Tuesday, September 29, 2020
1992 Profile: Dion James
"The 1992 season has become a great comeback effort for fleet-footed outfielder Dion James. Following his release from the Cleveland Indians following the 1990 season, he signed with the Yankees as a non-roster player and was invited to spring training. In camp he developed elbow trouble in his throwing arm, which eventually required an ulnar nerve transplant (the same type of surgery as [that undergone by] Mike Witt and Tommy John). The 29-year-old James then rehabbed the elbow throughout 1991 near his home in Sacramento, CA.
The hard work he put in each day during his recovery allowed him to play winter ball in Venezuela. James threw with ease and hit .258 over 26 games and arrived in Yankee camp this year more than capable of winning a roster spot as the fifth outfielder.
A .284 career hitter with Cleveland, Atlanta and Milwaukee, James provides the Yankees with a veteran left-handed bat and solid defense coming off the bench. Although the 1992 Yankees feature an all-around talented outfield, Dion James should find a number of opportunities to show why he belongs back in the major leagues."
-The New York Yankees Official 1992 Yearbook
"Dion did not play baseball in 1991, recovering from preseason surgery. He came to the Yankee spring training camp but left on March 13. He appeared in three games (one start) and had two hits in four at-bats.
The surgery was an ulnar nerve transplant (the same as [that undergone by] Mike Witt and Tommy John) to replace a torn medial collateral ligament in his left elbow. The surgery was performed on April 11 by Dr. Frank Jobe. Dion spent the 1991 season rehabilitating the left elbow five times a week with a physical fitness trainer at the Sacramento Kings workout center.
He played winter ball in the Dominican League with Estrellas, hitting .258 over 26 games. His last hit in the majors came on September 12, 1990 against Chicago, a single off Melido Perez. His last home run came on August 4, 1990 at Yankee Stadium off Tim Leary.
He signed a contract for the 1992 season.
Dion spent the 1990 season with the Cleveland Indians, and over 87 games hit .274 with a home run and 22 RBIs. He had a career best 16-game hitting streak from July 17-August 13 which was the longest on the club in 1990 and that year's fifth longest in the American League. His best month was July when he hit .303. Dion's home run was the one on August 4 off Leary.
He hit .325 at Cleveland Stadium and .327 with runners on base and struck out only once every 10.8 at-bats. He had 16 multi-hit games including two three-hit games: June 9 at Boston and August 9 at Texas.
Dion made 66 starts overall at first base (29), left field (19), designated hitter (10) and center field (8). He was ejected from an August 24 game at Baltimore by umpire John Shulock for arguing balls and strikes while playing first base.
He was released by the Indians on October 30, 1990 and invited to spring training by the Yankees in January of 1991.
Dion was acquired by the Indians on July 2, 1989 from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for outfielder Oddibe McDowell. At the time of the trade he was hitting .259 with a home run and 11 RBIs over 63 games. He was immediately pressed into service and responded by hitting safely in his first nine games (.338, 1 HR, 4 RBIs) with Cleveland. James had a big game on July 23 at Kansas City, getting a career high four hits and a career high five runs batted in.
In his first 39 games with the Indians (through August 20), James hit .331 with two home runs and 14 RBIs. He continued his solid hitting in September when from September 2-20, he hit .593 (16-for-27) with two homers and nine RBIs, raising his batting average from .292 to .333.
Dion's .306 average over the final three months was a club best for that period. He hit .262 (16-for-61, 20 RBIs) with men in scoring position and knocked in eight of 15 men from third base with less than two outs.
The Brewers' first selection in the June 1980 free agent draft, Dion spent his first season of professional baseball at Butte and hit .317. He was promoted to Burlington for their final three games of the season.
He stole 45 bases at Stockton in 1981 and led California League outfielders in fielding percentage (.988). In 1982, James hit .302 with nine home runs and 72 RBIs with AA El Paso of the Texas League.
James hit a career best .336 at AAA Vancouver in 1983 and set personal highs in games (129), at-bats (467), hits (157), doubles (29) and walks (63). He earned a September promotion to Milwaukee, making his major league debut on September 16 at Baltimore. He collected his first major league hit on September 18, along with an RBI.
The Milwaukee Brewers rookie of the year in 1984, Dion hit .295, second on the club, and .325 with men on base, tops on the club. He had 33 multi-hit games including three four-hit efforts. He hit .404 from May 27-June 15, reaching a season high of .319 on June 15, and hit .354 over the final two months.
Dion played in just 28 games in 1985 (18 with the Brewers, 10 with AAA Vancouver) because of a right shoulder problem. The injury occurred on March 3- while playing the outfield in a spring training game at Sun City, he dove for the ball and crashed into the right-field fence dislocating his right shoulder. James had to have surgery to repair the separation and missed most of the season.
He spent the entire 1986 season at Vancouver. He led the club in games (130), runs (85), tied for the club lead in triples (6) and was sixth in the Pacific Coast League in steals (30). He helped Vancouver reach the PCL finals. James was acquired by the Braves in January 1987 in exchange for outfielder Brad Komminsk.
In 1987 James led the Braves with a .312 batting average, good for fifth in the National League. It was the highest by a Brave since Bob Horner hit .314 in 1979. James registered four four-hit games and never went more than two consecutive starts without a hit. He hit .321 (36-for-112) with 49 RBIs with men in scoring position. His .996 fielding average led all National League outfielders who played at least 100 games.
Dion had a strange ground-rule double at Shea Stadium on April 12: he led off the third inning with a towering fly ball to left field that struck a bird with both falling behind the shortstop. He clubbed his only career grand slam on May 2 in Atlanta off Houston's Julio Solano. Dion won National League Player of the Week honors for July 27-August 2 when he hit .517 (15-for-29) with eight RBIs. He had a 10-game hitting streak from September 7-17, hitting .450 (18-for-40) in that span. He finished the season on a strong note, hitting .381 (32-for-84) with 13 runs and 10 RBIs over his final 23 games.
In 1988, James hit .256 with three home runs and 30 RBIs. Although his overall batting average was low, he had outstanding averages against Cincinnati (.467), Pittsburgh (.368), Philadelphia (.368) and Montreal (.343). He hit .263 on the road and .250 at home. His 58 walks were second on the team to Dale Murphy's 74. From August 7-16, Dion hit in eight straight games at a .379 pace (11-for-26).
Dion is a 1980 graduate of McClatchy High [Sacramento, CA], where he excelled in baseball, football and basketball, getting named All-League, All-City and All-State in each. He was a member of championship teams with the Pony, Colt, High School and winter league clubs he played for- Dion drove in the decisive run to win the 1979 Colt League World Series. He was a pitcher and infielder prior to his professional baseball career."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
Thursday, September 24, 2020
1992 Profile: Scott Kamieniecki
"The time is now for Scott Kamieniecki. At 27, the Yankee right-hander must prove he can pitch in the major leagues. Kamieniecki, along with Jeff Johnson and Wade Taylor, was one of three rookie starters who made their debut with New York last year. Kamieniecki stepped in and, together with Taylor, became the first two Yankee rookies to win their first major league starts since 1986.
'Kamieniecki, like the other two rookies, throws strikes and changes speeds,' says Yankees pitching coach Mark Connor. 'And when you do that you will win a lot of games.' Kamieniecki had the lowest ERA of the three rookies, while pitching at least six innings in seven of nine starts. It is important for the right-hander to continue that kind of production on a more consistent level in 1992. As the oldest of the three rookies, this year is even more critical for Scott Kamieniecki."
-The New York Yankees Official 1992 Yearbook
"Although his season ended with an injury, Scott showed that he is a capable pitcher at the major league level. He finished the 1991 season with a 4-4 record and a 3.90 ERA in nine starts.
Scott had his contract purchased from Columbus on June 17. At the time of his recall he was 6-3 with a 2.36 ERA in 11 starts. In his final eight starts for the Clippers, he was 5-1 with a 1.70 ERA. He made his major league debut on June 18 at Toronto, notching the victory (6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 K) in a 4-2 Yankee win.
He made it two in a row on June 23 against Minnesota in an 11-2 triumph (7.2 IP, 2 ER). The only runs by the Twins were a pair of Randy Bush solo homers. Scott ended the month of June with a 2-1 record and a 3.10 ERA.
He continued his fine pitching in July, posting a 2-2 record with a 3.41 ERA over five starts. He improved his season record to 3-1 on July 3 against Cleveland, striking out seven batters in a 3-2 victory (7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER). He followed that with another strong start on July 12 at California, a no-decision (6.0 IP, 1 ER) in a 2-1 New York win. On July 18 at Oakland, Scott earned his final victory of the season (7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER) as the Yankees beat the A's, 3-2; he pitched five scoreless innings after allowing solo home runs to Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire in the first two frames. With the victory, he lowered his ERA to 2.68.
Scott ended his season losing his final three starts (July 23-August 2), evening his record at 4-4. The final start (3.1 IP, 5 ER) came on August 2 at Detroit, a 7-3 Yankee loss, his shortest outing of the year.
Scott was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 5. On October 10, he underwent successful cervical disc surgery to repair a disc in the left side of his neck.
Along with Wade Taylor, Kamieniecki became one of the first two Yankee rookies to win their first two major league starts since Scott Neilsen and Doug Drabek in 1986. He was the 19th rookie since 1980 to make his starting debut with the Yankees and the eighth Yankee since 1980 to win his starting debut. He was also part of the first rookie trio (Taylor, Jeff Johnson) to join the Yankee starting rotation since June 1986 (Drabek, Bob Tewksbury, Alfonso Pulido). With Taylor and Johnson, Kamieniecki became part of the first rookie trio to notch wins on consecutive days for New York since at least 1946 (Yankee research materials go back only to 1947).
Kamieniecki was the 10th Yankee starter overall in 1991. He pitched at least five innings in eight of his nine starts, and at least six innings in seven of his nine starts. He averaged 5.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
Nine of the 24 runs he allowed (38%) came via the home run. Opponents hit .256 against him; lefties hit .267, righties hit .242. He was 2-2 at home with a 3.76 ERA, 2-2 on the road with a 4.03 ERA. The team scored 3.7 runs per game when he pitched, 5.3 runs in victories and 2.5 runs in losses.
He signed a contract for the 1992 season.
Scott was drafted by the Yankees in the 14th round of the June 1986 free agent draft, having also been drafted by Milwaukee (1985) and Detroit (1982). He was signed by Yankee scout Dick Groch.
He began the 1987 season with Albany-Colonie, going 1-3 with a 5.35 ERA in 10 games, and finished the season with Class-A Prince William where he compiled a 9-5 record with a 4.17 ERA in 19 starts. Scott fanned 84 batters in 112.1 innings and was named to the Carolina League All-Star team.
He split the 1988 season with Prince William and Class-A Ft. Lauderdale. He was 6-7 (4.40 ERA) with the Cannons in 15 starts (two shutouts). He tied for the Carolina League lead with seven complete games and was the league leader among starting pitchers with a .220 batting average against. He was promoted to Ft. Lauderdale where was 3-6 with a 3.62 ERA in 12 appearances (11 GS) and fanned 51 batters in 77.0 innings.
Scott spent the 1989 season with Albany-Colonie. He compiled a 10-9 record with a 3.70 ERA in 24 appearances (23 starts). He led the Eastern League with 140 strikeouts, and his average of 8.34 K/9 IP ranked second-best in the league. He tied for third on the club with six complete games, second with three shutouts and was one of four Albany-Colonie pitchers with at least 10 wins in '89.
He spent 1990 at AA Albany-Colonie and had a nearly identical season to the one he had there in 1989. He posted a 10-9 record with a 3.20 ERA, appeared in 22 games (21 starts) and had three complete games and a shutout. He allowed just 113 hits in 132.0 innings while leading the club in both walks (61) [1.32 WHIP] and strikeouts (99).
He had a strong April, going 2-1 with a 0.90 ERA (20.2 IP, 2 ER) while allowing only 10 hits. In his final six starts of the season, Scott was 3-2 with a 1.70 ERA (42.1 IP, 8 ER). He pitched once in the postseason, taking the loss.
Scott earned a B.A. in physical education from the University of Michigan where he played baseball. He was a four-year letterman and was named to the All-Big Ten first team (1984), Academic All-Big Ten first team (1986) and Pre-Season All-American team (1985). His road roommate was California's Jim Abbott and his other teammates included current major leaguers Barry Larkin, Hal Morris and Chris Sabo.
Scott attended Redford St. Mary's High School in Detroit and played baseball and football. Originally a shortstop, he played Babe Ruth ball and Little League in Detroit."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
1992 Profile: Matt Nokes
"Gives the Yankees power at the catching position. Nokes tied Detroit's Mickey Tettleton for the homer lead among major-league catchers with 24. His total was the highest by a Yankee catcher since Elston Howard's 28 in 1963 and the most by a left-handed-hitting Yankee catcher since Yogi Berra's 30 in 1956.
Nokes threw out only 31 of 129 would-be base stealers, a meager 24 percent. He needs to work on calling a game.
Born in San Diego, Nokes was the Giants' 20th-round pick in 1981. He gained the American League's attention in 1987 by becoming the first Tiger rookie to hit 30 homers [32] since Rudy York in 1937. The Yankees acquired Nokes from Detroit for Clay Parker and Lance McCullers on June 4, 1990."
-Tony DeMarco and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1992 Edition
"Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? After parts of seven seasons in the big leagues, Matt Nokes has become a strong defensive catcher and the Yankees, who have struggled with the catching position for years, have found their answer in their own back yard. 'Our coaches have worked to completely revamp Matt Nokes and this young man has worked hard to become a better player,' says Yankee GM Gene Michael. 'He has turned his whole career around.'
His mechanics were overhauled during the Florida Instructional League, fine-tuned during spring training, and by the end of the '91 season, the third-year Yankee was one of the top-ranked defensive catchers in the league.
Oh yeah, he also led the team with 24 homers. But then Nokes could always hit. And through determination and hard work, Matt Nokes has shown he can learn new tricks."
-The New York Yankees Official 1992 Yearbook
"1991 was a solid season for the left-handed hitting catcher. He hit .268 with a team-leading 24 homers and 77 RBIs.
Nokes started out hot in April, hitting .319 for the month with two homers and nine RBIs. He was 8-for-19 over the first six games and 7-for-28 over the final nine games, starting 12 of 17 games.
His first home run came on April 13 in his 14th at-bat at Kansas City off Bret Saberhagen. On April 26 at Chicago, Nokes had a game-winning 11th inning RBI single.
Nokes hit .276 with five homers and 11 RBIs in May, starting 19 of 27 games behind the plate. He hit all five of his May homers in 56 at-bats.
He was behind the plate on May 1 at Oakland when Rickey Henderson stole his record-breaking 939th base in Oakland, but did catch Rickey stealing twice in that game. From May 11-14, Matt hit home runs in three straight games for the third time in his career (the other two times were in 1987). He hit .293 through the first two months of the season.
Matt continued his even pace in June, hitting .270 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. On June 12 at Minnesota he made his first start against a left-handed pitcher. He went 8-for-23 over the final seven games of June, raising his average to a month-ending .284 mark.
On July 6, Matt went 2-for-4 with two homers and a career-best six RBIs. At the break he was hitting .286 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs. July was his best month power-wise, as he hit .273 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs, including three two-homer games. He ended the month by hitting in five straight games (7-for-19).
Matt had a two-home run game on August 1 against Minnesota and at the end of the day was hitting .284 with 20 home runs and 58 RBIs for the season. He would hit just .155 with four homers and 19 RBIs over the final 55 games. He hit .247 with four homers and 10 RBIs in August and .248 with two homers and 12 RBIs in September/October. Over the second half of the season, Matt hit .251 with 11 homers and 34 RBIs.
He had the second of two season-best six-game hitting streaks from August 15-23. On September 23 at Milwaukee, he hit a grand slam off Mark Lee, the fourth of his career and first by a Yankee since June 24, 1989 (Mel Hall).
Nokes led the club with 24 homers in 1991 and tied with Detroit's Mickey Tettleton for most among major league catchers. The total was the second highest of his career (32 in 1987). The home run total was the most by a Yankee catcher since Elston Howard hit 28 in 1963 and the most by a left-handed hitting Yankee catcher since Yogi Berra hit a club record (for catchers) of 30 in 1956. Nokes led New York with five two-homer games, all from July 6 on, after having a career total of five two-homer games entering '91.
Against right-handed pitchers, he hit .270 with team highs in home runs (17) and RBIs (54). He hit a team-best (tied with Hall) 13 homers at home, hit .273 with 11 homers and 34 RBIs on the road, and hit .321 on turf. He was 1-for-8 with three RBIs with the bases loaded.
Nokes caught 130 games (112 starts), the most by a Yankee receiver since Rick Cerone in 1980 (147). He ranked second among American League catchers in games caught (Tony Pena, 140), total chances (744) and putouts (690), and seventh in the AL in fielding (.992). Nokes threw out 31 of 129 (24%) potential base stealers. The pitching staff ERA was 4.47 (1001.2 IP, 498 ER) when he caught.
He signed a three-year contract in January 1992. The contract runs through the 1994 season.
In 1990 Nokes was acquired on June 4 from Detroit in exchange for pitchers Clay Parker and Lance McCullers. At the time of the trade he was hitting .270 with five doubles, one triple, three home runs and eight RBIs over 44 games. He was 0-for-4 against left-handers. Of his 44 games, 15 were starts as a catcher and he threw out four of 14 baserunners. For the Yankees, Nokes hit .238 with eight homers and 32 RBIs in 92 games and overall in 1990 hit .248 with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs in 136 games. He hit six home runs in his first 95 at-bats as a Yankee after getting three in 111 at-bats for the Tigers.
Matt joined the club on June 5 in Boston and made a start at DH that evening, going 1-for-3. He got hot quickly, hitting .333 (12-for-36) with four home runs and 13 RBIs over the final 13 games of June to finish the month with a .267 average with four home runs and 16 RBIs in 22 games.
His first home run as a Yankee came at the Stadium on June 17 against Toronto off Todd Stottlemyre. His second came on June 21 at Toronto, a three-run pinch-hit blast off Duane Ward, followed on June 23 by another off Stottlemyre and a second pinch-hit shot on June 26 at home off Milwaukee's Chuck Crim.
On July 7 at Minnesota, he started in right field, his first start there since May 26, 1987. At the break he was hitting .278 with five home runs and 18 RBIs over 29 games. In the first six games after the break, he hit .438 (7-for-16) with a homer and three RBIs, reaching a season high batting average of .305 (6 HR, 21 RBI) on July 18. Overall he hit .250 in July with two homers and five RBIs in 25 games.
Matt had an almost identical August (.250, 3 HR, 5 RBI). On August 29 in Baltimore, he hit the first of back-to-back home runs with Kevin Maas, his eighth and final homer of the season. Nokes ended the month strong, hitting .389 (7-for-18) with two home runs. His slowest month production was September/October as he hit .173 with five RBIs.
His overall 1990 batting average of .248 was his lowest for a season since becoming a regular in 1987. His 136 games played for Detroit and New York were the most he has ever played in a major league season.
Nokes hit .308 in day games and .317 on turf. He hit .239 with all eight of his homers and 30 of his RBIs against right-handed pitching, .200 (2-for-10) with two of his RBIs against lefties. He started 63 games (C-37, DH-25, RF-1).
In the 37 games he caught, the staff had an ERA of 4.96 (314 IP, 173 ER) and he allowed seven passed balls. He caught 10 of 41 (24%) potential base stealers.
Nokes was selected by the San Francisco Giants out of high school in the 20th round of the June 1981 free agent draft. On October 7, 1985, he was traded with pitchers Dave LaPoint and Eric King to the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Juan Berenguer, catcher Bob Melvin and a player to be named later (pitcher Scott Medvin in December 1985).
Recalled from Nashville in September 1986, Matt made his debut on September 24 against Toronto. He had a three-game hitting streak from September 25-28 (6-for-10, .600). He hit his first American League home run on October 5 at Baltimore off Ken Dixon.
In 1987, Matt batted .319 with 20 home runs and 51 RBIs in the first half and was named to the American League All-Star team. He struggled early in the second half (18-for-102, .176) but rebounded strongly in a 19-game stretch from August 26-September 18 (28-for-67, .418). His two-out eighth-inning RBI single off Cleveland's Tom Candiotti was the only Tiger hit in a 2-1 Detroit victory on September 2.
He belted two grand slams: on April 30 off Mike Cook at California and on September 26 off John Cerutti at Toronto. He clubbed two home runs in a game three times: against Texas on May 25, at Boston on June 7 and at Toronto on September 26, a game in which he collected six RBIs.
Nokes became the first Tiger rookie to hit 30 home runs since Rudy York, also a catcher, hit 35 in 1937. He was voted Tiger Rookie of the Year by the Detroit sportswriters.
He was third on the squad with 16 home runs in 1988. He appeared in 122 games, making 103 starts behind the plate. He improved his percentage of throwing out would-be base stealers dramatically, catching 31 of 81 (38%) after nabbing 18 of 71 (20%) in 1987.
Nokes hit two home runs and collected five RBIs in an 11-6 Detroit victory at Boston on April 7. He was 4-for-8 with three homers, four runs and five RBIs in back-to-back wins against Seattle on April 30 and May 1; Nokes single-handedly beat the Mariners, 3-2, on May 1, driving in all three runs and hitting two homers off Mike Moore.
He enjoyed an eight-game hitting streak from June 8-19 (13-for-30, .433) and on June 19 had four hits against Toronto. On August 4 against Boston, he was 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and two RBIs in an 11-6 Tiger victory. Matt batted .320 (32-for-100) from August 18-October 2, raising his batting average from .227 to a season-ending .251.
His 1989 season was interrupted on June 16 when he tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in 9th inning home plate collision with California's Chilli Davis. At the time of the injury Matt was among the team leaders with seven homers and 29 RBIs. He returned to action on August 5 after missing 41 games.
Matt had five home runs and 16 RBIs in April. He homered and had four RBIs against Seattle on April 25, and on May 29 stroked his third career grand slam off Eric King at Chicago. He did not homer again until September 22 against Boston. He had two four-hit games, both against Boston, on June 14 at Fenway Park and on September 23 in Detroit.
He injured his right shoulder on August 30 and was limited to designated hitter duty for the rest of the season. He batted .286 in 33 games as a DH. In 51 appearances as a catcher, he threw out 19 of 57 (33%) baserunners.
Matt played baseball and basketball for Patrick Henry High School in San Diego. As a senior, he batted a school-record .429 and was both captain and team MVP. As a junior, he led both the baseball and basketball teams to city titles. Matt also played both Little League and Babe Ruth ball."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
Led Pioneer League in passed balls (19), 1981.
Led California League catchers in double plays (9), 1983.
Led Texas League catchers in double plays (6), 1985.
Led American Association catchers in errors (13), 1986.
Named catcher on The Sporting News American League All-Star team, 1987.
Named catcher on The Sporting News American League Silver Slugger team, 1987.
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
MATT NOKES FINDS A NEW LEASE ON HIS BASEBALL LIFE
"It's seconds before game time. Yankee catcher Matt Nokes trots to home plate. His catcher's helmet tightly grips his head. His mask rests casually on top of his helmet. The pitcher tosses in his warm-up. Then the ump yells, 'Play ball!'
Nokes pulls his mask over his face. If you could peer into the mask, you'd probably see Nokes grinning ear to ear. Matt Nokes is having fun playing baseball again, and Yankee fans are happy beneficiaries of Nokes' good time.
It wasn't too long ago when baseball was more drudgery than fun for the Yankee catcher. In 1989, while with the Detroit Tigers, and in 1990, when he first joined the Yankees, Nokes was struggling badly in the field. He was so concerned about his fielding lapses that his hitting was suffering. Simply put, his game was falling apart.
But in 1991 things turned around so much that the Yankees' acquisition of the hard-hitting backstop now looks like a pretty good deal.
Nokes' 24 home runs in 1991 have put him in rarified company. His two dozen homers were the most by a Yankee catcher since Elston Howard hit 28 round-trippers in 1963. To find a Yankee left-handed hitting catcher to beat Nokes' 1991 mark, you have to go back to 1956; that's when Yogi Berra hit a club record for catchers by smacking 30. In addition, Nokes' 24 round-trippers tied him with the Tigers' Mickey Tettleton for the most homers by a major league catcher last season. Nokes also hit two home runs in a single game on five different occasions last season and drove in 77 runs. He hit with authority, and his .268 batting average was the catcher's highest in the major leagues since his rookie season in 1987.
What was the key to this offensive prowess? Defense. Nokes admitted that defense was also responsible for bringing a smile back to his face.
According to the catcher, once things started to click for him defensively, everything seemed to fall into place. 'When things started going well for me defensively, it took the pressure off. When the pressure was off, my hitting came back. Basically, I explain last season by saying everything came together for me,' the 28-year-old catcher pointed out.
As 1991 progressed and Nokes made defensive improvements, his batting eye was focusing so well that he was hitting home runs in droves, and he once again became a feared clutch hitter. With his bat streaking and his glovework making steady strides, Nokes was able to enjoy the game again and now says with a big smile, 'It's really fun! I'm having a good time, and that's how it should be.'
Nokes came to the Yankees on June 4, 1990. The Yankees sent pitchers Clay Parker and Lance McCullers to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for the backstop, who was voted Tiger Rookie of the Year by Detroit sportswriters in 1987.
Now the Yankees' number-one catcher, Nokes speaks modestly about all the work he has put in to making himself a better defensive player. But Yankee skipper Buck Showalter isn't shy about praising his catcher's determination to do a better job on the field. 'He (Nokes) is as responsible as anybody for the great strides he's made. Look at his work habits. He's never really satisfied. He always wanted to take his ability to a higher level,' the manager explained. 'He's a quality hitter and a quality catcher. And he's only 28 years old. He hasn't reached his prime yet.' Showalter said he's expecting even greater things from Nokes in 1992.
When it comes to defense, Nokes displays an attitude of keen determination- something his manager cherishes. Nokes now talks as excitedly about defense as he does about hitting streaks and home runs. 'There's no one thing a good defensive catcher has to do. He has to be able to do it all,' Nokes said with an air of confidence.
'Take a ball in the dirt. That takes intensity,' Nokes said with a riveting look on his face. 'It's all intensity. Every catcher in the major leagues knows how to block a ball in the dirt. It's your intensity- how much you want to stop that ball from going through. It's about not letting yourself get lazy back there. It's working on your mechanics. Lazy mechanics means the ball gets by you.'
Nokes exudes confidence. And it's that confidence that the Yankee catcher feels is making a big difference for him. Nokes says he now approaches every aspect of his game with confidence, and he believes his newfound sense of self-assurance from last season is rubbing off on the Yankees pitching staff, who were once wary about his defensive skills. 'I feel the pitchers do have confidence in me now, and having confidence in the players out in the field is important for a pitcher. A pitcher has to feel confident about everyone out there- not just the catcher,' says Nokes. 'But when a pitcher has confidence in his catcher, that's one less thing for the pitcher to worry about, and he can concentrate fully on what he has to do.'
One of those credited with Nokes' defensive turnaround is former Yankee catching coach Marc Hill. Nokes is quick to thank Hill for his assistance, noting that even though he is no longer with the club, 'his lessons won't be forgotten.' Hill concentrated with Nokes on all aspects of defense, including calling a game and throwing runners out. Under Hill's watchful eye, Nokes reworked some of his mechanics, and the dramatic improvement in Nokes' defensive game gave a big boost to the native Californian's self-esteem and helped develop him into one of the American League's better receivers.
Early in his backstop career, Nokes learned that a catcher has to know a pitcher's strengths and what's working for a hurler on a particular day. 'You also have to know a hitter's strengths and weaknesses. I've been around this league for a while now and I know these players,' he pointed out. But the job behind the plate comes to subtleties, nuances and compromises- all perceived and played out in a matter of seconds. 'If you know a pitcher has a good curve and the batter's weakness is a curve, that's fine. But if the pitcher can't get the curve over that day, he can't throw it that day. So you have to make some decisions accordingly,' he added.
Nokes doesn't take it personally if a pitcher shakes him off because 'I think a pitcher has to be comfortable with what he's throwing. It's not going to work if he's not consistent with it.'
Not one for long speeches, Nokes doesn't engage in protracted commentaries when he goes out to speak to the pitcher on the mound. 'Sometimes you just have to break the rhythm a little because it's a bad rhythm,' he added. At times Nokes goes out to the hill and makes a remark that has nothing to do with the game at all, just to break the pace.
By the time the game starts, Nokes believes the talking stages are over: after all, the catchers and pitchers have lengthy meetings before each game to go over strategy on every single hitter on the opposing club and to make any revisions in the signs.
When a reliever comes into the game, Nokes doesn't feel the need to get chummy on the mound because the reliever knows all the signs and knows the situation. Yankee reliever John Habyan said he enjoys working with Nokes: 'We've always worked well together. We seem to think alike. We're on the same wavelength. He knows the hitters and I rarely have to shake him off.' Comfortable with Nokes behind the plate, Habyan cited the backstop's good instincts about the hitters as well as his solid knowledge about the strengths of each of the pitchers on the staff.
Bullpen ace Lee Guetterman agreed with Habyan. 'He (Nokes) does a lot of things for you out there. He's very reassuring. He lets you know you're not alone out there. He's there to help you out, to make the plays on his end.'
Nokes always put a premium on being considered a good defensive catcher. Even though he has played a few games in the outfield, he never seriously considered changing his position because catching is his first love. 'That's where I wanted to play my whole life,' the enthusiastic backstop maintained. But Nokes didn't spend much time as a youngster studying other catchers. 'I didn't watch that much baseball when I was a kid. I was always out there playing it,' he explained.
Originally signed by the San Francisco Giants organization in 1981, Nokes was a stellar player for Patrick Henry High School in San Diego. As a high school senior, he batted .429 and was both the captain and MVP of the team. He landed a big-league contract with the Giants right out of high school. Traded to the Tigers organization in 1986, Nokes played his first full major league season in 1987, hitting a career-high 32 home runs.
Nokes considers himself a power hitter but knows home runs can come in bunches and then 'you might not hit one for a while.' But he is not too concerned if the ball doesn't sail over the fence for a time; he knows the long ball will return. In batting practice, Nokes hits some shots into the stands and then concentrates on hitting some hard liners to the outfield. The goal is to hit the ball hard SOMEWHERE. Here again, confidence comes into play, helping Nokes maintain his reputation as an outstanding hitter.
'I love to hit in those situations. I want to be up in the tough situations. All my life I wanted to be the guy that comes up with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Actually, I'm comfortable in those situations,' the Yankee catcher said with an impish grin.
Nokes had a big thrill on Opening Day this season when Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio threw out the first ball of the season. After the Yankee Clipper threw the ball to Nokes, the present-day Yankee backstop ran out and shook the hand of the Yankee legend. He takes great pride in a photo he has of the momentous occasion.
With a look of satisfaction, Nokes says, 'If you want to play major league baseball, New York is the place to play- there's no doubt about it.' He recalled that when he was first traded to the Yankees, he didn't know what to expect, but after being in New York only a few days he really began to enjoy his stay with the club. And now playing baseball in the Big Apple is 'a true joy, lots of fun.' And isn't that why folks come to New York City in the first place- to have a good time?"
-Bob Grayson, 1992 New York Yankees Scorebook and Souvenir Program
Nokes threw out only 31 of 129 would-be base stealers, a meager 24 percent. He needs to work on calling a game.
Born in San Diego, Nokes was the Giants' 20th-round pick in 1981. He gained the American League's attention in 1987 by becoming the first Tiger rookie to hit 30 homers [32] since Rudy York in 1937. The Yankees acquired Nokes from Detroit for Clay Parker and Lance McCullers on June 4, 1990."
-Tony DeMarco and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1992 Edition
"Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? After parts of seven seasons in the big leagues, Matt Nokes has become a strong defensive catcher and the Yankees, who have struggled with the catching position for years, have found their answer in their own back yard. 'Our coaches have worked to completely revamp Matt Nokes and this young man has worked hard to become a better player,' says Yankee GM Gene Michael. 'He has turned his whole career around.'
His mechanics were overhauled during the Florida Instructional League, fine-tuned during spring training, and by the end of the '91 season, the third-year Yankee was one of the top-ranked defensive catchers in the league.
Oh yeah, he also led the team with 24 homers. But then Nokes could always hit. And through determination and hard work, Matt Nokes has shown he can learn new tricks."
-The New York Yankees Official 1992 Yearbook
"1991 was a solid season for the left-handed hitting catcher. He hit .268 with a team-leading 24 homers and 77 RBIs.
Nokes started out hot in April, hitting .319 for the month with two homers and nine RBIs. He was 8-for-19 over the first six games and 7-for-28 over the final nine games, starting 12 of 17 games.
His first home run came on April 13 in his 14th at-bat at Kansas City off Bret Saberhagen. On April 26 at Chicago, Nokes had a game-winning 11th inning RBI single.
Nokes hit .276 with five homers and 11 RBIs in May, starting 19 of 27 games behind the plate. He hit all five of his May homers in 56 at-bats.
He was behind the plate on May 1 at Oakland when Rickey Henderson stole his record-breaking 939th base in Oakland, but did catch Rickey stealing twice in that game. From May 11-14, Matt hit home runs in three straight games for the third time in his career (the other two times were in 1987). He hit .293 through the first two months of the season.
Matt continued his even pace in June, hitting .270 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. On June 12 at Minnesota he made his first start against a left-handed pitcher. He went 8-for-23 over the final seven games of June, raising his average to a month-ending .284 mark.
On July 6, Matt went 2-for-4 with two homers and a career-best six RBIs. At the break he was hitting .286 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs. July was his best month power-wise, as he hit .273 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs, including three two-homer games. He ended the month by hitting in five straight games (7-for-19).
Matt had a two-home run game on August 1 against Minnesota and at the end of the day was hitting .284 with 20 home runs and 58 RBIs for the season. He would hit just .155 with four homers and 19 RBIs over the final 55 games. He hit .247 with four homers and 10 RBIs in August and .248 with two homers and 12 RBIs in September/October. Over the second half of the season, Matt hit .251 with 11 homers and 34 RBIs.
He had the second of two season-best six-game hitting streaks from August 15-23. On September 23 at Milwaukee, he hit a grand slam off Mark Lee, the fourth of his career and first by a Yankee since June 24, 1989 (Mel Hall).
Nokes led the club with 24 homers in 1991 and tied with Detroit's Mickey Tettleton for most among major league catchers. The total was the second highest of his career (32 in 1987). The home run total was the most by a Yankee catcher since Elston Howard hit 28 in 1963 and the most by a left-handed hitting Yankee catcher since Yogi Berra hit a club record (for catchers) of 30 in 1956. Nokes led New York with five two-homer games, all from July 6 on, after having a career total of five two-homer games entering '91.
Against right-handed pitchers, he hit .270 with team highs in home runs (17) and RBIs (54). He hit a team-best (tied with Hall) 13 homers at home, hit .273 with 11 homers and 34 RBIs on the road, and hit .321 on turf. He was 1-for-8 with three RBIs with the bases loaded.
Nokes caught 130 games (112 starts), the most by a Yankee receiver since Rick Cerone in 1980 (147). He ranked second among American League catchers in games caught (Tony Pena, 140), total chances (744) and putouts (690), and seventh in the AL in fielding (.992). Nokes threw out 31 of 129 (24%) potential base stealers. The pitching staff ERA was 4.47 (1001.2 IP, 498 ER) when he caught.
He signed a three-year contract in January 1992. The contract runs through the 1994 season.
In 1990 Nokes was acquired on June 4 from Detroit in exchange for pitchers Clay Parker and Lance McCullers. At the time of the trade he was hitting .270 with five doubles, one triple, three home runs and eight RBIs over 44 games. He was 0-for-4 against left-handers. Of his 44 games, 15 were starts as a catcher and he threw out four of 14 baserunners. For the Yankees, Nokes hit .238 with eight homers and 32 RBIs in 92 games and overall in 1990 hit .248 with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs in 136 games. He hit six home runs in his first 95 at-bats as a Yankee after getting three in 111 at-bats for the Tigers.
Matt joined the club on June 5 in Boston and made a start at DH that evening, going 1-for-3. He got hot quickly, hitting .333 (12-for-36) with four home runs and 13 RBIs over the final 13 games of June to finish the month with a .267 average with four home runs and 16 RBIs in 22 games.
His first home run as a Yankee came at the Stadium on June 17 against Toronto off Todd Stottlemyre. His second came on June 21 at Toronto, a three-run pinch-hit blast off Duane Ward, followed on June 23 by another off Stottlemyre and a second pinch-hit shot on June 26 at home off Milwaukee's Chuck Crim.
On July 7 at Minnesota, he started in right field, his first start there since May 26, 1987. At the break he was hitting .278 with five home runs and 18 RBIs over 29 games. In the first six games after the break, he hit .438 (7-for-16) with a homer and three RBIs, reaching a season high batting average of .305 (6 HR, 21 RBI) on July 18. Overall he hit .250 in July with two homers and five RBIs in 25 games.
Matt had an almost identical August (.250, 3 HR, 5 RBI). On August 29 in Baltimore, he hit the first of back-to-back home runs with Kevin Maas, his eighth and final homer of the season. Nokes ended the month strong, hitting .389 (7-for-18) with two home runs. His slowest month production was September/October as he hit .173 with five RBIs.
His overall 1990 batting average of .248 was his lowest for a season since becoming a regular in 1987. His 136 games played for Detroit and New York were the most he has ever played in a major league season.
Nokes hit .308 in day games and .317 on turf. He hit .239 with all eight of his homers and 30 of his RBIs against right-handed pitching, .200 (2-for-10) with two of his RBIs against lefties. He started 63 games (C-37, DH-25, RF-1).
In the 37 games he caught, the staff had an ERA of 4.96 (314 IP, 173 ER) and he allowed seven passed balls. He caught 10 of 41 (24%) potential base stealers.
Nokes was selected by the San Francisco Giants out of high school in the 20th round of the June 1981 free agent draft. On October 7, 1985, he was traded with pitchers Dave LaPoint and Eric King to the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Juan Berenguer, catcher Bob Melvin and a player to be named later (pitcher Scott Medvin in December 1985).
Recalled from Nashville in September 1986, Matt made his debut on September 24 against Toronto. He had a three-game hitting streak from September 25-28 (6-for-10, .600). He hit his first American League home run on October 5 at Baltimore off Ken Dixon.
In 1987, Matt batted .319 with 20 home runs and 51 RBIs in the first half and was named to the American League All-Star team. He struggled early in the second half (18-for-102, .176) but rebounded strongly in a 19-game stretch from August 26-September 18 (28-for-67, .418). His two-out eighth-inning RBI single off Cleveland's Tom Candiotti was the only Tiger hit in a 2-1 Detroit victory on September 2.
He belted two grand slams: on April 30 off Mike Cook at California and on September 26 off John Cerutti at Toronto. He clubbed two home runs in a game three times: against Texas on May 25, at Boston on June 7 and at Toronto on September 26, a game in which he collected six RBIs.
Nokes became the first Tiger rookie to hit 30 home runs since Rudy York, also a catcher, hit 35 in 1937. He was voted Tiger Rookie of the Year by the Detroit sportswriters.
He was third on the squad with 16 home runs in 1988. He appeared in 122 games, making 103 starts behind the plate. He improved his percentage of throwing out would-be base stealers dramatically, catching 31 of 81 (38%) after nabbing 18 of 71 (20%) in 1987.
Nokes hit two home runs and collected five RBIs in an 11-6 Detroit victory at Boston on April 7. He was 4-for-8 with three homers, four runs and five RBIs in back-to-back wins against Seattle on April 30 and May 1; Nokes single-handedly beat the Mariners, 3-2, on May 1, driving in all three runs and hitting two homers off Mike Moore.
He enjoyed an eight-game hitting streak from June 8-19 (13-for-30, .433) and on June 19 had four hits against Toronto. On August 4 against Boston, he was 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and two RBIs in an 11-6 Tiger victory. Matt batted .320 (32-for-100) from August 18-October 2, raising his batting average from .227 to a season-ending .251.
His 1989 season was interrupted on June 16 when he tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in 9th inning home plate collision with California's Chilli Davis. At the time of the injury Matt was among the team leaders with seven homers and 29 RBIs. He returned to action on August 5 after missing 41 games.
Matt had five home runs and 16 RBIs in April. He homered and had four RBIs against Seattle on April 25, and on May 29 stroked his third career grand slam off Eric King at Chicago. He did not homer again until September 22 against Boston. He had two four-hit games, both against Boston, on June 14 at Fenway Park and on September 23 in Detroit.
He injured his right shoulder on August 30 and was limited to designated hitter duty for the rest of the season. He batted .286 in 33 games as a DH. In 51 appearances as a catcher, he threw out 19 of 57 (33%) baserunners.
Matt played baseball and basketball for Patrick Henry High School in San Diego. As a senior, he batted a school-record .429 and was both captain and team MVP. As a junior, he led both the baseball and basketball teams to city titles. Matt also played both Little League and Babe Ruth ball."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
Led Pioneer League in passed balls (19), 1981.
Led California League catchers in double plays (9), 1983.
Led Texas League catchers in double plays (6), 1985.
Led American Association catchers in errors (13), 1986.
Named catcher on The Sporting News American League All-Star team, 1987.
Named catcher on The Sporting News American League Silver Slugger team, 1987.
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
MATT NOKES FINDS A NEW LEASE ON HIS BASEBALL LIFE
"It's seconds before game time. Yankee catcher Matt Nokes trots to home plate. His catcher's helmet tightly grips his head. His mask rests casually on top of his helmet. The pitcher tosses in his warm-up. Then the ump yells, 'Play ball!'
Nokes pulls his mask over his face. If you could peer into the mask, you'd probably see Nokes grinning ear to ear. Matt Nokes is having fun playing baseball again, and Yankee fans are happy beneficiaries of Nokes' good time.
It wasn't too long ago when baseball was more drudgery than fun for the Yankee catcher. In 1989, while with the Detroit Tigers, and in 1990, when he first joined the Yankees, Nokes was struggling badly in the field. He was so concerned about his fielding lapses that his hitting was suffering. Simply put, his game was falling apart.
But in 1991 things turned around so much that the Yankees' acquisition of the hard-hitting backstop now looks like a pretty good deal.
Nokes' 24 home runs in 1991 have put him in rarified company. His two dozen homers were the most by a Yankee catcher since Elston Howard hit 28 round-trippers in 1963. To find a Yankee left-handed hitting catcher to beat Nokes' 1991 mark, you have to go back to 1956; that's when Yogi Berra hit a club record for catchers by smacking 30. In addition, Nokes' 24 round-trippers tied him with the Tigers' Mickey Tettleton for the most homers by a major league catcher last season. Nokes also hit two home runs in a single game on five different occasions last season and drove in 77 runs. He hit with authority, and his .268 batting average was the catcher's highest in the major leagues since his rookie season in 1987.
What was the key to this offensive prowess? Defense. Nokes admitted that defense was also responsible for bringing a smile back to his face.
According to the catcher, once things started to click for him defensively, everything seemed to fall into place. 'When things started going well for me defensively, it took the pressure off. When the pressure was off, my hitting came back. Basically, I explain last season by saying everything came together for me,' the 28-year-old catcher pointed out.
As 1991 progressed and Nokes made defensive improvements, his batting eye was focusing so well that he was hitting home runs in droves, and he once again became a feared clutch hitter. With his bat streaking and his glovework making steady strides, Nokes was able to enjoy the game again and now says with a big smile, 'It's really fun! I'm having a good time, and that's how it should be.'
Nokes came to the Yankees on June 4, 1990. The Yankees sent pitchers Clay Parker and Lance McCullers to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for the backstop, who was voted Tiger Rookie of the Year by Detroit sportswriters in 1987.
Now the Yankees' number-one catcher, Nokes speaks modestly about all the work he has put in to making himself a better defensive player. But Yankee skipper Buck Showalter isn't shy about praising his catcher's determination to do a better job on the field. 'He (Nokes) is as responsible as anybody for the great strides he's made. Look at his work habits. He's never really satisfied. He always wanted to take his ability to a higher level,' the manager explained. 'He's a quality hitter and a quality catcher. And he's only 28 years old. He hasn't reached his prime yet.' Showalter said he's expecting even greater things from Nokes in 1992.
When it comes to defense, Nokes displays an attitude of keen determination- something his manager cherishes. Nokes now talks as excitedly about defense as he does about hitting streaks and home runs. 'There's no one thing a good defensive catcher has to do. He has to be able to do it all,' Nokes said with an air of confidence.
'Take a ball in the dirt. That takes intensity,' Nokes said with a riveting look on his face. 'It's all intensity. Every catcher in the major leagues knows how to block a ball in the dirt. It's your intensity- how much you want to stop that ball from going through. It's about not letting yourself get lazy back there. It's working on your mechanics. Lazy mechanics means the ball gets by you.'
Nokes exudes confidence. And it's that confidence that the Yankee catcher feels is making a big difference for him. Nokes says he now approaches every aspect of his game with confidence, and he believes his newfound sense of self-assurance from last season is rubbing off on the Yankees pitching staff, who were once wary about his defensive skills. 'I feel the pitchers do have confidence in me now, and having confidence in the players out in the field is important for a pitcher. A pitcher has to feel confident about everyone out there- not just the catcher,' says Nokes. 'But when a pitcher has confidence in his catcher, that's one less thing for the pitcher to worry about, and he can concentrate fully on what he has to do.'
One of those credited with Nokes' defensive turnaround is former Yankee catching coach Marc Hill. Nokes is quick to thank Hill for his assistance, noting that even though he is no longer with the club, 'his lessons won't be forgotten.' Hill concentrated with Nokes on all aspects of defense, including calling a game and throwing runners out. Under Hill's watchful eye, Nokes reworked some of his mechanics, and the dramatic improvement in Nokes' defensive game gave a big boost to the native Californian's self-esteem and helped develop him into one of the American League's better receivers.
Early in his backstop career, Nokes learned that a catcher has to know a pitcher's strengths and what's working for a hurler on a particular day. 'You also have to know a hitter's strengths and weaknesses. I've been around this league for a while now and I know these players,' he pointed out. But the job behind the plate comes to subtleties, nuances and compromises- all perceived and played out in a matter of seconds. 'If you know a pitcher has a good curve and the batter's weakness is a curve, that's fine. But if the pitcher can't get the curve over that day, he can't throw it that day. So you have to make some decisions accordingly,' he added.
Nokes doesn't take it personally if a pitcher shakes him off because 'I think a pitcher has to be comfortable with what he's throwing. It's not going to work if he's not consistent with it.'
Not one for long speeches, Nokes doesn't engage in protracted commentaries when he goes out to speak to the pitcher on the mound. 'Sometimes you just have to break the rhythm a little because it's a bad rhythm,' he added. At times Nokes goes out to the hill and makes a remark that has nothing to do with the game at all, just to break the pace.
By the time the game starts, Nokes believes the talking stages are over: after all, the catchers and pitchers have lengthy meetings before each game to go over strategy on every single hitter on the opposing club and to make any revisions in the signs.
When a reliever comes into the game, Nokes doesn't feel the need to get chummy on the mound because the reliever knows all the signs and knows the situation. Yankee reliever John Habyan said he enjoys working with Nokes: 'We've always worked well together. We seem to think alike. We're on the same wavelength. He knows the hitters and I rarely have to shake him off.' Comfortable with Nokes behind the plate, Habyan cited the backstop's good instincts about the hitters as well as his solid knowledge about the strengths of each of the pitchers on the staff.
Bullpen ace Lee Guetterman agreed with Habyan. 'He (Nokes) does a lot of things for you out there. He's very reassuring. He lets you know you're not alone out there. He's there to help you out, to make the plays on his end.'
Nokes always put a premium on being considered a good defensive catcher. Even though he has played a few games in the outfield, he never seriously considered changing his position because catching is his first love. 'That's where I wanted to play my whole life,' the enthusiastic backstop maintained. But Nokes didn't spend much time as a youngster studying other catchers. 'I didn't watch that much baseball when I was a kid. I was always out there playing it,' he explained.
Originally signed by the San Francisco Giants organization in 1981, Nokes was a stellar player for Patrick Henry High School in San Diego. As a high school senior, he batted .429 and was both the captain and MVP of the team. He landed a big-league contract with the Giants right out of high school. Traded to the Tigers organization in 1986, Nokes played his first full major league season in 1987, hitting a career-high 32 home runs.
Nokes considers himself a power hitter but knows home runs can come in bunches and then 'you might not hit one for a while.' But he is not too concerned if the ball doesn't sail over the fence for a time; he knows the long ball will return. In batting practice, Nokes hits some shots into the stands and then concentrates on hitting some hard liners to the outfield. The goal is to hit the ball hard SOMEWHERE. Here again, confidence comes into play, helping Nokes maintain his reputation as an outstanding hitter.
'I love to hit in those situations. I want to be up in the tough situations. All my life I wanted to be the guy that comes up with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Actually, I'm comfortable in those situations,' the Yankee catcher said with an impish grin.
Nokes had a big thrill on Opening Day this season when Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio threw out the first ball of the season. After the Yankee Clipper threw the ball to Nokes, the present-day Yankee backstop ran out and shook the hand of the Yankee legend. He takes great pride in a photo he has of the momentous occasion.
With a look of satisfaction, Nokes says, 'If you want to play major league baseball, New York is the place to play- there's no doubt about it.' He recalled that when he was first traded to the Yankees, he didn't know what to expect, but after being in New York only a few days he really began to enjoy his stay with the club. And now playing baseball in the Big Apple is 'a true joy, lots of fun.' And isn't that why folks come to New York City in the first place- to have a good time?"
-Bob Grayson, 1992 New York Yankees Scorebook and Souvenir Program
Monday, September 14, 2020
Thursday, September 3, 2020
1992 Profile: Mel Hall
"Veteran comes off career year. Hall responded when his playing time was threatened by setting career highs with 19 home runs and a team-leading 80 RBIs. He showed the ability to handle left-handers for the first time and batted above .300 against them after beginning the year with a .164 career average against southpaws.
Hall started 123 games, 57 in right field, 56 in left and 10 as a DH. He's a capable outfielder, although teams can run on his arm. He made a big effort to change the bad-boy image that hurt him in the past, leading headline writers to describe him as 'Mellow Mel.'
Born in Lyons, New York, he was the Cubs' second-round pick in 1978. Hall was acquired from Cleveland for Joel Skinner and Turner Ward prior to the 1989 season."
-Tony DeMarco and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1992 Edition
"For all the trials and tribulations Yankee fans endured during the '91 season, the sight of Mel Hall, arms raised in exultation after slugging a game-winning homer on Memorial Day, will not long be forgotten.
Simply put, 'It was the biggest day of my career,' Hall says.
Unfortunately, the Yankee outfielder's emotional clout to help defeat the rival Boston Red Sox was not season-lasting. But that cannot be said for Hall's third year as a Yankee. The left-hand hitting slugger finished the season hitting .285 with 19 home runs and knocking in 80 runs. Boldly stating he would produce if he played, the part-time DH, part-time outfielder let his bat do the talking.
'I didn't want anybody to give me anything. I didn't expect anybody to give me anything. The bottom line is if you produce you're going to play,' says Hall.
His homers and RBI were both major league career highs and his RBI total led the club. Not one to cast images of outstanding defensive play, Hall filled in with quality glovework in both right and leftfield, further stating his value as an everyday player. With the addition of Danny Tartabull and a healthy Roberto Kelly, the Yankees' lineup is bulging with power.
'I think my best years are coming,' says the 31-year-old Hall. 'I think the next six, seven years will be pretty good years for me if I stay healthy, especially if I play in New York' "
-The New York Yankees Official 1992 Yearbook
"A career year in 1991. Hall hit .285 with 19 home runs and 80 RBIs.
His season started out tough, with Hall going 1-for-12 through seven games, 3-for-24 through 11 games and hitting .176 for the month of April. He started eight of the club's 17 games.
Mel's first homer came in his 29th at-bat on April 27 at Chicago off Bobby Thigpen. He started to heat up with the bat in May as he started to play regularly. He hit .297 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs while starting 20 of the club's 27 games. He raised his batting average 83 points to .259 through May.
His hottest stretch was three games from May 26-28, going 5-for-13 with four home runs and six RBIs. Three of the four homers were in the 9th inning. On May 26 at Baltimore, Mel hit a 9th inning leadoff homer off Gregg Olson, tying the score 1-1; the Yankees won in 11 innings. On May 27 against Boston, he hit two home runs including the game-winning three-run homer in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Yankees a 6-5 win. On May 28 he hit a homer in the 9th off Tony Fossas in a 6-2 loss to Boston. It marked the fourth time in his career that Mel homered in three straight games.
Mel continued his torrid hitting in June, batting .333 with three home runs and 14 RBIs, starting 21 of the club's 27 games; he played in 24 games and reached base safely in 21. He had an eight-game hit streak (10-for-28), raising his average from .262 to .280, then concluded the month by hitting in six straight games (8-for-23), raising his average from .284 to .292. Mel was hitting .296 with 13 homers and 46 RBIs at the break.
He came out of the break and continued to torment American League pitching, hitting .357 (25-for-70) with a home run and 11 RBIs through the end of the month, bringing his season batting average to .310. His season-high batting average of .321 came on July 24 with a 4-for-4 evening against Seattle.
Mel hit .300 with four homers and 18 RBIs in August. He ended the month by hitting in a season-long nine straight games (14-for-36) raising his average from .299 to .307. Included were home runs in consecutive games against Toronto, on August 29 off David Wells and on August 30 off Todd Stottlemyre.
His production and batting average tailed off in September/October as he hit .189 with one home run and five RBIs. For the second half of the season, he hit .277 with six home runs and 34 RBIs. His 19th homer came on the last day of the season, a 4th inning shot off Charles Nagy of Cleveland.
Hall's home run and RBI totals were both career highs and his RBI total led the team. The Yankees were 14-4 when he hit a home run, and since he joined the Yankees the club is 35-11 when he homers.
He hit .273 with 14 home runs and 53 RBIs against right-handed pitching. Against left-handers he hit .309 with five homers and 27 RBIs after hitting .164 with four homers and 36 RBIs against lefties prior to 1991. At home, Mel hit .273 with 13 home runs (tied with Matt Nokes for the club lead) and a club-best 48 RBIs.
Mel hit .288 (21-for-73) with runners in scoring position and less than two out, but went only 2-for-14 with nine RBIs with the bases loaded. He hit .275 (28-for-102) when leading off an inning and had 27 two-out RBIs, tied with Kevin Maas for second best on the team. Hall had 38 multi-hit games and 10 game-winning RBIs. He hit .286 (80-for-280) when batting fourth, yet was 4-14 as a pinch hitter. He ranked 10th in the league for grounding-into-double play ratio, averaging one every 82 at-bats.
Hall started 123 games including 57 in right field, a team-leading 56 in left and 10 as the designated hitter. He ranked 17th in the American League with a .987 fielding percentage (3 errors).
He signed a three-year contract in November 1989. The contract extends through the 1992 season.
Hall hit .258 with 23 doubles, 12 home runs and 46 RBIs over 113 games in 1990.
He hit .273 with two homers and seven RBIs over 13 games in April. He had a hot start with a solo homer off Nolan Ryan at Texas on April 20. The home run was the first by the Yankees in 1990, breaking a string of seven homerless to start the season; it was the club's longest such streak to start a season since 1918. Two days later Hall hit a two-run shot off Kevin Brown.
Hall started out hot in May, getting five hits in his first 16 at-bats through May 5 and bringing his season batting average to what would be a season high .283. His average tailed off drastically over the course of the month. Overall in May, he appeared in 25 games and hit .222.
June was by far his most productive month, with Mel hitting .286 with six doubles, five home runs and 15 RBIs. On June 2 against Baltimore, he played in career game No. 900. On June 5 at Boston, he hit a three-run homer off Dennis Lamp. From June 10-14 he had an RBI in four straight games, including three games against Boston. From June 12 through the end of June (18 games), Mel hit .318.
He continued his torrid hitting into July until sidelined with an injury in the middle of the month. From June 28 into the All-Star break, Mel hit safely in a season best 10 straight games with an average of .372 (16-for-43). Over a 29-game period from June 12 through July 15, Mel hit .321 (34-for-106), raising his average from .233 to .270. In the July 15 game against Chicago, he doubled to right field and had to leave the game with a pulled right quadriceps which he injured sliding into second. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 16 and activated on August 1.
September was a month marred by injuries. On September 1 at Boston, while chasing a Wade Boggs double, Hall went headfirst into the left-field wall, spraining his left wrist; he missed the next five games.
On September 15 he hit a pinch-hit homer in Detroit off Ed Nunez. He made his final start on September 17 in Toronto and jammed his right shoulder diving for an errant throw into left field. The Yankees played 15 more games and Mel appeared twice as a pinch hitter.
Mel hit .268 with nine home runs and 34 RBIs in 71 games before the break, .237 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 42 games after the break. He made 95 starts in 1990 (LF-38, RF-12, DH-45). He was 0-for-7 with an RBI with the bases loaded. He hit .268 (81-for-302) with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs against right-handed pitching and .207 (12-for-58) with a homer and five RBIs against lefties.
He stroked 23 doubles, his most in one season since he had a combined 24 in 1984 for the Cubs and Indians. His batting average was his lowest since hitting .257 in 83 games for the Cubs in '84. Hall's seven game-tying RBIs tied for the team lead with Jesse Barfield and Steve Sax and 19 of his 46 RBIs (41%) came with two out.
Hall was acquired from the Cleveland Indians on March 19, 1989 in exchange for catcher Joel Skinner and outfielder Turner Ward. He started out slowly, appearing in 15 games and hitting .258 for the month of April. He made six starts, all in right field. Mel went on the disabled list on April 26 with a pulled right hamstring; the injury occurred on April 25 in Kansas City while he was trying to score from first base on a double and was hurt rounding third base.
He was reinstated on May 26 and hit in seven straight games from May 30-June 10 (11-for-26, .423) with three home runs and eight RBIs, raising his batting average 82 points from .235 to .317. From June 4-8, Hall hit home runs in three consecutive games for the third time in his career and the first time by a Yankee since Don Mattingly hit in eight straight in 1987. From June 4-13 he had an RBI in seven straight games. On June 24 Mel hit a grand slam at Kansas City off Kevin Appier, his first since August 29, 1983 when, as a Cub, he hit one off Atlanta's Phil Niekro; it was also the second and final grand slam by a Yankee in 1989. For the month of June, Mel hit .288 with five home runs and 18 RBIs, raising his overall average from .250 to .274.
He maintained his average and power in July, hitting .278 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. At the break, he was hitting .279 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs over 46 games, averaging one RBI every 5.4 at-bats. August was his busiest month as he appeared in 28 games, hitting .270. Mel hit in a season best nine straight games from August 26-September 6 (12-for-33) . He also scored a run in seven straight games (10 total) from August 26-September 6. On September 1 and 2, he homered in consecutive games against California- the second one, off Mike Witt in the bottom of the ninth, was the game-winner in a 2-1 Yankee win.
On September 21 in New York in the first game of a twin-bill with the Brewers, he was ejected for being involved in an incident when Luis Polonia was hit by a Mark Knudsen pitch. On September 29 against Detroit, Mel hit a pair of home runs off Jack Morris, the eighth two-homer game of his career and his first since September 29, 1987. He hit in five straight (8-for-20) to end the season and raise his average 10 points to .260.
He had 21 multi-hit games in 1989 and hit .267 (23-for-86) with runners in scoring position. He hit .284 with 16 home runs and 47 RBIs against right-handed pitchers and .159 with a home run and 11 RBIs against left-handers. The Yankees were 15-1 when Mel homered. His season average was 21 points lower than his career average entering 1989, yet his strikeout to at-bat ratio (1.9:8) was a career low.
Hall was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 2nd round of the June 1978 free agent draft. He was a Gulf Coast League All-Star at Bradenton that year, leading outfielders in putouts (97) and total chances (102) while finishing sixth in the loop with a .290 batting average. For Geneva in 1979, he was named to the New York-Penn League All-Star team and was tied for second in the league in doubles (18), fifth in RBIs (53) and 10th in batting (.315).
At Class A Quad City in 1980 Hall was the Midwest League's fourth-best hitter (.294) and was second in the league in fielding (.973) among outfielders. In 1981, he led the AA Texas League in hits (170) and total bases (286) while tying for the league lead in runs scored (98). He hit .319 with 24 homers and 95 RBIs at Midland and earned a September promotion to the Cubs, his first appearance in the big leagues.
Mel's final season of minor league action, in 1982, was also his best. He led AAA Iowa in homers (32), RBIs (125), hits (165), runs (116), doubles (34) and game-winning RBIs (17). He led the American Association in the three latter departments and was named to the All-Star squad. He hit .329 and was tabbed as the league's Rookie of the Year.
Mel had a fine rookie season with the Cubs in 1983, batting .283 with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs in 112 games, and finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting. He was the NL's Player of the Month for August when he hit .333 with nine homers and 17 RBIs- the first NL rookie to win that award since Fernando Valenzuela in April 1981- and hit his first major league grand slam off Phil Niekro on August 29.
On June 13, 1984, Hall was traded with outfielder Joe Carter and pitchers Don Schulze and Darryl Banks to the Cleveland Indians for catcher Ron Hassey and pitchers Rick Sutcliffe and George Frazier. He hit his first American League home run against Minnesota on June 27, a game-winner in the 10th inning off Ron Davis. He had five RBIs that night.
He was leading the Indians with a .318 average in 1985 when he was felled in a freak car accident on May 9 in Texas. Mel was sidelined for the remainder of the season with a fractured left clavicle, a fractured right side of the pelvic bone, a slight concussion and a neck strain. He returned to Cleveland in mid-September and took batting practice and also spent a week at the Tribe's Florida League Instructional League complex.
In 1986 Mel set career highs in batting average (.296), homers (18) and RBIs (77). In a 50-game span, he batted .346 with 12 homers, 47 RBIs and 34 runs.
He tied his career best in 1987 with 18 homers and was tied for eighth among AL outfielders with a .989 fielding percentage. In a 63-game stretch from July 7-September 25, Mel hit .340 with nine homers and 44 RBIs. In a three-game set against Minnesota from September 11-13, he batted .600 (9-for-15) with four homers and six RBIs; Mel was named American Player of the Week for September 7-13. He hit his first career home run off a left-handed pitcher on September 25 off Gary Lucas of the Angels (after 170 previous career at-bats against lefties).
Mel had the most playing time of his career in 1988 and set season highs in most offensive departments, but his home run output (6) was a career low. Mel set career highs in games (150), at-bats (515), runs (69), hits (144), doubles (32), triples (4), stolen bases (7) and game-winning RBIs (5) and ranked third on the club with 71 RBIs. He struck out just 50 times and led the club with 12 intentional walks.
Named a co-captain on April 4, Hall batted .333 (21-for-63) with nine RBIs through April 24, endured a 27-for-119 slide in his next 38 games, through June 9, with no homers and nine RBIs, then hit .381 (24-for-63) from June 10-29. Included in that span was his first home run of the season on June 23, off Rick Rhoden at Yankee Stadium, his first homer since the previous October 4 (in 223 at-bats).
Mel hit .352 in 43 games from June 10-July 31 with four homers and 28 RBIs, raising his batting average from .264 to .305. This included a career-high 16 straight games from July 3-20 (23-for-66, .348) with two homers and 13 RBIs. He hit an inside-the-park home run on July 6 against Oakland, the first by an Indian since Joe Carter's on September 10, 1985 and the first in Cleveland since Andre Thornton's on August 29, 1977. Mel hit the homer off Rick Honeycutt, just his second career homer off a southpaw.
He had another hot streak in August, batting .339 (21-for-62) . He cooled off in September/October and hit his last homer on September 4 against Chicago.
For the 1988 season, Mel tied for second best on the club with a .290 average (40-for-138) and 63 RBIs with runners in scoring position and was 3-for-7 (.429) with eight RBIs with the bases loaded. He led the Tribe in driving home runners from third with less than two out, being successful 24 of 32 times. He was Cleveland's third best with 41 multi-hit games but against left-handers was 5-for-46 with a home run, five RBIs, three walks and seven strikeouts.
Mel graduated in 1978 from Port Byron (NY) High School where he was a baseball All-American. He was All-State twice in football and once in basketball. He played Little League, Babe Ruth, and American Legion ball as a youngster. Hall's father, Mel Sr., played minor league baseball, and a cousin, Oscar Bennett, was an infielder in the Oakland organization."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
Led Texas League in total bases (286), 1981.
Led Texas League outfielders in total chances (324), 1981.
Led Texas League outfielders in double plays (5), 1981.
Led American Association in game-winning RBIs (17), 1982.
Led American Association outfielders in total chances (339), 1982.
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
Hall started 123 games, 57 in right field, 56 in left and 10 as a DH. He's a capable outfielder, although teams can run on his arm. He made a big effort to change the bad-boy image that hurt him in the past, leading headline writers to describe him as 'Mellow Mel.'
Born in Lyons, New York, he was the Cubs' second-round pick in 1978. Hall was acquired from Cleveland for Joel Skinner and Turner Ward prior to the 1989 season."
-Tony DeMarco and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1992 Edition
"For all the trials and tribulations Yankee fans endured during the '91 season, the sight of Mel Hall, arms raised in exultation after slugging a game-winning homer on Memorial Day, will not long be forgotten.
Simply put, 'It was the biggest day of my career,' Hall says.
Unfortunately, the Yankee outfielder's emotional clout to help defeat the rival Boston Red Sox was not season-lasting. But that cannot be said for Hall's third year as a Yankee. The left-hand hitting slugger finished the season hitting .285 with 19 home runs and knocking in 80 runs. Boldly stating he would produce if he played, the part-time DH, part-time outfielder let his bat do the talking.
'I didn't want anybody to give me anything. I didn't expect anybody to give me anything. The bottom line is if you produce you're going to play,' says Hall.
His homers and RBI were both major league career highs and his RBI total led the club. Not one to cast images of outstanding defensive play, Hall filled in with quality glovework in both right and leftfield, further stating his value as an everyday player. With the addition of Danny Tartabull and a healthy Roberto Kelly, the Yankees' lineup is bulging with power.
'I think my best years are coming,' says the 31-year-old Hall. 'I think the next six, seven years will be pretty good years for me if I stay healthy, especially if I play in New York' "
-The New York Yankees Official 1992 Yearbook
"A career year in 1991. Hall hit .285 with 19 home runs and 80 RBIs.
His season started out tough, with Hall going 1-for-12 through seven games, 3-for-24 through 11 games and hitting .176 for the month of April. He started eight of the club's 17 games.
Mel's first homer came in his 29th at-bat on April 27 at Chicago off Bobby Thigpen. He started to heat up with the bat in May as he started to play regularly. He hit .297 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs while starting 20 of the club's 27 games. He raised his batting average 83 points to .259 through May.
His hottest stretch was three games from May 26-28, going 5-for-13 with four home runs and six RBIs. Three of the four homers were in the 9th inning. On May 26 at Baltimore, Mel hit a 9th inning leadoff homer off Gregg Olson, tying the score 1-1; the Yankees won in 11 innings. On May 27 against Boston, he hit two home runs including the game-winning three-run homer in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Yankees a 6-5 win. On May 28 he hit a homer in the 9th off Tony Fossas in a 6-2 loss to Boston. It marked the fourth time in his career that Mel homered in three straight games.
Mel continued his torrid hitting in June, batting .333 with three home runs and 14 RBIs, starting 21 of the club's 27 games; he played in 24 games and reached base safely in 21. He had an eight-game hit streak (10-for-28), raising his average from .262 to .280, then concluded the month by hitting in six straight games (8-for-23), raising his average from .284 to .292. Mel was hitting .296 with 13 homers and 46 RBIs at the break.
He came out of the break and continued to torment American League pitching, hitting .357 (25-for-70) with a home run and 11 RBIs through the end of the month, bringing his season batting average to .310. His season-high batting average of .321 came on July 24 with a 4-for-4 evening against Seattle.
Mel hit .300 with four homers and 18 RBIs in August. He ended the month by hitting in a season-long nine straight games (14-for-36) raising his average from .299 to .307. Included were home runs in consecutive games against Toronto, on August 29 off David Wells and on August 30 off Todd Stottlemyre.
His production and batting average tailed off in September/October as he hit .189 with one home run and five RBIs. For the second half of the season, he hit .277 with six home runs and 34 RBIs. His 19th homer came on the last day of the season, a 4th inning shot off Charles Nagy of Cleveland.
Hall's home run and RBI totals were both career highs and his RBI total led the team. The Yankees were 14-4 when he hit a home run, and since he joined the Yankees the club is 35-11 when he homers.
He hit .273 with 14 home runs and 53 RBIs against right-handed pitching. Against left-handers he hit .309 with five homers and 27 RBIs after hitting .164 with four homers and 36 RBIs against lefties prior to 1991. At home, Mel hit .273 with 13 home runs (tied with Matt Nokes for the club lead) and a club-best 48 RBIs.
Mel hit .288 (21-for-73) with runners in scoring position and less than two out, but went only 2-for-14 with nine RBIs with the bases loaded. He hit .275 (28-for-102) when leading off an inning and had 27 two-out RBIs, tied with Kevin Maas for second best on the team. Hall had 38 multi-hit games and 10 game-winning RBIs. He hit .286 (80-for-280) when batting fourth, yet was 4-14 as a pinch hitter. He ranked 10th in the league for grounding-into-double play ratio, averaging one every 82 at-bats.
Hall started 123 games including 57 in right field, a team-leading 56 in left and 10 as the designated hitter. He ranked 17th in the American League with a .987 fielding percentage (3 errors).
He signed a three-year contract in November 1989. The contract extends through the 1992 season.
Hall hit .258 with 23 doubles, 12 home runs and 46 RBIs over 113 games in 1990.
He hit .273 with two homers and seven RBIs over 13 games in April. He had a hot start with a solo homer off Nolan Ryan at Texas on April 20. The home run was the first by the Yankees in 1990, breaking a string of seven homerless to start the season; it was the club's longest such streak to start a season since 1918. Two days later Hall hit a two-run shot off Kevin Brown.
Hall started out hot in May, getting five hits in his first 16 at-bats through May 5 and bringing his season batting average to what would be a season high .283. His average tailed off drastically over the course of the month. Overall in May, he appeared in 25 games and hit .222.
June was by far his most productive month, with Mel hitting .286 with six doubles, five home runs and 15 RBIs. On June 2 against Baltimore, he played in career game No. 900. On June 5 at Boston, he hit a three-run homer off Dennis Lamp. From June 10-14 he had an RBI in four straight games, including three games against Boston. From June 12 through the end of June (18 games), Mel hit .318.
He continued his torrid hitting into July until sidelined with an injury in the middle of the month. From June 28 into the All-Star break, Mel hit safely in a season best 10 straight games with an average of .372 (16-for-43). Over a 29-game period from June 12 through July 15, Mel hit .321 (34-for-106), raising his average from .233 to .270. In the July 15 game against Chicago, he doubled to right field and had to leave the game with a pulled right quadriceps which he injured sliding into second. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 16 and activated on August 1.
September was a month marred by injuries. On September 1 at Boston, while chasing a Wade Boggs double, Hall went headfirst into the left-field wall, spraining his left wrist; he missed the next five games.
On September 15 he hit a pinch-hit homer in Detroit off Ed Nunez. He made his final start on September 17 in Toronto and jammed his right shoulder diving for an errant throw into left field. The Yankees played 15 more games and Mel appeared twice as a pinch hitter.
Mel hit .268 with nine home runs and 34 RBIs in 71 games before the break, .237 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 42 games after the break. He made 95 starts in 1990 (LF-38, RF-12, DH-45). He was 0-for-7 with an RBI with the bases loaded. He hit .268 (81-for-302) with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs against right-handed pitching and .207 (12-for-58) with a homer and five RBIs against lefties.
He stroked 23 doubles, his most in one season since he had a combined 24 in 1984 for the Cubs and Indians. His batting average was his lowest since hitting .257 in 83 games for the Cubs in '84. Hall's seven game-tying RBIs tied for the team lead with Jesse Barfield and Steve Sax and 19 of his 46 RBIs (41%) came with two out.
Hall was acquired from the Cleveland Indians on March 19, 1989 in exchange for catcher Joel Skinner and outfielder Turner Ward. He started out slowly, appearing in 15 games and hitting .258 for the month of April. He made six starts, all in right field. Mel went on the disabled list on April 26 with a pulled right hamstring; the injury occurred on April 25 in Kansas City while he was trying to score from first base on a double and was hurt rounding third base.
He was reinstated on May 26 and hit in seven straight games from May 30-June 10 (11-for-26, .423) with three home runs and eight RBIs, raising his batting average 82 points from .235 to .317. From June 4-8, Hall hit home runs in three consecutive games for the third time in his career and the first time by a Yankee since Don Mattingly hit in eight straight in 1987. From June 4-13 he had an RBI in seven straight games. On June 24 Mel hit a grand slam at Kansas City off Kevin Appier, his first since August 29, 1983 when, as a Cub, he hit one off Atlanta's Phil Niekro; it was also the second and final grand slam by a Yankee in 1989. For the month of June, Mel hit .288 with five home runs and 18 RBIs, raising his overall average from .250 to .274.
He maintained his average and power in July, hitting .278 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. At the break, he was hitting .279 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs over 46 games, averaging one RBI every 5.4 at-bats. August was his busiest month as he appeared in 28 games, hitting .270. Mel hit in a season best nine straight games from August 26-September 6 (12-for-33) . He also scored a run in seven straight games (10 total) from August 26-September 6. On September 1 and 2, he homered in consecutive games against California- the second one, off Mike Witt in the bottom of the ninth, was the game-winner in a 2-1 Yankee win.
On September 21 in New York in the first game of a twin-bill with the Brewers, he was ejected for being involved in an incident when Luis Polonia was hit by a Mark Knudsen pitch. On September 29 against Detroit, Mel hit a pair of home runs off Jack Morris, the eighth two-homer game of his career and his first since September 29, 1987. He hit in five straight (8-for-20) to end the season and raise his average 10 points to .260.
He had 21 multi-hit games in 1989 and hit .267 (23-for-86) with runners in scoring position. He hit .284 with 16 home runs and 47 RBIs against right-handed pitchers and .159 with a home run and 11 RBIs against left-handers. The Yankees were 15-1 when Mel homered. His season average was 21 points lower than his career average entering 1989, yet his strikeout to at-bat ratio (1.9:8) was a career low.
Hall was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 2nd round of the June 1978 free agent draft. He was a Gulf Coast League All-Star at Bradenton that year, leading outfielders in putouts (97) and total chances (102) while finishing sixth in the loop with a .290 batting average. For Geneva in 1979, he was named to the New York-Penn League All-Star team and was tied for second in the league in doubles (18), fifth in RBIs (53) and 10th in batting (.315).
At Class A Quad City in 1980 Hall was the Midwest League's fourth-best hitter (.294) and was second in the league in fielding (.973) among outfielders. In 1981, he led the AA Texas League in hits (170) and total bases (286) while tying for the league lead in runs scored (98). He hit .319 with 24 homers and 95 RBIs at Midland and earned a September promotion to the Cubs, his first appearance in the big leagues.
Mel's final season of minor league action, in 1982, was also his best. He led AAA Iowa in homers (32), RBIs (125), hits (165), runs (116), doubles (34) and game-winning RBIs (17). He led the American Association in the three latter departments and was named to the All-Star squad. He hit .329 and was tabbed as the league's Rookie of the Year.
Mel had a fine rookie season with the Cubs in 1983, batting .283 with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs in 112 games, and finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting. He was the NL's Player of the Month for August when he hit .333 with nine homers and 17 RBIs- the first NL rookie to win that award since Fernando Valenzuela in April 1981- and hit his first major league grand slam off Phil Niekro on August 29.
On June 13, 1984, Hall was traded with outfielder Joe Carter and pitchers Don Schulze and Darryl Banks to the Cleveland Indians for catcher Ron Hassey and pitchers Rick Sutcliffe and George Frazier. He hit his first American League home run against Minnesota on June 27, a game-winner in the 10th inning off Ron Davis. He had five RBIs that night.
He was leading the Indians with a .318 average in 1985 when he was felled in a freak car accident on May 9 in Texas. Mel was sidelined for the remainder of the season with a fractured left clavicle, a fractured right side of the pelvic bone, a slight concussion and a neck strain. He returned to Cleveland in mid-September and took batting practice and also spent a week at the Tribe's Florida League Instructional League complex.
In 1986 Mel set career highs in batting average (.296), homers (18) and RBIs (77). In a 50-game span, he batted .346 with 12 homers, 47 RBIs and 34 runs.
He tied his career best in 1987 with 18 homers and was tied for eighth among AL outfielders with a .989 fielding percentage. In a 63-game stretch from July 7-September 25, Mel hit .340 with nine homers and 44 RBIs. In a three-game set against Minnesota from September 11-13, he batted .600 (9-for-15) with four homers and six RBIs; Mel was named American Player of the Week for September 7-13. He hit his first career home run off a left-handed pitcher on September 25 off Gary Lucas of the Angels (after 170 previous career at-bats against lefties).
Mel had the most playing time of his career in 1988 and set season highs in most offensive departments, but his home run output (6) was a career low. Mel set career highs in games (150), at-bats (515), runs (69), hits (144), doubles (32), triples (4), stolen bases (7) and game-winning RBIs (5) and ranked third on the club with 71 RBIs. He struck out just 50 times and led the club with 12 intentional walks.
Named a co-captain on April 4, Hall batted .333 (21-for-63) with nine RBIs through April 24, endured a 27-for-119 slide in his next 38 games, through June 9, with no homers and nine RBIs, then hit .381 (24-for-63) from June 10-29. Included in that span was his first home run of the season on June 23, off Rick Rhoden at Yankee Stadium, his first homer since the previous October 4 (in 223 at-bats).
Mel hit .352 in 43 games from June 10-July 31 with four homers and 28 RBIs, raising his batting average from .264 to .305. This included a career-high 16 straight games from July 3-20 (23-for-66, .348) with two homers and 13 RBIs. He hit an inside-the-park home run on July 6 against Oakland, the first by an Indian since Joe Carter's on September 10, 1985 and the first in Cleveland since Andre Thornton's on August 29, 1977. Mel hit the homer off Rick Honeycutt, just his second career homer off a southpaw.
He had another hot streak in August, batting .339 (21-for-62) . He cooled off in September/October and hit his last homer on September 4 against Chicago.
For the 1988 season, Mel tied for second best on the club with a .290 average (40-for-138) and 63 RBIs with runners in scoring position and was 3-for-7 (.429) with eight RBIs with the bases loaded. He led the Tribe in driving home runners from third with less than two out, being successful 24 of 32 times. He was Cleveland's third best with 41 multi-hit games but against left-handers was 5-for-46 with a home run, five RBIs, three walks and seven strikeouts.
Mel graduated in 1978 from Port Byron (NY) High School where he was a baseball All-American. He was All-State twice in football and once in basketball. He played Little League, Babe Ruth, and American Legion ball as a youngster. Hall's father, Mel Sr., played minor league baseball, and a cousin, Oscar Bennett, was an infielder in the Oakland organization."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
Led Texas League in total bases (286), 1981.
Led Texas League outfielders in total chances (324), 1981.
Led Texas League outfielders in double plays (5), 1981.
Led American Association in game-winning RBIs (17), 1982.
Led American Association outfielders in total chances (339), 1982.
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
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