Friday, October 9, 2020

R.I.P. Whitey Ford

 The Greatest Yankee Pitcher of All Time

1992 Profiles: Rich Monteleone and Andy Stankiewicz

RICH MONTELEONE
"Rich Monteleone is hardly a household name in Yankee vernacular. But after his '91 performance, that may change. The imposing 6-3, 236-pound right-hander was selected to the Triple-A All-Star team as a member of the Columbus Clippers, and his call-up to New York capped a strong season.
'Monte' made the most of his stint in Pinstripes, collecting three wins and a 3.64 ERA in 26 games as a middle reliever. The Tampa, FL, resident was particularly tough on right-handed batters, allowing a paltry .173 batting average. Seven times he pitched three-plus innings and had a 1.11 ERA in that capacity.
If the 1992 Yankees need a tough right-handed reliever, Monteleone is only a phone call away."

-The New York Yankees Official 1992 Yearbook

"Rich started the 1991 season at Columbus and had his contract purchased on April 14. At the time of his promotion, he had not pitched for the Clippers. Rich made five April appearances, posting a 3.38 ERA (5.1 IP). Both the runs he allowed came on a Jose Canseco home run on April 30 at Oakland.
He pitched three times in May before being outrighted to Columbus on May 14. He took the loss on May 5 at Seattle, allowing a two-run homer to Greg Briley in the 16th inning in a 5-4 Yankee loss. At the time of the outright he had allowed five runs in 12.0 innings, four via home runs.
At Columbus, Rich appeared in 32 games and posted a 1-4 record with 17 saves and a 2.12 ERA. He walked just seven batters while striking out 51. He had his contract purchased for a second time on August 7 and he remained in New York for the remainder of the season.
Rich appeared in nine games in August, going 1-0 with a 4.08 ERA (17.2 IP). He notched a win on August 16 against Chicago, his first win since June 27, 1989, when he was with the Angels. He pitched nine more times in September/October, going 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA. He earned wins on September 23 at Milwaukee (3.1 IP) and on October 1 against Baltimore (3.0 IP).
During the 1991 season Rich dominated right-handed hitters, allowing only a .173 batting average against (18-for-104) while conversely, left-handed hitters hit .324 (24-for-74). On grass surfaces, he had a 3.16 ERA (42.2 IP) and a batting average against of .215.
Rich pitched most effectively in the role of long reliever. Seven times he pitched three-plus innings and had a 1.11 ERA (24.1 IP); in his other 19 appearances of less than three innings, his ERA was 6.35. He retired the first hitter upon entering a game 17 of 26 times and stranded 17 of 25 inherited baserunners. Rich was hurt most by the long ball as homers accounted for 10 of his 19 earned runs (53%).
With the Clippers, he led the club in saves and tied for second in the International League. Columbus was 24-8 when he pitched and opponents hit .215 against him. Rich was named IL Pitcher of the Week for May 26-June 1 (7.1 IP, 0 R) and was selected for the AAA All-Star Game, but did not play because of a viral infection.
He signed a contract for the 1992 season.
In 1990, Rich was obtained by the Yankees from the California Angels on April 29 along with outfielder Claudell Washington in exchange for outfielder Luis Polonia. At the time of the trade, he was with the AAA Edmonton Trappers. Over five games (one start) he was 1-0 with a save and a 1.93 ERA.
Rich reported directly to Columbus and pitched there for a majority of the season until having his contract purchased on September 11. At the time of the promotion he had appeared in 38 games (all in relief) and was 4-4 with a team-best nine saves and a 2.24 ERA.
He made his Yankee debut on September 16 at Detroit (1.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H) in a 5-2 Yankee loss. His second outing on September 20 against Cleveland was disastrous as Rich was the losing pitcher, allowing four earned runs in one inning. He pitched consistently over his next three appearances (5.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 6K), lowering his ERA from 18.00 to 6.14. Overall with New York, Rich stranded two of three inherited baserunners.
Rich was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the first round (20th player taken) of the June 1982 free agent draft. He was signed by future Yankee executive George Bradley. That year Rich began his professional career at rookie league Bristol of the Appalachian League, tossing a 1-hitter against Elizabethton on July 24. He allowed an Appalachian League-high eight home runs.
He split the 1983 season between Class-A Lakeland and AA Birmingham. He ranked fourth in the Florida State League with 124 strikeouts and had a career best nine wins at Lakeland. He split the 1984 season between Birmingham and AAA Evansville. He combined for 12 wins in 30 starts, throwing six complete games while fanning 110 batters in 188.0 innings.
Rich established a personal best in 1985, starting 26 games at AAA Nashville. In December 1985, he was obtained by the Seattle Mariners for infielder Darnell Coles. He set a personal best in 1986 by hurling 157.2 innings for AAA Calgary.
He made his major league debut on April 15, 1987 against California. He appeared in three games for Seattle (7.0 IP), then led Calgary in games (51) and saves (15). His first 21 games for Calgary were starts and he finished with 17 relief appearances.
Rich started the 1988 season with Calgary and was 0-0 with a 12.54 ERA when he was released on May 9. He was signed as a free agent by the Angels and reported to Edmonton on May 13.
He went 4-7 with a 5.08 ERA over 20 games (16 GS) with Edmonton and struck out a team best 97 batters. He made his Angels debut on September 10 at Texas. Overall in three appearances with California, he did not allow an earned run over 4.1 innings.
Rich made five trips between Edmonton and Anaheim in 1989, pitching three times for each club. He started the season with Edmonton and was recalled on May 1. He was sent down on May 15, recalled on June 7, sent down for a final time on July 9 and recalled a final time on July 20. Rich allowed just one earned run in his first 10 appearances with California (15.1 IP) and pitched a career best 5.1 innings (0 R, 2 H) against Toronto on June 20.
With the Angels, Rich was 2-1, 2.12 in night games with a batting average against of .218- in day games opponents hit .414. He had a 2.67 ERA (30.1 IP) on grass fields. Rich surrendered three home runs during the season (Bob Boone, Henry Cotto, Mel Hall), all on the road; 17 of his 24 appearances were on the road. Overall, he stranded 11 of 16 inherited baserunners.
Rich graduated from Tampa Catholic High in 1982. He was an All-American in baseball and football there and was a teammate of Lance McCullers, playing against Donnie Scott and Fred McGriff. He played Little League and American Legion ball in Wellswood, Florida.
Rich enjoys Tak-Kwon-Do and golf. He is a brother-in-law of Edmonton pitching coach Chuck Hernandez."

-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide


ANDY STANKIEWICZ
"In 1991 Andy spent his second full season with the AAA Columbus Clippers. He hit .272 over 125 games while stealing 29 bases. A versatile player, Andy saw action at second base (81 games), shortstop (31 G) and at third base (8 G). He also pitched once, allowing a hit and a walk in a third of an inning.
He signed a contract for the 1992 season.
Andy spent the entire 1990 season with Columbus, his first full season at AAA. He hit .229 with 48 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 32 attempts. He was among the club leaders in several categories: second in games (135), at-bats (446) and walks (71) and third in stolen bases. He was named Clipper of the Month for April when he hit .304 with 14 RBIs.
He split time between second base (73 games) and shortstop (68 games). An outstanding defensive player, Andy made only 10 errors in 646 chances, a .984 fielding percentage; he made only two errors at second base all year (.994).
Andy was the Yankees' 12th round pick in the regular phase of the June 1986 free agent draft. He was signed by Yankee scout Orrin Freeman. He played 59 games with the Class-A Oneonta Yankees, where he batted .296 with eight doubles and 17 RBIs.
Spending the entire 1987 season at Class-A Ft. Lauderdale, Andy hit .307 in 119 games with 26 stolen bases, 18 doubles, seven triples, two home runs and 47 RBIs. He was named to the Florida State League All-Star team.
Andy started the 1988 season with the AA Albany-Colonie Yankees and was promoted to Columbus. With Albany, he hit .268 over 109 games with 20 doubles, two triples, a homer, 34 RBIs and 15 stolen bases and was named to the Eastern League All-Star team.
Andy spent the 1989 season with Albany and was named to the Eastern League All-Star team.  He hit .267 over 133 games and led the Eastern League in runs (74), stolen bases (41) and sacrifice flies (11), was second in at-bats (498), third in hits (133) and tied for third in doubles (26).
Among second basemen, Andy led the league in games (133), total chances (615), putouts (242), assists (369) and double plays (85). He had a streak of 93 errorless games which was snapped on July 23 against Harrisburg.
Andy attended Pepperdine University in California. In 1982 he graduated from St. Paul High School (CA) where he played baseball, basketball and football."

-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

1992 Profile: Jeff Johnson

"On-the-job training is an ideal way of learning a craft, but it can also be frustrating. Such was the case for 25-year-old Jeff Johnson, who in one year went from Class-A Fort Lauderdale to Yankee Stadium. Johnson, along with Wade Taylor and Scott Kamieniecki, was one of three rookie starters who started out strong but then struggled in 1991.
'He's still learning, and at times that can be frustrating,' says Yankees pitching coach Mark Connor. 'But he has still shown that he can pitch at the major league level.'
That he has. Johnson has excellent control and the ability to pitch deep into the game, two musts for a successful starter. The left-hander also demonstrated a strong pick-off move, leading the staff with three caught stealings last year. Jeff Johnson is a fast learner and, with the consistency that comes from experience, could be at the head of the class in 1992."

-The New York Yankees Official 1992 Yearbook

"Jeff began the 1991 season at Columbus and was recalled on June 5. At the time of his recall he was 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts. He finished his freshman season with the Yankees with a 6-11 record and 5.95 ERA.
He joined the rotation immediately and made five starts in June posting a 1-3 record with a 4.25 ERA. His major league debut came on June 5 against Toronto, with Jeff taking the loss in the 4-1 defeat (7.0 IP, 4 R, 2 ER). His first big league win came in his third start, June 19 at Toronto,  while pitching seven scoreless innings in a 3-0 blanking of the Blue Jays, with Steve Howe getting the save.
July was Jeff's most successful month, with a 3-0 record and 2.78 ERA. His longest outing as a Yankee came on July 13 at California when he pitched 8.1 scoreless innings in a 2-0 win. He followed that with eight scoreless innings on July 19 at Oakland in a 3-0 blanking; he started that game with 4.2 hitless innings. He extended his scoreless streak to 17.1 innings on July 24 against Seattle with a scoreless inning. He also extended his winning streak to a season best three games as the Yankees beat the Mariners 10-2.
The streak came to a screeching halt as Jeff lost his first four games in August. On August 8 at Chicago he struck out a career high seven men in a 4-1 loss. For the month he finished 1-5 with a 10.87 ERA; from July 24-August 29, his ERA ballooned from 2.70 to 5.65. Jeff broke the skid with a 6-5 win on August 24 at Toronto.
He proceeded to lose his next four outings, August 29-September  13, as his ERA rose to 5.99. He had an outstanding effort on September 18 against Milwaukee, receiving a no-decision (8.0 IP, 1 ER) in a 2-1 Yankee triumph. Jeff finished the month of September with his ERA rising to a season high of 6.08. His year ended on a positive note, however, as he notched the win in a 9-6 Yankee victory on October 3 against Baltimore. The win broke a string of seven consecutive starts without a victory.
Along with Wade Taylor and Scott Kamieniecki, Johnson was part of the first rookie trio to crack the Yankee starting rotation since June 1986 (Doug Drabek, Bob Tewksbury, Alphonso Pulido). Taylor, Kamieniecki and Johnson became the first rookie trio to notch wins on consecutive days since at least 1946 (Yankee research materials do not predate 1947).
Although not recalled until June 5, Johnson finished second on the team in innings pitched with 127.0. When he made his debut he became the eighth different Yankee and the second left-hander to start a game in 1991. The streak of 17.1 innings was the longest by a Yankee starter in 1991 and the longest by a Yankee since Andy Hawkins went 23.0 innings in 1989.
For the season opponents batted .305 overall against him; right-handed hitters batted .313 (144-460), left-handed hitters .231 (12-for-52). Jeff walked only 33 batters in 127.0 innings for a ratio of 2.3 per nine innings. The ratio was second best among Yankee starters to Scott Sanderson. Jeff had a 1.9 strikeouts/walk ratio. He was involved in three of the Yankees 11 shutouts, second among starters to Sanderson (5).
Jeff finished 2-6 with a 5.57 ERA at home, 4-5 with a 6.35 ERA on the road. He pitched five-plus innings in 18 of his 23 innings and averaged 5.2 innings per start. He was hurt most at the beginning of games as indicated by innings and runs allowed: 1st-19, 2nd-19, 3rd-11, 4th-11, 5th-7, 6th-18, 7th-4, 8th-0, 9th-0. 25 of the 84 runs (30%) he allowed came via the home run.
In his six wins Jeff had a 2.08 ERA (43.1 IP, 10 ER). He was supported with 4.1 runs per start overall but only 2.4 runs in his losses. He caught three runners stealing, most among Yankee starters.
He is unsigned for the 1992 season.
Jeff started the 1990 season at Class-A Ft. Lauderdale and was promoted to AA Albany in mid-July. He combined to post a 10-11 record with four complete games and a 2.90 ERA over 26 starts.
At Ft. Lauderdale, Johnson was 6-8 with a complete game and a 3.65 ERA, including 4-3 with a 2.60 ERA at Ft. Lauderdale Stadium. His best month was May when he registered a 4-1 record with a 1.85 ERA in five starts. At Albany, he was 4-3 with three complete games and a 1.63 ERA in nine starts- Jeff was unbeatable at home, posting a 3-0 record with a 0.86 ERA (21.0 IP, 2 ER) in three starts.
In 1989 Johnson spent a full season at Class-A Prince William of the Carolina League, with a 4-10 record and a 2.92 ERA over 25 games (24 starts), allowing 125 hits over 138.2 innings. 1988 was his first season in professional baseball. Johnson spent that season at Oneonta, achieving an impressive 6-1 record with a 2.98 ERA over 14 starts. He allowed just 67 hits and fanned 91 batters over 87.2 innings.
Jeff was the Yankees' 6th round pick in the June 1988 free agent draft. He was signed by New York scout Jeff Taylor.
He graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in mathematics. A four-year letterman on the baseball team, he had a 9-5 record over his 38-game career. He played alongside current major leaguer Chris Haney.
Jeff played Little League and Babe Ruth baseball in Butner, North Carolina. He's an avid crappie fisherman."

-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide