1993 Profile: Danny Tartabull

"The right fielder possesses superstar ability, if only he could stay healthy. Tartabull led the Yankees in homers and placed second in RBI despite missing 38 games with injuries. He was disabled from April 24-May 8 with a strained hamstring, then was disabled again from July 31-August 14 with persistent back spasms in his lower back. Critics question his desire to play with aches and pains.

Tartabull showcased his talent by erupting for nine RBI on September 8 at Baltimore, the most by a Yankee since Tony Lazzeri's American League record 11 in 1936. He's a selective hitter who drew 103 walks and placed second in the AL in on-base percentage (.409).

The son of former major league outfielder Jose Tartabull, Danny was born October 30, 1962, in Miami. He was the third-round pick of the Reds in the 1980 draft."

-Tony DeMarco (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram) and Tom Pedulla (Gannett Newspapers), The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1993 Edition

"One night doesn't make a season, just as one season doesn't make a career. While you can't expect every night of Danny Tartabull's life to be like September 8, 1992, against Baltimore- five at-ats, five hits, nine RBI, 12 total bases- neither can you judge the 1992 season (.266 batting average) as typical of what the Yankees can expect from their slugger.

If every night was September 8, Tartabull's season numbers would have been a 1.000 batting average, 324 home runs and 1,485 RBI instead of a paltry .266, 25, 85.

On closer inspection, that's not paltry when you consider Tartabulll started the season with a sore right wrist and later missed time from April 21 to May 8 when he was on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. In all, Tartabull had to sit out 39 games.

'Whoever wants to use the word 'injury-prone,' it's fair because it's happened in the past,' Tartabull says. 'It's frustrating for me. I try to deal with the problem at hand and do the best I can. I would love to be in the middle of the lineup for 162 and be a part of a championship club. That's why I came here.'

Tartabull arrived from Kansas City with some impressive accomplishments under his belt. Five times as a Royal he hit at least 25 homers and in three seasons he had at least 100 RBI, including his .309 BA, 34 HRs, 109 RBI year in 1990- one the Yankees hope he can duplicate.

And for one night in Baltimore, Danny Tartabull showed why that is a very real possibility."

-The New York Yankees Official 1993 Yearbook

"Despite missing 39 games, Tartabull showed everyone he is a terror with the bat, hitting .266 with a team leading 25 home runs and 85 RBIs (second on the club).

He was hurt in spring training on March 31 against the Mets, as he dove head-first for a ball in left field and sprained his right wrist. Nonetheless, Tartabull was on the Opening Day roster despite missing the final four spring games.

The Yankees' Opening Day designated hitter on April 7, he went 1-for-3. He drove in four runs in the first three games and ten runs in the first 11 games. Danny hit his first home on April 13 at Toronto off Todd Stottlemyre. On April 20 at Cleveland, he strained his left hamstring. He was placed on the disabled list immediately with the hamstring injury and the sore right wrist.

Danny missed the next 15 games before being activated prior to the May 8 game. He made his Yankee outfield debut on May 12 at Seattle in left field, his first appearance in left since July 9, 1986. It would be his only time in left field in 1992. On May 13, Tartabull drew a career best four walks.

From May 18-26 he hit safely in eight games, going 14-for-34 (.412), with three home runs and 11 RBIs, raising his batting average from .254 to .309. May 26 would be the last day he was at or above .300 in 1992. Tartabull was hitting .277 at the end of May.

He had a tough June, hitting .216 with two homers. He missed two games in Boston (June 15-16) because of his wife Kellie's pregnancy. He drew 25 walks in 24 June games.

Tartabull caught fire before the All-Star break. In the final 15 games, he hit seven home runs with 16 RBIs. At the break he was hitting .215 with 12 homers and 43 RBIs.

He hit .217 in July. Toward the end of the month he started having back spasms and was placed on the 15-day DL for the second time in 1992 on July 27, this time with persistent muscular spasms in his lower back. Danny missed 17 games before being activated on August 14. When placed on the DL, he was hitting a season low .243.

After he came off he spent a majority of his playing time as the designated hitter, hitting .301 (50-for-166) with 11 homers and 38 RBIs over 46 games. He hit .290 with five homers, 16 RBIs and 16 bases on balls in 18 August games.

On September 8, after an afternoon visit to the Smithsonian in Washington, Tartabull had a career game that night in Baltimore, going 5-for-5 with a double, two home runs, nine RBIs and 12 total bases. The nine RBIs were the second most in Yankee history behind Tony Lazzeri's American League record 11 in 1936. They were tied for 10th most in major league history and were also a major league-best for 1992.

Tartabull set single-game career bests in RBIs and hits and matched his career bests in total bases and runs (3). All five of his hits came with runners in scoring position and he drove in all six of the runners in scoring position.

He hit his final homer on September 30 at Cleveland (Dave Mlicki). He hit .308 in September/October, reaching base safely in 25 of 28 games, and hit .283 with 13 homers and 42 RBIs after the break.

Tartabull became the sixth different Yankee in the last six seasons to lead the club in home runs. It is the second time in franchise history the club has had a different leader in six or more seasons, joining the 1903-1910 period.

He hit .289 with 11 homers and a club best 48 RBIs at home and .244 with a club best 14 homers and 37 RBIs on the road. He hit .203 in day games and .295 in night games. He hit .286 against left-handed pitchers and, despite only 119 at-bats against lefties, led the club in homers (11) and RBIs (35). He hit .258 against right-handers.

Danny hit .333 (22-for-66) with runners in scoring position and less than two out and was 2-for-7 with two homers and eight RBIs with the bases loaded. He was one of five American League players with a five-hit game in 1992 and one of only two AL players (Juan Gonzalez) with 12 total bases in a nine-inning game.

He drew a club-best 103 walks, the most by a Yankee since Jack Clark in 1988 (113). He ranked second in the AL in on-base percentage (.409), tied for fourth in intentional bases on balls (14), fifth in bases on balls and ninth in slugging (.489). Tartabull had the fourth highest home run/at-bat ratio in the AL (16.8) and tied for the third best RBI/at-bat ratio (5.0).

He hit 19 home runs in his final 231 at-bats (66 games) after hitting six homers in his first 190 at-bats (57 games). Of his 25 homers, 10 were solo, six were two-run, seven were three-run and two were grand slams. He now has nine career grand slams, tied for third (with George Bell, Jack Clark and Alvin Davis) on the active list, behind Eddie Murray (17) and Dave Winfield (10).

Tartabull was the top offensive player for the Royals in 1991, leading the club in almost every category. He led the team in batting average (.316), home runs (31), RBIs (100) while finishing second in doubles (35) and walks (65). Tartabull finished 10th in the American League in hitting, tied for sixth in home runs, tied for eighth in RBIs, was ninth in the AL in on-base percentage, tied for sixth in extra-base hits and led the majors in slugging percentage (.593). He also had the third-best RBI ratio (4.8 AB/RBI) and third-best home run ratio (15.6 AB/HR) in the AL.

His 31 home runs was the best single-season mark in club history and he became the first Royal to have two 30-home run seasons and the third Royal to produce three 100-RBI seasons. He had a .300-30-100 season for the second time in his career. Danny twice earned Player of the Week honors and was Kansas City's Player of the Month three times (June, July and September).

On June 12 at Baltimore, Danny had a career high six RBIs. He had a season best 12-game hitting streak from June 22-July 3, raising his average from .294 to .319- he went over the .300 mark on June 22 and never dropped below.

Danny belted a career best three home runs in one game on July 6 against Oakland; he also had two two-homer games, June 12 at Baltimore and September 3 at Chicago. He was the Royals' lone representative in the '91 All-Star Game, starting as the designated hitter. He hit his seventh career grand slam on August 14 at Yankee Stadium, off Steve Farr.

He hit .314 with 13 home runs and 35 RBIs at home, .318 with 18 homers and 65 RBIs on the road. Against left-handed pitching he batted .296 with eight home runs and 22 RBIs, against right-handers .325 with 23 homers and 78 RBIs. Tartabull was consistent all season long, hitting .320 with 20 homers and 59 RBIs in the first half, .300-11-41 in the second half. He hit .347 against the East with 13 homers and 51 RBIs. He had four outfield assists for the season, giving him 34 for his career.

Tartabull signed a five-year contract with the Yankees as a free agent on January 6, 1992. The contract extends through the 1996 season.

Selected in the 3rd round of the June 1980 free agent draft, Tartabull hit .299 in 59 games for Billings. With Tampa in 1981, he was named Florida State League Player of the Year. He led the league in batting (.310), doubles (28) and finished fourth in home runs (14), triples (10) and RBIs (81).

Danny was the youngest player in the Eastern League in 1982 at the age of 19. He was among the league leaders in walks (3rd with 89) and home runs (9th with 17). Danny was named the second best prospect in the league and the seventh best prospect in the Reds organization by Baseball America.

In 1983 he was selected by the Mariners from the Reds in the compensation pool draft as compensation to Seattle for the White Sox' signing of free-agent pitcher Floyd Bannister. Tartabull spent the entire 1983 season at AA Chattanooga where he hit .301 with 13 homers and 66 RBIs, finishing second to Ivan Calderon on the team in most major offensive categories, and was named Topps National Association Player of the Month for September.

In 1984, Tartabull was recalled from Salt Lake City on September 6. At the time he was hitting .304 with 13 home runs and 73 RBIs. In his first big league at-bat, September 11 against Texas, he collected his first hit, RBI and game-winning RBI with a pinch-hit run-scoring single with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning off Dave Schmidt.

With Calgary in 1985, Tartabull hit .300 with a league-leading 43 home runs and 109 RBIs. He played in 19 games for Seattle and hit .328. He hit safely in his first three games after his September 1 recall and his only home run came on September 16 at Kansas City off Danny Jackson. He posted an on-base percentage of .406 and a .525 slugging percentage.

Tartabull started on Opening Day for Seattle at second base in 1986. He was hitting .355 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in the season's first eight games. He began feeling weak and his batting average fell to .235, with six homers and 22 RBIs in 31 games, by the time he was sidelined. Danny went 4-for-5 with two triples and two RBIs on May 13 against Milwaukee to raise his batting average 16 points but was placed on the disabled list the next day.

He missed 16 games due to vitamin deficiency anemia. After being reinstated from the DL, Danny was moved to left field and became the Mariners' regular right fielder on June 23.

Danny finished second on the club in homers (25) and RBIs (96) and hit two grand slams. He placed fourth in the American League Rookie of the Year balloting behind Jose Canseco, Wally Joyner and Mark Eichorn.

He was traded to the Royals in December 1986 with pitcher Rich Luecken for pitchers Scott Bankhead and Steve Shields and outfielder Mike Kingery.

In his initial season for the Royals, Tartabull became only the second player in club history (George Brett, 1985) to compile a .300-30-100 season, finishing the season with a .309 average, 34 home runs and 101 RBIs. 18 of his 34 homers either gave the Royals the lead or tied the score. He led the team in homers, RBIs, total bases (315) and slugging percentage (.541) on his way to being honored as Royal Player of the Year.

Tartabull tied for third in the league in home runs and was ninth in hits and tenth in slugging. His home run total was the most ever by a Royals outfielder, eclipsing Amos Otis who hit 26 in 1973, and he tied for the second highest homer output in club history (Steve Balboni, 36 in 1985, John Mayberry, 34 in 1975).

He slugged his third career grand slam on October 2 against Minnesota off Frank Viola. His 100th RBI of the season came on October 3 off Minnesota's Bert Blyleven.

In 1988 Danny became the third player in Kansas City history (along with Mayberry and Brett) to record back-to-back 100-RBI seasons as he drove in a career best 102. He led the Royals in home runs with 26 and was among the league leaders in homers (tied for 8th) and RBIs (7th). He also tied for eighth in doubles (38) was ninth in slugging percentage and seventh in extra-base hits.

Danny led the league and set a Royals record by belting three grand slams, connecting at Texas on May 15 (off Charlie Hough), against Baltimore on August 11 (off Jay Tibbs) and at Seattle on September 20 off Terry Taylor.

He was selected as the Royals' Player of the Month for September after driving in 21 runs with a .304 average. He notched a career best five RBIs in one game in the September 20 game at Seattle.

Tartabull finished 1989 with a .268 batting average, 18 home runs and 62 RBIs- the homer total was second on the club. He opened the season with a career best 13-game hitting streak, batting .413 during the streak. He logged two stints on the disabled list, once with a bruised left knee and the other with a pulled groin muscle. Danny hit his 100th career home run on July 30 against Baltimore.

Injuries limited Danny to 88 games in 1990, his fewest in the big leagues. He still was able to hit 15 home runs and drive in 60 runs.

He led the club with a .433 batting average in spring training and belted a round-tripper on Opening Day. He suffered a tear of the right plantaris muscle while shagging balls prior to the second game of the season. Danny was placed on the 15-day DL on April 12 and did not return until May 18.

Danny had a season high 12-game hitting streak from June 7-19, raising his average from .132 to .255. He hit his third career inside-the-park home run on June 28 at Seattle off Russ Swan. He tore his left groin muscle on July 13 at Boston and had a second stint on the 15-day DL.

Activated on July 31, Danny socked two home runs in a game for the fifth time in his career on August 4 at Baltimore. He homered on three consecutive days, August 28-30, and matched his career high with five RBIs at Seattle on September 2.

Danny is a 1980 graduate of Carol City High School in Miami. He played on the 1979 American Legion national championship team as well as the gold medal-winning team at the National Sports Festival in Colorado Springs. He is the son of former Kansas City A's and Boston Red Sox outfielder Jose Tartabull and the brother of former Mariners farmhand Jose Tartabull, Jr.

Danny was the recipient of the 1992 Good Guy award as voted by the New York Press Photographers Association. He is active with the American Cancer Society and with Big Brothers and Big Sisters."

-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide

Led Florida State League third basemen in errors (29), 1981.

Named Florida State League Player of the Year, 1981.

Led Pacific Coast League shortstops in double plays (68), 1984.

Led Pacific Coast League in home runs (43), 1985.

Led Pacific Coast League in runs batted in (109), 1985.

Led Pacific Coast League in slugging percentage (.615), 1985.

Led Pacific Coast League in total bases (291), 1985.

Led Pacific Coast League shortstops in errors (35), 1985.

Named Pacific Coast League Player of the Year, 1985.

Led American League in game-winning RBIs (21), 1987.

Led American League in grand slams (3), 1988.

Named American League Player of the Week, June 10-16, 1991.

Named American League Player of the Week, July 1-7, 1991.

Led American League in slugging percentage (.593), 1991.

-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide

Danilo Tartabull "Danny" "Bull" (OF)     #45

Born October 30, 1962, in Miami, Florida, resides in Malibu, California. Height: 6-1, weight: 204. Bats right, throws right. 

Married, Kellie, and father of Danica (6), Danny Jr. (5) and Zachary (9 months). 

Major league service: 7 years, 59 days. Opening Day age: 30.

-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide