"The timing could not have been better for Luis Polonia's return to the Bronx. In fact, despite his rather diminutive 5-8, 160-pound frame, the fleet left fielder should have a huge impact on Yankee fortunes in '94.
Last season, the Yankees were expecting Bernie Williams to be their leadoff hitter but realized that the center fielder was more comfortable and productive batting sixth. Enter the scrappy Polonia, who has shown all the tools of a quality leadoff man. His speed and ability to make contact at the plate give the Yankees a sparkplug at the top of the order and one of their few base stealing threats.
After a brief stint with the Yankees during the 1989 and 1990 seasons in which he hit over .300, the 29-year-old spent the next three-plus seasons with California, leading the Angels in stolen bases each year. In 1992 he was voted team MVP, and last season hit .271 in 152 games including a career-high 55 stolen bases.
With Polonia serving as a catalyst, setting the table for Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly and Danny Tartabull, the Yankees' offense could easily improve on its very potent performance of 1993."
-The New York Yankees Official 1994 Yearbook
"Free agent Angel left fielder signed a two-year contract in December that gives the Yankees a new leadoff hitter. One note of caution: his batting average slipped for the third consecutive year from a high of .335 in 1990. He stole a career high 55 bases but was caught 24 times.
The Angels got Polonia from the Yankees for Claudell Washington and Rich Monteleone in April of 1990. He spent time in jail between the 1990 and 1991 seasons after his arrest in Milwaukee for having sex with a 15-year-old girl.
Born October 12, 1964, in Santiago, Dominican Republic, he was originally signed by the Athletics as an undrafted free agent in January of 1984."
-Tony DeMarco, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Tom Pedulla, Gannett Newspapers, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1994 Edition
"For California in 1993 Polonia hit .271 with a home run and 32 RBIs with a career high 55 stolen bases in 79 attempts. He led the Angels in stolen bases for the third straight season, the first Angel to do so since Gary Pettis led the team in steals from 1983-86. Polonia's 174 stolen bases as an Angel rank second on the team's all-time list behind Pettis (186). He and Chad Curtis were both caught stealing 24 times, an Angels team record and the most in the league. On May 24 at Seattle, Luis was caught stealing three times to set a club record.
He stole 10 consecutive bases from June 14-30. Before the All-Star break he stole 25 bases in 39 attempts and after the break he stole 30 bases in 40 attempts.
His .271 batting average was the lowest of his professional career. Luis had a season high 11-game hitting streak from July 10-24, and his longest hitless streak was 22 at-bats from June 16-21. He hit his only home run of the season on June 25 at Seattle off Tim Leary, his first circuit clout in 935 at-bats.
Luis did not hit into a double play until June 7, making him the second-to-last player in the American League (Devon White) to do so. He finished the season with seven times grounded into a double play, once for every 82 at-bats.
For the season, he played in 152 games, second most on the club to Chilli Davis (153). Polonia led the team in triples (6), including two on April 7 at Milwaukee, tying the club record. He recorded eight sacrifice bunts. He hit .316 on turf and .262 on grass.
Polonia combined with Tim Salmon and Chad Curtis for 37 assists, more than any other outfield trio in California history. On August 16 he had two assists against Detroit. For the season, he committed five errors in 304 chances.
Luis signed a two-year contract with New York in December 1993. The contract runs through the 1995 season.
In 1992 Luis was chosen by his teammates as the winner of the Owners' Trophy, given annually to the Angels' MVP. He led the club in at-bats (577), runs (83), hits (165), total bases (190), sacrifice bunts (8), stolen bases (51), times caught stealing (21) and times grounded into double plays (18). Polonia became the first Angel to lead the team in hits for three consecutive years (128, 179, 165). His 144 singles tied the team record for a left-handed hitter (Mickey Rivers, 1975) and was fourth in the American League.
He was one of only four players (Omar Vizquel, Ozzie Smith, Jose Lind) with at least 502 at-bats without a home run. He was the 13th player in major league history to steal at least 50 bases without hitting a homer.
Polonia was fourth in the league in stolen bases and tied for the league lead in steals of third (12). He stole 21 bases in June, a California club record, including 12 straight from June 7-17. He tied the Angels club record with four stolen bases on June 10 at Chicago, and set another team record the following day in Chicago with six steals in two games. Polonia stole home on June 21 at Seattle and on August 21 at New York, becoming just the third Angel to record at least two steals of home in a season (Pettis 2 in 1985; Jose Cardenal 3 in 1965).
In 1992 Luis hit .303 against right-handed pitching and .227 against left-handers. He played 47 games as the designated hitter and led the Angels' DH spot in batting average (.314), runs (30), triples (2), stolen bases (15), walks (12) and on-base percentage (.356). He had a pair of season high eight-game hitting streaks (April 20-May 7, May 9-18).
Luis was suspended for three games (September 30-October 2) for a September 15 incident at Seattle involving pitcher Eric Gunderson and an ejection.
In 1991, Polonia became the sixth player in Angels history to lead the team in hits for consecutive years. His 179 hits tied Rod Carew for the most by a left-handed hitter in club history. Polonia's .332 road batting average ranked fourth in the American League and he hit .383 on turf. He led the league in times caught stealing (23) and ranked fifth in singles (141).
Luis hit his second career inside-the-park home run on August 9 off Oakland's Dave Stewart. He had a season high 13-game hitting streak from August 5-18. He had eight infield hits and led the Angels with eight triples for the second straight year.
He was signed as a free agent by the Oakland A's organization in January 1984. In 1985 at Class AA Huntsville, his 18 triples fell one short of the Southern League record held by Alvin Davis. Polonia finished with 39 stolen bases and a .359 on-base percentage. In 1986 at Class AAA Tacoma, he led the Pacific Coast League in at-bats (549) and hits (165) and was fourth in stolen bases (36). He 13 multi-hit games.
In 1987 Luis collected his first major league hit on April 25 off Seattle's Scott Bankhead and hit his first major league home run off Boston's Calvin Schiraldi. He had a team high 17-game hitting streak from May 2-June 1 (.450 batting average).
For the season, he led Oakland with 29 stolen bases in 36 attempts and had 10 triples, second most in Oakland history behind Phil Garner (12 in 1976). He led the team with a .343 batting average with runners in scoring position.
Luis began the 1988 season at Tacoma and was hitting .335 with 31 stolen bases in 65 games when he was recalled to Oakland on June 15. He played in 82 of the A's last 89 games. On September 9 against Kansas City, Luis went 5-for-5 with three RBIs and five runs scored.
On June 21, 1989, he was acquired by the Yankees with pitchers Eric Plunk and Greg Cadaret in exchange for Rickey Henderson. At the time of the trade he was hitting .286 with a homer and 17 RBIs. He hit .311 against left-handed pitching, .318 after the break and .376 in Yankee Stadium.
In 1990, Luis was acquired by the Angels on April 29 in exchange for outfielder Claudell Washington and pitcher Rich Monteleone. He hit a career high .336 for California but finished 66 plate appearances short of qualifying for the batting title. He led the AL in batting average against right-handed pitchers (341). Luis hit .386 over the last two months of the season, and on August 14 hit his first career inside-the-park home run, a grand slam, off New York's Tim Leary.
Luis attended San Francisco High School in the Dominican Republic."
-1994 New York Yankees Information Guide
Luis Andrew Polonia (OF) #17
Born December 10, 1964, in Santiago City, Dominican Republic, where he resides. Ht.: 5-8, Wt.: 160. Bats left, throws left.
Major league service: Six years, 110 days. Opening Day age: 29.
-1994 New York Yankees Information Guide
Led Pacific Coast League in at-bats (549), 1986.
Led Pacific Coast League in hits (165), 1986.
Led American League in batting average against right-handed pitchers (.341), 1990.
Led American League in times caught stealing (23), 1991.
Led American League in times caught stealing (21), 1992.
Tied for American League in times caught stealing (24), 1993.
-1994 New York Yankees Information Guide
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