"He's Dion, without the 'e,' with the neon, without the gold, and without the flash and pizzazz. Simply Dion, a solid performer, dependable, available. He can pinch-hit, play defense, fill in when a regular is hurt or needs rest. And do a credible job in any role.
Dion James proved his value last year, although he was called on for only 67 games and came to bat just 145 times. But he batted a respectable .262. That he played at all last year is something of a miracle.
He had sat out the entire 1991 season with a career-threatening ulnar nerve transplant in his throwing elbow. Prior to that, he had been a promising prospect with productive seasons in Milwaukee, Atlanta and Cleveland.
The Yankees took a chance on James as a free agent in April of last year, slotting him into the difficult role of backup outfielder. It's a role James accepts and fills admirably.
'I think I can play every day and be productive,' he says. 'But here they have a good crop of outfielders and it doesn't look like I'll have the opportunity. The next best thing you can do is make the best of your role and do what is expected of you.'
That's Dion without the 'e.' "
-The New York Yankees Official 1993 Yearbook
"Dion played in 67 games for the Yankees in 1992, hitting .262 with three home runs and 17 RBIs over 145 at-bats. He played all three outfield positions and DH'd.
He started out slowly, hitting .204 with a homer and six RBIs through the end of May. He made his Yankee debut on April at Detroit, starting in right field. Dion hit his first home run on May 2 against Minnesota (Gary Wayne), a pinch-hit homer.
His batting average slumped to .164 through June 23. In his final three games before the break, Dion had six hits in 13 at-bats (3 2B, 1 HR) to raise his batting average to .209. His second homer, on July 12 against Seattle, was off Mark Grant.
From June 24-July 31, he hit safely in 10 straight games at .400 (16-40), raising his average to .248. A pinch-hit single on August 14 at Chicago raised Dion's average to .250 for the first time in 1992, and a 1-for-3 effort on September 12 raised his average to a season high of .266. Unfortunately he was hit by a Rich Sauveur pitch in that game, cracking a bone in his left index finger. Dion had just two at-bats after September 12. He hit .339 (20-for-59) in the second half.
In 1992, Dion started 23 games (RF-18, CF-9, LF-5, DH-2) and hit .277 (33-for-119) as a starter. His single off Jack Morris on April 16 was his first hit since September 12, 1990, and his pinch-homer on May 2 was the first of his career and the 200th in Yankee history. On July 12 and July 19 (off Bert Blyleven), Dion hit home runs in consecutive games for the first time in his career. In 1992 he had at-bats in all nine positions in the batting order.
Dion hit .315 (17-for-54) at the Stadium, .231 on the road; he hit .270 in night games and .270 on artificial turf. He hit .318 (7-for-22) with runners in scoring position and less than two out and drove in five of eight runners from third base with less than two outs. He reached base leading off an inning 10 of 35 times.
He handled 63 outfield chances without an error, contributing an assist.
Dion became the fifth Yankee position player to wear #19 (Harry Rice, Hersh Martin, Larry Rosenthal, Brad Gulden).
He signed a one-year contract on October 30, 1992.
Dion was invited to spring training by the Yankees in January of 1991. He 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 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 was tied for fifth longest in the American League. Dion's home run was on August 4 against the Yankees off Tim 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 played winter ball in the Dominican League with Estrellas, hitting .258 over 26 games.
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 .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.
He 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 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.
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 in high school."
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
Led California League outfielders in fielding percentage (.988), 1982.
Named National League Player of the Week, July 27-August 2, 1987.
Led National League outfielders in fielding percentage (.996), 1987.
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
Dion James (OF) #19
Born November 9, 1962, in Philadelphia, PA, resides in Sacramento, CA. Height: 6-1, weight: 185. Bats left, throws left.
Married, Doris (1/30/89), and father of Justin Anthony (2).
Major league service: 7 years, 31 days. Opening Day age: 30.
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
