DH, also against Boston.
Hensley hit for his best monthly average in June- .282 (11-for-39), with six RBIs over ten starts ( LF-9, DH-1). He went 2-for-3 with two RBIs on his birthday (June 23). Over his final six starts in June he went 8-for-23 with four RBIs, raising his batting average from .215 to .233. Meulens was hitting .225 with three home runs and 16 RBIs at the break.
From July 14-24, he hit in a season best five straight games (5-for-15); he capped the streak with a pinch-hit two-run homer on July 24 against Seattle off Rob Murphy. Meulens hit .220 with eight RBIs in August, starting 14 of the club's 31 games as a DH (7), in left (5), in right (1) and at first (1). He hit .224 with a home run and two RBIs in September/October, starting 14 games. He hit .219 (30-for-137) with three homers and 13 RBIs after the break.
Hensley started at four positions in 1991: left field (51), designated hitter (13), right field (11) and first base (1). He hit .239 (16-for-67) with runners in scoring position and was 3-for-9 with five RBIs with the bases loaded. He hit .236 against left-handed pitchers, .200 against right-handers, and .342 (13-for-38) on artificial turf.
He signed a contract for the 1992 season. He played Winter League ball in the Dominican Republic and hit .306 with two home runs and 16 RBIs over 21 games, playing the outfield.
Meulens had a tremendous season with the Columbus Clippers in 1990, hitting .285 with 20 doubles, 26 home runs and 96 RBIs over 136 games. He was named International League Player of the Year, leading the league in total bases (245) and finishing second in home runs and RBIs. Meulens led the Yankee organization in home runs and total bases. With the Clippers he played the outfield (88 games), first base (32 games) and third base (15 games).
He also achieved International League Player of the Week honors for June 17-23 (.409, 4 HR, 9 RBI) and was Player of the Month for June (.309, 7 HR, 25 RBI). He was also named Topps International League Player of the Month for both June and July. Hensley was rated the No. 3 prospect in the International League in the Baseball America post-season rankings.
He had his contract purchased by the Yankees on September 9 and remained with the club through the end of the season. Upon promotion, Hensley played in 23 games of which 22 were starts (all in left field).
He started out hot, getting five hits in his first 10 at-bats. He had a big game against Texas on September 12, going 2-for-4 with his first major league home run (off Charlie Hough) and an assist on a play at the plate in the seventh inning.
Hensley went 1-for-20 from September 13-18, including an 0-for-16 skid. He broke out of the slump on September 19 at Toronto, going 2-for-4 with a home run off Jimmy Key.
From September 22-29, Hensley hit in a season-best seven straight games, going 10-for-29 (.345) with a homer and four RBIs to raise his season average 50 points to .275. He had his big game on September 25 against Baltimore, going 2-for-5 with a home run (off Mike Smith) and four RBIs.
He hit .319 (15-for-47) at home, .139 (5-for-36) on the road, .290 (9-for-31) against left-handers, .212 (11-for-52) against right-handers. After the season he played winter ball in the Dominican Republic and led the circuit in hitting with a .338 (44-for-130) batting average with three home runs and 20 RBIs over 36 games.
Meulens began the 1989 season with the AA Albany-Colonie Yankees. He hit .257 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs in 104 games. He was promoted to AAA Columbus on August 9 but still managed to finish tied for second on the Albany club in home runs (11) and lead the Eastern League in hit by pitches (9). With Columbus, Meulens appeared in 14 games and hit .289 with four doubles, a home run and three RBIs. He played 113 games in the minors in 1989, all at third base.
He was recalled by the Yankees on August 23 and spent the remainder of the season with them. He made eight consecutive starts (August 23-29) and then did not see action again.
On August 23, Hensley made his major league debut, going 1-for-3 against the Red Sox and getting his first major league hit, a 7th inning single off Mike Boddicker. His only RBI came on August 25 against Baltimore, a 9th inning single off Jeff Ballard driving in the lone Yankee run in a 3-1 loss. His only multi-hit game came on August 28, a two-hit effort against Oakland.
Meulens began the 1988 season at Albany-Colonie of the AA Eastern League and batted .245 in 79 games with nine doubles, 13 home runs and 40 RBIs along with 96 strikeouts. He was named as the starter at third base in the Eastern League All-Star Game. He started all 79 games at third base and committed 23 errors but did tie for the Eastern League lead in double plays by a third baseman (18).
He was promoted to AAA Columbus on July 5 and played 55 games with the Clippers, batting .230 with nine doubles, six home runs and 22 RBIs. Hensley played 54 games at third for the Clippers and committed 14 errors. He was added to the Yankees 40-man roster in November.
Meulens was signed by the Yankees as a free agent on October 31, 1985 by Yankee scout Fred Ferreira and was recommended by Yankee scout Dick Groch. He played 59 games in 1986, his first professional season, at 'A' Sarasota and batted .233 in 59 games with four home runs and 31 RBIs. He led the Gulf Coast League in strikeouts (66) while leading the league's third basemen in games (59), total chances (178), putouts (40) and assists (118). Meulens was named as the third baseman on the Gulf Coast League All-Star team.
He began the 1987 season at 'A' Prince William where he played 116 games and batted .300 with 76 runs, 23 doubles, 28 home runs, 103 RBIs, 14 stolen bases and 124 strikeouts. He led the Carolina League in home runs and led the league's third basemen in errors (37). Hensley was named to the 1987 Carolina League All-Star team as a utility infielder. He finished the season by playing 17 games at 'A' Ft. Lauderdale where he hit .172.
Hensley is a native of Curacao (part of the Netherlands Antilles, located in the Caribbean Sea) and still resides there. He speaks four languages: English, Spanish, Dutch and Papiamento."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
JESSE BARFIELD
"Out of sight, out of mind? That was the case for Jesse Barfield near the end of last season. The talk around the Yankee outfield was about rookies Bernie Williams and Hensley Meulens, the elevated play of Mel Hall and the steady performance of Roberto Kelly. Lost in the hoopla was Barfield, whose 1991 season was cut short in July by a foot injury.
Before the '91 season started, Yankee GM Gene Michael stated, 'We have the best right fielder in baseball in Jesse Barfield.' How soon we forget. Before his injury on July 29, Barfield displayed his typical power, leading the team both homers and RBI. He also showed how a cannon for an arm can change the complexion of a game, leading the team with 10 outfield assists.
The Yankees are in a transition and nowhere is that more evident than in the crowded outfield. But let's remember, at age 32, a healthy Jesse Barfield is still one of the best in the game."
-The New York Yankees Official 1992 Yearbook
"Jesse displayed typical Barfield-like power in 1991 until his season was cut short due to a foot injury. He was placed on the disabled list on July 29, and at the time was leading the club in home runs (17) and RBIs (48).
He had an uncharacteristic April, as he hit .291 (3 HR, 9 RBI); he had hit .238 for his career in April entering the season. His three homers led the club for the month and he started 16 of 17 games.
He had a seven-game hitting streak from April 17-24 (10-for-24), raising his batting average from .217 to .319. His first home run came on April 19 against Kansas City, off Mike Boddicker, in his 27th at-bat of the season.
Jesse's average dipped in May (.205) but his power increased (5 2B, 7 HR, 15 RBI). He tied Kevin Maas and Mell Hall for the Yankee lead homers during the month while starting all of the club's 27 games. Barfield hit a 9th inning pinch-hit on May 18 off Russ Swan against Seattle, breaking a Yankee scoreless drought of 32 consecutive innings, their longest since 1968. He had two two-run homers against Boston, both off Danny Darwin, on May 27 to help the Yankees overcome a 5-0 deficit to win 6-5. He won the May 31 game against Milwaukee with a 9th inning two-out homer off Chuck Crim.
From May 29-June 8, Barfield hit in a season long nine straight games (10-for-36), raising his average 12 points to .249. On June 19 at Toronto he hit a two-run homer off Jimmy Key in a 3-0 Yankee win.
He hit .210 with five home runs and 20 RBIs in June, with both his homer and RBI totals leading the club, and started all of the club's 27 games that month. In July, Barfield played in just 14 games (13 starts) while getting 41 at-bats. He had two home runs and four RBIs.
Barfield left the July 13 game with a sore right hamstring and did not play again until July 18. He missed another four games before pinch-hitting on July 23. He tried to start on both July 24 and July 28 before being diagnosed with a season-ending injury. The injury was a straight fracture of the navicular bone in his left foot. Jesse's last start was July 28, his last at-bat was on July 24 and his last hit on July 18. Not one to break down easily prior to 1991, Jesse had spent just two 15-day stints on the disabled list (1980, 1988) over an 11-year period.
He hit homers in consecutive games three times, including twice in May. He hit cleanup on May 17 after being fifth, sixth or seventh in the batting order in the first 30 games, but hit best when batting fifth (21-for-70, .300, 20 RBIs).
Jesse hit .253 (19-for-75) with four homers and 24 RBIs with runners in scoring position but oddly enough was much better in these situations with two out (13-for-36, .361) than with less than two out (6-for-54, .154). Jesse drove in seven of 14 runners from third with less than two outs and was 3-for-5 with six RBIs with the bases loaded. He had 14 multi-hit games and 21 of his RBIs came with less than two out. He hit .314 (34-for-108) with nine home runs and 24 RBIs against left-handed pitchers.
Despite playing in just 81 games, Jesse contributed a club best 10 outfield assists and now has 46 over the past three seasons, 42 in Pinstripes. He contributed the Yankee outfield first six assists of '91 and 10 of the club's first 12. Jesse anchored an outfield that tallied 36 assists while leading Yankee right fielders with 76 starts.
His first assist came on Opening Day in Detroit, getting Cecil Fielder at home in the 7th inning. Barfield's 1991 breakdown was as follows: April (2), May (5), June (3).
He has 159 career outfield assists, ranking him second on the active list, and has led the American League in assists five times, two years shy of the record (7) held by Carl Yastrzemski. Over the 1990-91 his assists came at first (3), second (8), third (7) and home plate (8); by inning they came 1st-3rd (9), 4th-6th (6) and 7th - end of the game (11). 16 of his 26 assists in '90-91 came at Yankee Stadium.
He signed a three-year contract on October 12, 1989. The contract extends through the 1992 season.
Jesse hit .246 with 25 home runs and 78 RBIs in 1990 and led the club in homers, RBIs, walks (82) and strikeouts (150).
His first home run came on April 24 against Seattle off Matt Young. Two days later, also against Seattle, Jesse hit of pair of homers off Randy Johnson and was robbed of a third when Ken Griffey Jr. reached over the center field fence to make a spectacular catch.
He had three five-game hitting streaks in May but wound up hitting .259 for the month. He hit five home runs, all on the road, including circuit clouts in consecutive games at Chicago on May 28-29 (off Eric King and Jack McDowell).
He made 27 starts in June and did not commit an error after committing three through the month of May. Jesse hit .271 in June, his best average for any month of 1990, with four home runs and 13 RBIs.
Jesse hit homers in consecutive games, June 2-3, against Baltimore (Dave Johnson and Bob Milacki) and another off Milacki on June 8 at Baltimore. He enjoyed a season best nine-game hitting streak from June 18-27 (10-for-37, .270) and reached base safely in the final 13 games of the month. He went into the break hitting .262 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs.
He went 0-for-17 before getting a pinch-hit single on July 22. On July 27 in the first game of a doubleheader at Cleveland, Barfield recorded 10 putouts, two shy of the major league record for putouts by a right fielder.
August turned out to be his weakest month average wise (.193) but he hit six home runs and drove in 16 runs. Included were home runs in three straight games, August 26-28, off Dan Plesac, against Milwaukee, and Ben McDonald and Jose Mesa at Baltimore. The one off Plesac was an 8th inning two-run shot tying the game at 3-3 with Barfield scoring the winning run in the 11th inning on a Steve Sax single.
Barfield hit .281 (25-for-89) in September/October with six home runs and 16 RBIs while drawing 21 walks, his most for any month of 1990. In three games, September 15-17, he reached base safely in 10 of 13 plate appearances (4-for-7, 6 BB), getting on base five times in five at-bats on September 17. Jesse's final home run of the season came on September 28 at Milwaukee off Ted Higuera. A strikeout by Randy Nosek of Detroit on October 2 at the Stadium gave Jesse 150 for the season.
For the second consecutive season, Jesse led the majors with 16 outfield assists after notching 20 in '89. He registered his first assist of 1990 on Opening Day (April 12), in New York, getting Brook Jacoby attempting to stretch a single into a double. He had four assists in a 31-game period from April 29-June 2 and then seven more in a 24-game stretch from August 17-September 11. He also had a two-assist game on September 6 against California, getting Jack Howell twice.
Barfield's games (153), batting average (.246), homers (25) and RBIs (78) were all his best since 1987. He ranked ninth in the American League in home runs, seventh in home runs per at-bat (1:19), tied for fifth in RBIs per at-bat (1:6.1), 12th in slugging (.456) and fourth in strikeouts (150). His strikeout total equaled his career high in 1989 and set the Yankee record for most in one season, yet Jesse hit .359 when putting the ball in play. He had 20+ doubles for the sixth straight season, had 20+ homers for the sixth time and played 150+ games for the fifth time in six seasons. Jesse led the club with 21 home runs and 64 RBIs in night games. He shared the team lead (Hall and Sax) with seven game-tying RBIs. He had a club high 53 RBIs against right-handers and a club high 28 two-out RBIs. He hit .218 at home but had 12 home runs and a club high 35 RBIs; he hit .274 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs, all club highs, on the road. He hit .264 (29-for-110) with men in scoring position as opposed to .194 in 1989 and was 4-for-10 with three doubles and 12 RBIs with the bases loaded.
On April 26 against Seattle, his seventh-inning home run (second of the game) was career home run No. 200. On May 17 against Minnesota, his third at-bat of the game was No. 4,000 of his career. His August 4 fourth-inning double against Cleveland off Bud Black was No. 200 of his career. Barfield was named to the American All-Star team which toured Japan after the 1990 season, the second time he was selected (1986).
Barfield was acquired by the Yankees from the Toronto Blue Jays on April 30, 1989 in exchange for pitcher Al Leiter. At the time of the trade, he was hitting .200 (16-for-80) with nine of those hits being for extra bases (4 2B, 5 HR). He also had 11 RBIs and four assists as a Blue Jay.
He played in Pinstripes for the first time on May 2 against the Royals, singling in four at-bats off Mark Gubicza. Following that game, he went 0-for-19 over a seven-game stretch, then hit in three straight with two home runs. On May 9, Jesse hit his first home run as a Yankee, off Texas' Charlie Hough. He missed four games when he suffered a mild concussion running into the fence at Oakland on May 17.
Jesse hit in a season best seven straight games from June 11 (second game) through June 17, going 10-for-26 and raising his average from .210 to .246. For the month of June, he hit .300. He started out July hitting in six straight (7-for-22) and 13 of 15 games (16-for-48), raising his average from .239 to a season best .261 on July 19. On July 9 at Boston, Jesse had his 17th career two-homer game and drove in all five runs. At the break he was hitting .247 with nine homers and 29 RBIs as a Yankee. On July 14 against the Royals in game 2 of a twin bill, with the Yankees trailing 7-6 entering the last of the ninth, Jesse hit a three-run homer off Steve Farr for a 9-6 win.
From July 16-20, he reached base nine straight times (2 1B, 1 HR, 4 BB, 2 IBB). In July, Barfield hit .291 with six home runs and 15 RBIs. After the break, he hit .235 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs.
Jesse led the majors in outfield assists with 20 in 1989. It was his third 20+ assist season. His 16 assists as a Yankee were the most since Dave Winfield's 17 in 1982.
He did not register an assist as a Yankee until his 32nd game with the club, and that came from center field on June 13 at Baltimore. He then reeled off an assist in four straight games, against Texas (June 17-18) and Chicago (June 20-21). Jesse had eight assists overall in June, all in a span of 17 games.12 of his assists came at Yankee Stadium and four on the road, with the four road assists all being at home with the Yankees ahead or behind by two runs or less.
With 87 walks for the season, his career best, Jesse ranked eighth in the American League and tied for 12th in the majors. He played 150+ games for the fourth time in five years. His .234 batting average was his lowest as a regular, yet his 23 doubles were his fifth straight season of 20+ and his 23 homers were also a fifth straight 20+ season. Of his 18 homers as a Yankee, six were hit at the Stadium. Jesse is still the Blue Jays' all-time home run leader with 179.
Selected in the 9th round of the June 1977 draft, Barfield spent the season with Utica [Class-A New York-Penn League], helping the club to a second place finish. In 1978 he spent the season at Dunedin [Class-A Florida State League] where he slumped noticeably, batting only .206. He had his best minor league season in 1979 with Kinston [Class-A Carolina League], batting .264 with 71 RBIs, more than in his two previous seasons combined.
In 1980, Barfield led Knoxville [AA Southern League] in home runs (14) and RBIs (61). He spent his second season with Knoxville in 1981 before joining the parent club in September. In his major league debut on September 3, Jesse responded with a hit, an RBI and a stolen base. He hit his first major league home run on September 6 off Chicago's Britt Burns. Jesse hit safely through his first eight games, setting a club mark for the start of a career. In total, he hit safely in 12 of his first 13 major league games.
In 1982, Jesse was Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for April while becoming the first Blue Jay to hit a pinch-hit grand slam, on April 24. He captured Toronto's BBWAA Rookie of the Year award while setting club rookie marks in home runs (18), bases on balls (42) and slugging percentage (.426).
Jesse tied for the club lead in home runs (27) in 1983, setting the club mark for home runs at Exhibition Stadium (22). He led the team in two-homer games (4) and set then-career highs in homers, runs (58), triples (3) and RBIs (68). Jesse also led the club in outfield assists (16) with errorless streaks of 55 and 50 games.
He was the American League Player of the Week for the week ending September 4 on the basis of a .421 average, seven homers and 13 RBIs. Jesse raised his average 53 points over his last 53 games, including four home runs in eight at-bats, September 1-2.
He was platooned in right field in 1984, seeing action against left-handed pitchers. Jesse set then personal highs in doubles (14) and stolen bases (8) while leading the club with three four-hit games. He clouted five home runs in three games, July 1-6.
In 1985, Jesse set a personal high with a 16-game hitting streak from May 8-26. Among his six home runs in 10 games from May 10-21, he tied the then club mark with home runs in three consecutive games from May 19-21.
Jesse reached base safely in 24 consecutive games from August 3-27 and was named Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for August (.365, 2 HR, 17 RBI). He had seven consecutive hits and reached base nine straight times, August 8-9. Jesse set the American League record with extra-base hits in 11 consecutive games.
For the 1985 season, he was third in the American League in slugging percentage (.536), ninth in doubles (34) and 12th in game-winning RBIs (12). Jesse set then club marks in extra-hits (70) and strikeouts (143) as well as then personal highs in at-bats (539), RBIs (84), hits (156), doubles (34) and home runs (27). He was the first Blue Jay to have 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in the same season. Jesse led AL with 22 outfield assists to set the club mark. He hit safely in six of seven ALCS games.
Jesse was voted as Labatt's Blue Player of the Year and Blue Jays Player of the Year by Toronto's BBWAA.
In 1986, Jesse set a personal high with six RBIs on May 17 against Cleveland. He was Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for May (.276, 9 HR, 23 RBI), then became the first Blue Jay player to reach 100-homer mark, on June 1 off Bob James of Chicago.
Jesse's 10th career two-homer game came on July 3 against Boston, followed by his first All-Star Game appearance, going 0-for-2. He was Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for September/October (.266, 10 HR).
He led American League in home runs (40) and was among the league leaders in slugging percentage (.559, 2nd), extra-base hits (77, 2nd), total bases (329, 5th), runs (107, tied for 5th), game-winning RBIs (13, tied for 7th) and doubles (35, tied for 10th). He led the club in RBIs (108, tied with George Bell), homers, strikeouts (146) and slugging, and hit six ninth-inning home runs
Barfield led all American League outfielders with 20 assists while capturing Gold Glove honors. He won the Silver Slugger Award, was voted Blue Jays Player of the Year by Toronto's BBWAA and voted to the AP Major League All-Star team. Jesse was named to the American League All-Star team which toured Japan after the 1986 season.
Moved around in the batting order for much of 1987, Jesse's average dropped from .319 to .248 from June 10-August 26. His seventh career four-hit game came on June 16 against Detroit, followed by his eighth career four-hit game on July 16 against Milwaukee. Barfield's home run against Texas on July 23 ended a drought of 22 games, and his sacrifice hit on August 14 was his first since June 24, 1984. He delivered a pinch hit against New York on September 12, his first since September 29, 1984. His third and fourth four-hit games of the year came on September 14 against Baltimore and September 26 against Detroit. He hit no home runs in his last 21 games.
Jesse placed fifth in the AL in games (159) and at-bats (590), and tied Ruben Sierra for the league lead in assists and won his second consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award for defensive excellence. He underwent surgery on his left knee and left wrist during the off-season.
In 1988 he hit his second career grand slam on April 19 off Kansas City's Bret Saberhagen. He left the May 14 game at Chicago with a swelling of the left wrist and was on the disabled list from May 16 and returned on June 1.
His solo homer off Walt Terrell of Detroit on June 18 snapped a drought of 17 homerless games and he had a season high four RBIs at Detroit on June 19. His third career grand slam came off Oakland's Rick Honeycutt on July 3. He tied a personal high with homers in three consecutive games from August 21-23.
Jesse played his 1,000th major league game on September 19, becoming the fourth player to reach the 1,000-game plateau in a Blue Jays uniform. His third grand slam of the season came on September 21 off Detroit's Paul Gibson. He tied a personal high with two stolen bases on October 1 against Baltimore.
His longest hit streak was five games, five times, and he homered in at least two consecutive games on three occasions. He hit .340 (16-for-47) with five homers and 12 RBIs against Detroit and .375 (15-for-40) with two homers and 10 RBIs against Kansas City. Jesse hit .209 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs through the break compared to .278 with 11 homers and 30 RBIs after the break. He led the team with 13 outfield assists.
Jesse attended Joliet Central High School (outside of Chicago) where former major leaguers Bill Gullickson, Larry Gura and Jack Perconte attended high school. His uncle played Negro league baseball.
He enjoys basketball and ping-pong. His favorite team growing up was the Cubs and his favorite player was Ernie Banks.
Jesse works extensively with underprivileged children. He has a winter business making coffee tables and lamp replicas of major league ballparks and other professional sports playing surfaces. He was voted the 1990 Good Guy Award by the New York Press Photographers Association."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
Led American League outfielders in assists (22), 1985.
Led American League outfielders in double plays (8), 1985.
[Led American League in home runs (40), 1986.]
Led American League outfielders in assists (20), 1986.
Led American League outfielders in double plays (8), 1986.
Named an outfielder on The Sporting News American League Silver Slugger team, 1986.
Named an outfielder on The Sporting News American League All-Star Fielding Team, 1986.
Tied for lead among American League outfielders in assists (17), 1987.
Named an outfielder on The Sporting News American League All-Star Fielding Team, 1987.
Led major league outfielders in assists (20), 1989.
Led major league outfielders in assists (16), 1990.
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
He had three five-game hitting streaks in May but wound up hitting .259 for the month. He hit five home runs, all on the road, including circuit clouts in consecutive games at Chicago on May 28-29 (off Eric King and Jack McDowell).
He made 27 starts in June and did not commit an error after committing three through the month of May. Jesse hit .271 in June, his best average for any month of 1990, with four home runs and 13 RBIs.
Jesse hit homers in consecutive games, June 2-3, against Baltimore (Dave Johnson and Bob Milacki) and another off Milacki on June 8 at Baltimore. He enjoyed a season best nine-game hitting streak from June 18-27 (10-for-37, .270) and reached base safely in the final 13 games of the month. He went into the break hitting .262 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs.
He went 0-for-17 before getting a pinch-hit single on July 22. On July 27 in the first game of a doubleheader at Cleveland, Barfield recorded 10 putouts, two shy of the major league record for putouts by a right fielder.
August turned out to be his weakest month average wise (.193) but he hit six home runs and drove in 16 runs. Included were home runs in three straight games, August 26-28, off Dan Plesac, against Milwaukee, and Ben McDonald and Jose Mesa at Baltimore. The one off Plesac was an 8th inning two-run shot tying the game at 3-3 with Barfield scoring the winning run in the 11th inning on a Steve Sax single.
Barfield hit .281 (25-for-89) in September/October with six home runs and 16 RBIs while drawing 21 walks, his most for any month of 1990. In three games, September 15-17, he reached base safely in 10 of 13 plate appearances (4-for-7, 6 BB), getting on base five times in five at-bats on September 17. Jesse's final home run of the season came on September 28 at Milwaukee off Ted Higuera. A strikeout by Randy Nosek of Detroit on October 2 at the Stadium gave Jesse 150 for the season.
For the second consecutive season, Jesse led the majors with 16 outfield assists after notching 20 in '89. He registered his first assist of 1990 on Opening Day (April 12), in New York, getting Brook Jacoby attempting to stretch a single into a double. He had four assists in a 31-game period from April 29-June 2 and then seven more in a 24-game stretch from August 17-September 11. He also had a two-assist game on September 6 against California, getting Jack Howell twice.
Barfield's games (153), batting average (.246), homers (25) and RBIs (78) were all his best since 1987. He ranked ninth in the American League in home runs, seventh in home runs per at-bat (1:19), tied for fifth in RBIs per at-bat (1:6.1), 12th in slugging (.456) and fourth in strikeouts (150). His strikeout total equaled his career high in 1989 and set the Yankee record for most in one season, yet Jesse hit .359 when putting the ball in play. He had 20+ doubles for the sixth straight season, had 20+ homers for the sixth time and played 150+ games for the fifth time in six seasons. Jesse led the club with 21 home runs and 64 RBIs in night games. He shared the team lead (Hall and Sax) with seven game-tying RBIs. He had a club high 53 RBIs against right-handers and a club high 28 two-out RBIs. He hit .218 at home but had 12 home runs and a club high 35 RBIs; he hit .274 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs, all club highs, on the road. He hit .264 (29-for-110) with men in scoring position as opposed to .194 in 1989 and was 4-for-10 with three doubles and 12 RBIs with the bases loaded.
On April 26 against Seattle, his seventh-inning home run (second of the game) was career home run No. 200. On May 17 against Minnesota, his third at-bat of the game was No. 4,000 of his career. His August 4 fourth-inning double against Cleveland off Bud Black was No. 200 of his career. Barfield was named to the American All-Star team which toured Japan after the 1990 season, the second time he was selected (1986).
Barfield was acquired by the Yankees from the Toronto Blue Jays on April 30, 1989 in exchange for pitcher Al Leiter. At the time of the trade, he was hitting .200 (16-for-80) with nine of those hits being for extra bases (4 2B, 5 HR). He also had 11 RBIs and four assists as a Blue Jay.
He played in Pinstripes for the first time on May 2 against the Royals, singling in four at-bats off Mark Gubicza. Following that game, he went 0-for-19 over a seven-game stretch, then hit in three straight with two home runs. On May 9, Jesse hit his first home run as a Yankee, off Texas' Charlie Hough. He missed four games when he suffered a mild concussion running into the fence at Oakland on May 17.
Jesse hit in a season best seven straight games from June 11 (second game) through June 17, going 10-for-26 and raising his average from .210 to .246. For the month of June, he hit .300. He started out July hitting in six straight (7-for-22) and 13 of 15 games (16-for-48), raising his average from .239 to a season best .261 on July 19. On July 9 at Boston, Jesse had his 17th career two-homer game and drove in all five runs. At the break he was hitting .247 with nine homers and 29 RBIs as a Yankee. On July 14 against the Royals in game 2 of a twin bill, with the Yankees trailing 7-6 entering the last of the ninth, Jesse hit a three-run homer off Steve Farr for a 9-6 win.
From July 16-20, he reached base nine straight times (2 1B, 1 HR, 4 BB, 2 IBB). In July, Barfield hit .291 with six home runs and 15 RBIs. After the break, he hit .235 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs.
Jesse led the majors in outfield assists with 20 in 1989. It was his third 20+ assist season. His 16 assists as a Yankee were the most since Dave Winfield's 17 in 1982.
He did not register an assist as a Yankee until his 32nd game with the club, and that came from center field on June 13 at Baltimore. He then reeled off an assist in four straight games, against Texas (June 17-18) and Chicago (June 20-21). Jesse had eight assists overall in June, all in a span of 17 games.12 of his assists came at Yankee Stadium and four on the road, with the four road assists all being at home with the Yankees ahead or behind by two runs or less.
With 87 walks for the season, his career best, Jesse ranked eighth in the American League and tied for 12th in the majors. He played 150+ games for the fourth time in five years. His .234 batting average was his lowest as a regular, yet his 23 doubles were his fifth straight season of 20+ and his 23 homers were also a fifth straight 20+ season. Of his 18 homers as a Yankee, six were hit at the Stadium. Jesse is still the Blue Jays' all-time home run leader with 179.
Selected in the 9th round of the June 1977 draft, Barfield spent the season with Utica [Class-A New York-Penn League], helping the club to a second place finish. In 1978 he spent the season at Dunedin [Class-A Florida State League] where he slumped noticeably, batting only .206. He had his best minor league season in 1979 with Kinston [Class-A Carolina League], batting .264 with 71 RBIs, more than in his two previous seasons combined.
In 1980, Barfield led Knoxville [AA Southern League] in home runs (14) and RBIs (61). He spent his second season with Knoxville in 1981 before joining the parent club in September. In his major league debut on September 3, Jesse responded with a hit, an RBI and a stolen base. He hit his first major league home run on September 6 off Chicago's Britt Burns. Jesse hit safely through his first eight games, setting a club mark for the start of a career. In total, he hit safely in 12 of his first 13 major league games.
In 1982, Jesse was Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for April while becoming the first Blue Jay to hit a pinch-hit grand slam, on April 24. He captured Toronto's BBWAA Rookie of the Year award while setting club rookie marks in home runs (18), bases on balls (42) and slugging percentage (.426).
Jesse tied for the club lead in home runs (27) in 1983, setting the club mark for home runs at Exhibition Stadium (22). He led the team in two-homer games (4) and set then-career highs in homers, runs (58), triples (3) and RBIs (68). Jesse also led the club in outfield assists (16) with errorless streaks of 55 and 50 games.
He was the American League Player of the Week for the week ending September 4 on the basis of a .421 average, seven homers and 13 RBIs. Jesse raised his average 53 points over his last 53 games, including four home runs in eight at-bats, September 1-2.
He was platooned in right field in 1984, seeing action against left-handed pitchers. Jesse set then personal highs in doubles (14) and stolen bases (8) while leading the club with three four-hit games. He clouted five home runs in three games, July 1-6.
In 1985, Jesse set a personal high with a 16-game hitting streak from May 8-26. Among his six home runs in 10 games from May 10-21, he tied the then club mark with home runs in three consecutive games from May 19-21.
Jesse reached base safely in 24 consecutive games from August 3-27 and was named Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for August (.365, 2 HR, 17 RBI). He had seven consecutive hits and reached base nine straight times, August 8-9. Jesse set the American League record with extra-base hits in 11 consecutive games.
For the 1985 season, he was third in the American League in slugging percentage (.536), ninth in doubles (34) and 12th in game-winning RBIs (12). Jesse set then club marks in extra-hits (70) and strikeouts (143) as well as then personal highs in at-bats (539), RBIs (84), hits (156), doubles (34) and home runs (27). He was the first Blue Jay to have 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in the same season. Jesse led AL with 22 outfield assists to set the club mark. He hit safely in six of seven ALCS games.
Jesse was voted as Labatt's Blue Player of the Year and Blue Jays Player of the Year by Toronto's BBWAA.
In 1986, Jesse set a personal high with six RBIs on May 17 against Cleveland. He was Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for May (.276, 9 HR, 23 RBI), then became the first Blue Jay player to reach 100-homer mark, on June 1 off Bob James of Chicago.
Jesse's 10th career two-homer game came on July 3 against Boston, followed by his first All-Star Game appearance, going 0-for-2. He was Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for September/October (.266, 10 HR).
He led American League in home runs (40) and was among the league leaders in slugging percentage (.559, 2nd), extra-base hits (77, 2nd), total bases (329, 5th), runs (107, tied for 5th), game-winning RBIs (13, tied for 7th) and doubles (35, tied for 10th). He led the club in RBIs (108, tied with George Bell), homers, strikeouts (146) and slugging, and hit six ninth-inning home runs
Barfield led all American League outfielders with 20 assists while capturing Gold Glove honors. He won the Silver Slugger Award, was voted Blue Jays Player of the Year by Toronto's BBWAA and voted to the AP Major League All-Star team. Jesse was named to the American League All-Star team which toured Japan after the 1986 season.
Moved around in the batting order for much of 1987, Jesse's average dropped from .319 to .248 from June 10-August 26. His seventh career four-hit game came on June 16 against Detroit, followed by his eighth career four-hit game on July 16 against Milwaukee. Barfield's home run against Texas on July 23 ended a drought of 22 games, and his sacrifice hit on August 14 was his first since June 24, 1984. He delivered a pinch hit against New York on September 12, his first since September 29, 1984. His third and fourth four-hit games of the year came on September 14 against Baltimore and September 26 against Detroit. He hit no home runs in his last 21 games.
Jesse placed fifth in the AL in games (159) and at-bats (590), and tied Ruben Sierra for the league lead in assists and won his second consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award for defensive excellence. He underwent surgery on his left knee and left wrist during the off-season.
In 1988 he hit his second career grand slam on April 19 off Kansas City's Bret Saberhagen. He left the May 14 game at Chicago with a swelling of the left wrist and was on the disabled list from May 16 and returned on June 1.
His solo homer off Walt Terrell of Detroit on June 18 snapped a drought of 17 homerless games and he had a season high four RBIs at Detroit on June 19. His third career grand slam came off Oakland's Rick Honeycutt on July 3. He tied a personal high with homers in three consecutive games from August 21-23.
Jesse played his 1,000th major league game on September 19, becoming the fourth player to reach the 1,000-game plateau in a Blue Jays uniform. His third grand slam of the season came on September 21 off Detroit's Paul Gibson. He tied a personal high with two stolen bases on October 1 against Baltimore.
His longest hit streak was five games, five times, and he homered in at least two consecutive games on three occasions. He hit .340 (16-for-47) with five homers and 12 RBIs against Detroit and .375 (15-for-40) with two homers and 10 RBIs against Kansas City. Jesse hit .209 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs through the break compared to .278 with 11 homers and 30 RBIs after the break. He led the team with 13 outfield assists.
Jesse attended Joliet Central High School (outside of Chicago) where former major leaguers Bill Gullickson, Larry Gura and Jack Perconte attended high school. His uncle played Negro league baseball.
He enjoys basketball and ping-pong. His favorite team growing up was the Cubs and his favorite player was Ernie Banks.
Jesse works extensively with underprivileged children. He has a winter business making coffee tables and lamp replicas of major league ballparks and other professional sports playing surfaces. He was voted the 1990 Good Guy Award by the New York Press Photographers Association."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
Led American League outfielders in assists (22), 1985.
Led American League outfielders in double plays (8), 1985.
[Led American League in home runs (40), 1986.]
Led American League outfielders in assists (20), 1986.
Led American League outfielders in double plays (8), 1986.
Named an outfielder on The Sporting News American League Silver Slugger team, 1986.
Named an outfielder on The Sporting News American League All-Star Fielding Team, 1986.
Tied for lead among American League outfielders in assists (17), 1987.
Named an outfielder on The Sporting News American League All-Star Fielding Team, 1987.
Led major league outfielders in assists (20), 1989.
Led major league outfielders in assists (16), 1990.
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
ALVARO ESPINOZA
"Alvaro hit .256 with 23 doubles, five home runs and 33 RBIs.
He had a blistering April, hitting .367 while appearing in all 17 of the club's games. He started the season with six hits in his first 11 at-bats, and over a six-game stretch he hit.476 (10-for-21).
He followed April with a quiet May, hitting .193 with just two RBIs. He appeared in 24 of the club's 27 games in May, starting 23 times. Alvaro's average dropped to .258 through May and was last above .300 (.304) on May 13.
Alvaro hit .268 with two home runs and six RBIs in June, bringing his season average up to .262, and started 22 of the club's 27 games. He had a season-best eight-game hitting streak from June 7-15 (11-for-32, .344), raising his average from .253 to .270. He hit the first of his five home runs on June 22, against Minnesota off Kevin Tapani.
He went 1-for-3 on July 6 to bring his average to .264 at the break, with 13 doubles, two homers and 16 RBIs. He hit .333 (9-for-27) over the final eight games of the month. He hit .273 in July, making 19 starts and playing in 20 of the club's 26 games, and made just two errors during the month.
Espy made his pitching debut on August 6 at Chicago. He came into a game with the Yankees trailing 14-5 and pitched to two batters in the eighth inning with two runners on base, getting Tim Raines to fly out and Robin Ventura to ground out (0.2 IP, 0 H).
It marked the first appearance by a Yankee position player on the mound since Rick Cerone did so twice in 1987; on July 19 at Texas (1.0 IP, 0 R) and on August 9 at Detroit (1.0 IP, 0 R). Prior to Cerone, the last Yankees was Gene Michael on August 26, 1968 (second game) against California (3.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 0 ER, 3 K).
Espinoza hit .266 with two home runs and eight RBIs in August. His fifth and final homer of the year came on August 24 at Toronto off Duane Ward. Again, he made just two errors in one month.
He had a tough September, hitting .211 (20-for-95) with six RBIs, dropping his average ten points to .254, yet made only three errors. He hit .300 (6-for-20) over six games in October, raising his final batting average to .256.
He appeared in 149 games at shortstop last year and over the past three seasons has played in 444 games at shortstop for New York. This total is the most in a three-year period by a Yankee shortstop since Phil Rizzuto played in 451 games from 1950-52. Espinoza's total ranks him 10th on the club's all-time list for shortstops, behind Everett Scott (477 games).
He also started two games at third in 1991 (6/21, 6/22), his first two in the majors. Overall he started 138 games (SS-136, 3B-2), tied for third most on the team. Alvaro ranked eighth in fielding among American League shortstops, was second in double plays (113 to Cal Ripken's 114), and third in total chances (681) and assists (437). His 21 errors were tied for second in the AL (with Ozzie Guillen) behind Luis Rivera (24).
With nine sacrifice hits, Alvaro led the team in that category for the third consecutive season, amassing 43 in that time frame. He hit four of his five home runs off right-handed pitchers and all five in a span of 50 games and 147 at-bats from June 22-August 24. The homer was his major league-best and tied his professional best set in 1982 with Wisconsin Rapids. Espy walked twice in his final 227 plate appearances.
Espy hit 17 points higher on the road (.265) than at home (.248). He hit .273 in day games and .248 at night. He had 31 multi-hit games after 22 in 1990 and his 23 stolen bases tied a career high (1989).
He hit .276 (32-for-116) batting ninth. With Frank Howard as his hitting coach, Alvaro has been much more productive than without as indicated by the numbers: with Howard, .270 (228-for-843), 35 doubles, two triples, five homers, 62 RBIs; without Howard, .234 (159-for-680), 26 doubles, three triples, two homers, 42 RBIs.
He signed a one-year contract in February 1992 avoiding arbitration.
1990 was a solid season defensively for the Yankee shortstop. An ironman of sorts, Espy missed just 12 games while playing in 150, including 142 starts.
Alvaro did not miss a game in April, starting all 17. On May 6, he notched the first of 11 sacrifice hits. He started the club's first 24 games through May 7 before missing a game in Oakland.
On June 5 in Boston hit his first career home run off John Dopson in the 2nd inning, over the Green Monster in left field. The blast broke a string of 745 at-bats without a homer.
Through the first six games of July, Espinoza went 7-for-20 (.350) to bring his All-Star break numbers to .227 with a home run and nine RBIs. He made 12 errors prior to the break while appearing in 74 of the club's 80 games.
He hit his second home run on July 21 at Minnesota off Mark Guthrie- the homer was an inside-the-parker to right field. Over his final four starts in July and his first start in August, Espinoza went 8-for-19 to raise his average to a season best .232 on August 1.
On August 20 against Toronto he contributed an 11th inning game-winning RBI single.On August 22 against Toronto had his second career triple (the other was in 1989).
September/October was a strong period for Espy both with the bat and the glove as indicated by a .268 average and just two errors. He had five multi-hit games in the month after getting 17 through the first five months and had a season best five-game hitting streak from September 5-9 (7-for-16). On September 28 at Milwaukee, Alvaro went 2-for-3 off Ted Higuera bringing his career numbers to 10-for-14 against the left-hander.
Espinoza finished the seasons with 11 sacrifice hits, tied for ninth in the American League, and his 34 over the 1989-90 seasons were the most by a Yankee in consecutive seasons since Bobby Meacham had 37 in 1984-85.
Espy made 12 errors before the break and five after the break, including none in the final 24 games, two in the final 53 and three over the final 73. He ranked sixth in the AL in fielding (.997), second in putouts (267), tied for second in double plays (100), third in assists (447) and total chances (731) and fourth in games (150). Alvaro teamed with Steve Sax to rank second in the AL in double plays (202) among keystone combos to Chicago's Ozzie Guillen and Scott Fletcher (215).
He struck out 54 times with 16 walks, a 3.4 strikeout/walks ratio, down from his 4:1 ratio of 1989. He hit .309 (21-for-68) and made one error in 22 games on AstroTurf. Alvaro hit 2-for-6 with four RBIs with the bases loaded.
1989 was an outstanding season for the Yankee shortstop. Entering the year he had played in 73 career games over a four-year span and hit .235 (24-for-102) with three doubles and 10 RBIs. In 1989, Espinoza played in 146 games and hit .282 with 23 doubles and 41 RBIs.
He ended April with a .286 average and played solid defense, committing only two errors in the month. Alvaro played in 45 of the club's 50 games through May and also had seven sacrifice hits through the end of May. He had a season best 10-game hitting streak from May 27-June 8, going 13-for-38 (.342) and raising his average from .248 to .270.
In June, Alvaro hit in 17 of 24 games and committed five errors. He went hitless in consecutive games only once during the month. He scored runs in four consecutive games from June 24-29 (five total) For the month of July he hit .300 and made three errors while playing in 25 of the club's 27 games.
August was another productive month for Espy as he hit .347. He did not go hitless in consecutive games in August and did not commit an error while playing in 30 of 31 games.
Espy went 1-for-4 on September 1, bringing his average to a season high .296. He hit .297 after the All-Star break and ended the season by hitting in three consecutive games, going 7-for-13 with four doubles and bringing his average to a season-ending .282.
During the season he batted in four positions in the order: second, seventh, eighth and ninth. Alvaro batted second in 35 games, hitting safely in 29, and posted a .336 average. He batted six times in the No. 7 slot, hitting .273, and seven times in the No. 9 slot, hitting .154. Espy most frequently batted in the No. 8 spot, batting there 98 times while hitting .269.
Espinoza finished second in the majors in sacrifice hits with 23 (Felix Fermin had 32), the most by a Yankee since Bobby Meacham in 1985 and Phil Rizzuto in 1952, who each also had 23; the last Yankee with more was Rizzuto with 25 in 1951. In club rankings, he was third in hits (142) and doubles (23), fourth in games (146) and at-bats (503). His 39 multi-hit games were third most on the club.
Alvaro hit a team high .383 against left-handed pitching and hit .235 against right-handers; hit .299 at home and .267 on the road and hit .333 with men in scoring position. He walked once every 38.3 plate appearances.
Defensively among American League shortstops, Espy ranked seventh in fielding percentage (.970), second in double plays (119), fourth in games (146), fifth in putouts (237), assists (471) and total chances (730).
Espinoza was signed as a free agent by the Houston Astros on October 30, 1978, and hit .219 for Sarasota in 1979. In 1980, he hit .215 for Sarasota and led Gulf Coast League shortstops in assists (217), double plays (33) and total chances (356). He was released by Houston in September 1980 and was out of baseball in 1981.
In March 1982 Alvaro was scouted and signed by Hank Izquierdo of the Minnesota Twins organization as a free agent and that year hit .266 at Wisconsin Rapids. He had a career best .319 batting average in 1983 over 130 games with Visalia. He led California League shortstops in total chances (630).
At Toledo in 1984, Alvaro walked three times in 368 plate appearances, a ratio of once every 122.7 plate appearances. He tied for the International League in sacrifice hits with 16.
Playing 82 games at Toledo in 1985, Alvaro also played 32 games with the Twins, getting his first major league hit on August 13 against Oakland, a single off Tommy John. In 1986, he hit .214 in 37 games with the Twins and .281 at Toledo. He led International League shortstops with 159 putouts.
Alvaro played a full season at AAA Portland in 1987 and hit .275 over 91 games. He was granted free agency in October. Recommended by Yankee scout Don Lindeberg and signed by Yankee scout Fred Ferreira, Alvaro was signed by the Yankees as a six-year minor league free agent in November 1987. He hit .246 at Columbus in 1988, appearing in 119 games. He spent eight days with the Yankees (August 3-11) when Willie Randolph pulled a rib cage muscle and went 0-for-3 in three games.
He went to high school in Valencia, Venezuela where he played baseball and basketball. He played Little League in Valencia.
Alvaro is involved in many off-season charity events, along with speaking engagements at schools and hospitals in the tri-state area."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
TOREY LOVULLO
"In 1991 during spring training, Lovullo was acquired by the Yankees from the Detroit Tigers on March 19 in exchange for right-handed pitcher Mark Leiter. At the time of his acquisition he had appeared in 11 spring training games for the Tigers and had hit .185 (5-for-27) with two doubles, a home run and two RBIs. In seven games at third base, he did not make an error. He had three stints with the Yankees and two with the Columbus Clippers during the year.
Lovullo started the season with New York and played in five games (0-for-11) including four starts at third before being optioned to Columbus on April 14. With the Clippers he played in 22 games and hit .271 with a homer and 17 RBIs before being recalled on May 17. His second stint with the Yankees was for 18 games though he played in only two (1-for-4), both starts at third base. Torey's first hit of the season on May 19 against Seattle, off Brian Holman, snapped a 0-for-13 hitless streak to start the season.
Optioned to Columbus on June 7, his second time on the farm was for the remainder of their season. Over 84 games Torey hit .271 with 18 doubles, nine homers and 58 RBIs. Over the season, he led Columbus in RBIs (75) and was fourth in the International League in RBIs and runs (74). Torey stole home twice.
In his third time with the Yankees he played in 14 games, including nine starts at third base, and hit .222 (8-for-36). Overall in New York, he hit .176 with two RBIs over 22 games, with 15 starts at third. Outrighted to Columbus on October 31, he is unsigned for the 1992 season.
Lovullo was a fifth-round selection by the Detroit Tigers in the 1987 June draft. After finishing a brilliant career at UCLA, he split the 1987 season between Lakeland and Fayetteville. Torey combined for nine home runs and 48 RBIs in only 251 at-bats over 79 games played. He spent the majority of the season playing third base.
He started the 1988 season at AA Glens Falls before a mid-season callup to AAA Toledo. He had his contract purchased from Toledo by Detroit as a replacement for the injured Lou Whitaker. Torey hit .381 over 12 games including four starts at second base.
Torey singled off Rick Rhoden in his first major league at-bat on September 10 at New York. His first major league home run came in his first major league start, September 25 at Baltimore, off Jose Bautista in a 7-4 Detroit victory. In his first Tiger Stadium start, September 30 against the Yankees, Torey collected three hits in a 6-2 Tiger win.
He began the 1989 season with the Tigers after an outstanding spring training in which he hit .318. He was hitless in his first 20 at-bats before ending the drought with a single off Jamie Moyer of Texas. He played both second base and first base for Detroit and hit .115 in 29 games.
Torey was optioned to Toledo on May 15 and hit .230 with 10 homers and 52 RBIs. He tied for the International League lead with 10 intentional walks.
He spent the entire 1990 season at Toledo and hit .270 over 141 games. He led the IL in doubles (38) and finished fifth in total bases (213). Torey led the Mud Hens in nearly every offensive category including hits (131), doubles, home runs (14) and RBIs (58).
Torey graduated from UCLA in 1989 with a degree in psychology. A four-year starter on the baseball team (1984-87), he hit .311 in his college career and still holds school records for career hits (266), runs (211), RBIs (188), home runs (51) and at-bats (856). Torey was named to All-Pac 10 teams in 1986 and '87 and selected as the second baseman on the Sporting News College Baseball All-America team in 1987. At UCLA he played alongside Shane Mack and Todd Zeile.
Torey played Little League and Pony League in Encino. His father, Sam, is the producer of television's Hee Haw."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
DAVE SAX
"Sax returned for his third season in Columbus in 1991. He had one of his best seasons, hitting .285 with 19 doubles, eight home runs and 54 RBIs in 99 games. His .459 slugging percentage ranked fifth on the squad. In the field, Dave played at first base (35 games) and caught (31 games).
He underwent postseason surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder on October 1. The surgery was performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles.
He was signed by the Yankees as a six-year minor league free agent in December 1988.
Sax spent the entire 1990 season at Columbus as a catcher. After playing a combined 52 games in 1988 and 1989, he appeared in 73 games in '90, including 52 behind the plate. Overall he batted .249 with four home runs and 19 RBIs. When catching he hit .259 compared to .206 as a designated hitter; he hit .248 at home and .250 on the road. A good pinch hitter, Dave was 3-for-6 with a home run and three RBIs. July was his best month offensively as he hit .306 (15-for-49) in 17 games.
Sax started the 1989 season with Columbus as a non-active coach. He assisted in the bullpen and worked closely with the young catchers until he was activated as a player-coach on August 9. He remained on the active roster through the remainder of the season. Although he appeared in only 21 games, Dave helped the team by hitting .313 (20-for-64) with three doubles and five RBIs.
Sax was originally signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent in June 1978 and batted .269 at Lethbridge in his first professional season. He batted .270 with Clinton in 1979 and was named to the Midwest League All-Star team. He split the 1980 season between Lodi, where he batted .171, and Vero Beach, where he hit .352.
In 1981, Sax was converted to catching after playing as an infielder and outfielder in his first three professional seasons. He earned All-Star honors in the Texas League with San Antonio. He set career highs in 1982 at Albuquerque in most offensive categories, batting .317 with 12 home runs and 75 RBIs in 117 games. He hit in 15 straight games from April 30-May 13 and made his major league debut with the Dodgers in September.
Dave was the catcher and designated hitter at Albuquerque in 1983 and spent two brief stints with the Dodgers that year. In 1984, he saw action at first and second base, at catcher and in the outfield for Albuquerque, where he batted .259 in 106 games with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs. Sax signed with the Red Sox as a minor league free agent in January 1985 after seven years in the Dodger organization.
He started the 1985 season with Boston and played once with Boston before going to Pawtucket on April 28. He was recalled by the Red Sox on June 2, [remaining] for the rest of the year and making 11 starts behind the plate. Dave began the 1986 season with the Red Sox but was sent to Pawtucket on May 16 without appearing in any games. He finished third on the PawSox in RBIs (49) and fourth in home runs (9). He was recalled by Boston on September 2 and hit his first major league home run on September 21 at Toronto off Jimmy Key.
Sax started the season in Boston for the third straight year in 1987. He appeared in just two games for the Red Sox, going 0-for-3 before being outrighted to Pawtucket on April 27, where he finished the season.
He played 45 games at third base, 17 as a catcher and five at first base for the PawSox. He hit .240 in 85 games with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs, batting .273 in 18 games as a designated hitter. Beginning on August 7, Dave hit .378 with a home run and nine RBIs in his final 16 games.
Sax spent the entire 1988 season with the Buffalo Bisons of the American Association, the AAA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had been signed by the Texas Rangers as a free agent on October 31, 1987, and assigned to Oklahoma City. Dave was assigned to Buffalo when he was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates organization from the Rangers organization on April 6 in exchange for first baseman Bill Merrifield.
He batted .233 in 38 games with seven runs, three doubles, three home runs and 11 RBIs. He threw out seven of 56 runners attempting to steal.
Dave had a five-game hitting streak from June 15-July 2, going 5-for-16 (.313) with three RBIs in that span. His one game-winning RBI of the season came on July 31 against Louisville.
Dave played two seasons at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, CA. He was Sacramento area College Player of the Year in 1978. He participated in baseball and basketball at Sacramento's James Marshall High School where he graduated in 1976. Dave also played Little League, Babe Ruth League and American Legion ball.
Dave enjoys hunting and fishing. He is the brother of White Sox second baseman Steve Sax."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
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