Other 1990 Yankee Profiles: Support Personnel

DR. STUART J. HERSHON (Team Physician)
"Dr. Stuart J. Hershon is in his third season as Yankee team doctor. He is an orthopedic surgeon affiliated with St. Lukes-Roosevelt and North Shore Hospitals. He is a graduate of Harvard University and New York Medical College."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Dr. Stuart J. Hershon begins his third year as the Yankees team physician. He is an orthopedic surgeon affiliated with St. Lukes-Roosevelt and North Shore Hospitals, and previously was the team physician for Nassau Community College. He is a graduate of Harvard University and New York Medical College."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


GENE MONAHAN (Trainer)
"Gene Monahan is in his 19th season as the Yankees trainer. He has spent 28 years in professional baseball and is a certified member of NATA."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Gene was born in Rolla, Missouri and has a B.S. in physical education from Indiana University (1969). He is a certified member of NATA [National Athletic Trainers Association] and a member of PBATS [Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society], serving as chairman of the grants and scholarships committee. He has 28 years of service in professional baseball.
He started in 1962 at Ft. Lauderdale and is entering his 19th year at the helm of the Yankee training duties. Gene served as American League trainer at two All-Star Games (1977 at Yankee Stadium and 1986 at Houston's Astrodome). All three of his previous assistants during his Yankee tenure advanced to head training positions in the major leagues.
Gene resides in Little Ferry, New Jersey."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


STEVE DONOHUE (Assistant Trainer)
"Steve Donohue is in his fifth year as the Yankees assistant trainer. He has been in the Yankees organization since 1979. Steve graduated from the University of Louisville."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Steve was born in Bronxville, New York and has a B.S. in physical education from the University of Louisville. A certified member of NATA and a certified member of New York State EMT [Emergency Medical Technicians], he is in his fifth season as the Yankees' assistant trainer.
He has been a member of the Yankees organization since 1979, working at West Haven (1979), Nashville (1980-81) and Columbus (1982-85). Steve was also assistant trainer for the New York Jets (1974-78) and assistant trainer for the University of Louisville's NCAA Championship basketball team in 1980.
Steve resides in Yorktown Heights, New York."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


GARY WEIL (Strength and Conditioning Coach)
"Gary Weil is in his second year as the Yankees strength and conditioning coach. He formulates and supervises conditioning programs for the Yankees and their minor league affiliates."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Gary was born in the Bronx and has a B.A. in physical education from Arizona State University and a Masters in kinesiology and exercise physiology from ASU. He is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
He is in his second season as the Yankees' strength and conditioning coach. Gary spent the previous seven years at the University of Notre Dame, including six seasons as the strength and conditioning coach for all of the school's varsity sports teams. He also spent one year as an assistant professor in the physical education department before joining the Yankees. Gary is a former strength consultant with the Los Angeles Raiders.
His duties include formulating and supervising strength and conditioning for the Yankees and their minor league affiliates."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


LOU CUCUZZA (Visitors Clubhouse Manager)
"Lou Cucuzza is in his 15th season of hosting the visiting teams at Yankee Stadium."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Lou Cucuzza is in his 15th year running the visitor's clubhouse at the Stadium, and Lou will be assisted again this year by his son, Lou, Jr."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


LOU CUCUZZA, JR. (Assistant Visitors Clubhouse Manager)
"Lou Cucuzza, Jr. has assisted his father in the Yankee Stadium visitors clubhouse since 1976."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook


ROB CUCUZZA (Assistant Clubhouse Manager)
"Rob Cucuzza is in his first season in the Yankee clubhouse. He previously worked in the visitors clubhouse."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook


EDDIE LAYTON (Stadium Organist)
"Eddie Layton is the Yankee Stadium organist and has recorded more than 25 albums. He also records commercials, and plays at Radio City and other New York entertainment centers."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook


BOB SHEPPARD (Public Address Announcer)
"Bob Sheppard has been the public address Voice of the Yankees [since 1951]. He also teaches speech at St. John's University."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook


MARSH SAMUEL (Spring Training Coordinator)
"Marsh Samuel is the Yankees Spring Training Coordinator. He began his baseball career as a publicist with the 1946 White Sox, and also developed the first press guide."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook


JIM OGLE (Yankees Alumni Association)
"Jim Ogle heads the Yankees Alumni Association and coordinates Old Timers' Day. He was a New York sportswriter for more than 20 years."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook


CHRIS GUTH (Clubhouse Manager)
"Chris Guth is in his first season as the Yankees clubhouse manager. He previously worked in the Ft. Lauderdale and Sarasota clubhouses."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Chris Guth, who has worked in the Yankees' Ft. Lauderdale and Sarasota clubhouses, begins his first season in the Yankee clubhouse. He will be assisted by Rob Cucuzza, who is the son of Lou, Sr."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


BOB ADAMENKO (Yankees Photographer)
"Bob Adamenko has been the Yankees Photographer since 1984. He also photographs many other New York sporting events."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook


STEVE CRANDALL (Yankees Photographer)
"Steve Crandall is in his fourth season as a Yankee photographer. He is also a photographer for the New Jersey Devils."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook


STEVE GREGORY (Umpires' Room Attendant)
"Steve Gregory is in charge of the umpires locker room for the 12th season."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook


JESSE WRIGHT (Video Coordinator and Batting Practice Pitcher)
"Jesse Wright is in his third season with the Yankees and will resume duties as the coordinator for videotape operations."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Jesse Wright begins his third season in the Yankee organization, and first as coordinator for videotape operations and as a batting pitcher. Wright was drafted by Oakland in 1976 and played in the Oakland, Cleveland and Atlanta organizations until 1980."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


FRANK ALBOHN (Stadium Superintendent)
"Frank Albohn is the Stadium superintendent. He has supervised the Yankees grounds crew for over 25 years."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook


GARY TUCK (Bullpen Catcher and Batting Practice Pitcher)
"Gary Tuck begins his first season as the Yankees' bullpen catcher and batting practice pitcher. He served in the same capacity for Columbus last season."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


CARL TAYLOR (Batting Practice Pitcher)
"Carl Taylor begins his first season with the Yankees and will chart defenses, man the radar gun and throw batting practice."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


GEORGE BAZOS (Batting Practice Pitcher)
"George Bazos is in his first season with the Yankees and will throw batting practice."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide

Other 1990 Yankee Profiles: Position Players

BRIAN DORSETT
"Making an impression in only eight major league games is a difficult chore for any player. Last season Yankee catcher made the most of his chances.
In 22 at-bats, the 29-year-old native of Terre Haute, Indiana collected eight hits for a .364 average. The departure of Columbus catcher Bob Geren to the parent club in May left Dorsett the main occupant of the home plate duties [in Columbus]. He responded admirably, hitting 17 home runs and adding 62 RBI.
Not that he's satisfied staying in the minors. The six-year minor leaguer will provide ample backup should Geren or Rick Cerone need assistance. You can be sure he'll make those opportunities count."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Dorsett played in 110 games for the Columbus Clippers in 1989, hitting .250 with 25 doubles, 17 home runs and 62 RBIs. He had his contract purchased by the Yankees on September 2.
He made eight appearances for the Yankees, all as a catcher. Brian did not make an error behind the plate and was 1-for-3 throwing out baserunners. The Yankees were 4-3 in the seven games he started; he caught a shutout, two one-run games and a two-run effort.
Brian made six starts and hit .444  (8-for-18) in that capacity. He hit .571 (4-for-7) with men in scoring position. He ended the season with a five-game hitting streak including three two-hit games.
He signed a contract for the 1990 season.
Dorsett was Oakland's 10th round selection in the June 1983 free agent draft and began his pro career with Medford of the Northwest League. He spent just 14 games there, batting .271 and earning a promotion to Class-A Madison where he hit .255 in 58 games. Brian spent the entire 1984 season at Modesto, hitting .264 with eight home runs and 52 RBIs.
He began the 1985 season at Madison but was promoted to AA Huntsville and batted a combined .268 with 53 runs scored, 127 hits, 13 home runs and 73 RBIs in 128 games. He was on Oaklands' 40-man roster in 1986 and played his first year of AAA ball at their PCL club at Tacoma, setting career highs in doubles (33) while hitting 10 home runs with 51 RBIs.
Dorsett began the 1987 season with Tacoma and batted .234 with six home runs and 39 RBIs in 74 games. He was acquired by Cleveland on July 15, along with pitcher Darrell Akerfelds in exchange for second baseman Tony Bernazard, and reported to AAA Buffalo where he batted .256 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in 26 games. Dorsett was called up to Cleveland on September 4.
He appeared in his first major league game on September 8 against Seattle (flew out as a pinch hitter) and collected his first big league hit in his third at-bat, a pinch-hit RBI single off Gene Nelson of the A's on September 22 in Cleveland. Brian made his first start behind the plate on September 27 against California and went 2-for-3 including his only big league homer, a two-run blast off Don Sutton in the 8th inning. He was 0-for-4 throwing out runners attempting to steal.
Dorsett opened 1988 on Cleveland's 40-man roster but did not play in any games while recovering from arthroscopic surgery that was performed on his right elbow on March 23. He was acquired by the Angels organization on July 8 for a player to be named later and was assigned to the Edmonton Trappers, California's AAA Pacific Coast League affiliate. Brian batted .262 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs in 53 games at Edmonton.
He had his contract purchased by the Angels on September 1, and in seven games with California batted .091 (1-for-11) with two RBIs. His one hit and two RBIs came on September 6 at Kansas City on a two-run single off Mark Gubicza in his only at-bat. After that, he went 0-for-8 in his remaining five games. Brian registered five RBIs in his first 22 major league at-bats (11 with California and 11 with Cleveland in 1987).
Brian committed three passed balls in his seven games and did not appear after September 13. He was obtained by the Yankees from Edmonton in November 1988 in exchange for pitcher Eric Schmidt.
Brian starred in baseball, basketball and football at Terre Haute (IN) North High School, where he graduated in 1979. He attended Indiana State University and was first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference in baseball in 1983 and second team in 1982.
Brian played Little League and American Legion ball as a youngster."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


BOB BROWER
"The key for Bob Brower is to be ready. He won't be in the starting outfield and may not even make the club. But he can still help the Yankees, as long as he's ready when he gets the call.
Brower is the type of player who can provide insurance for a team. He is a good outfielder, with an accurate arm. At the plate he has some power and can even steal a base for you.
Last year he was used as a fill-in, coming in for injured players. This year, at age 30, he will be called on to do the same."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Hampered by a right-side groin pull aggravated at the end of spring training, Bob began the 1989 season on the 15-day disabled list. He was activated on April 16 and started that day.
He went hitless in his first game but followed with a three-game hit streak in Toronto (April 17-19), going 5-for-10 including a go-ahead solo home run off Mike Flanagan in a 7-2 Yankee win on April 17. Over his next 14 games Bob hit .179 (5-for-28) dropping his average from .385 to .244. He broke his slump in Seattle (May 19-21) by hitting in three straight games (5-for-14), including a solo homer off Roger Hanson on May 19 in a 9-5 Yankee win. On May 21, he had a season-best three-hit effort including a double and an RBI.
Brower was optioned to Columbus on May 31. At the time he was hitting .231 (16-for-69) with three doubles, two home runs and three RBIs. He remained with the Clippers through the remainder of 1989, hitting .253 (24-for-95) in 26 games with three doubles, two homers, eight RBIs and 15 runs scored. Bob played every game after his option until his season ended on July 1 when he was placed on the disabled list with a chronic right elbow injury. On July 13 he had reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. The surgery consisted of having his ulnar nerve transplanted.
He signed a contract for the 1990 season.
Brower was signed by the Rangers as a free agent on July 1, 1982 by scout Joe Branzell after an outstanding career at Duke University where he graduated in 1982. He started 1983 at Burlington and had six hits on June 7 against Beloit, the only six-hit game in professional baseball that year. Bob was promoted to Tulsa on June 13. At Tulsa in 1984 he was second in the Texas League in steals (54) and was fourth in triples (9).
In 1985 Bob led the American Association in triples and tied for fourth in games (133). He hit for the cycle against Buffalo on May 27, including the game-winning triple in the 11th inning.
While playing for Oklahoma City in 1986, Bob was selected as the American Association 'Star of Stars' by the Howe News Bureau and as the Rangers overall Minor League Player of the Year. He led the A.A. in runs (130), at-bats (550) and walks (94), was tied for the top spot in games (140) and hits (158), tied for second in total bases (236) and was third in steals (53). His run total was an Oklahoma City club record and the highest in the American Association since 1953. Bob was also selected to the league's All-Star team and led the AA in putouts (366) and chances (382).
He was recalled by Texas on September 1 and made his big league debut as a pinch runner that night at Boston, scoring the winning run. He doubled off Minnesota's Bill Latham on September 13 for his first major league hit. Brower had an outstanding winter ball season at La Romana in the Dominican Republic, winning the league's MVP award while batting .316 with four homers and a league high 37 RBIs.
In 1987, his first full major league season, Brower placed second on the Rangers in sacrifice hits (9), fourth in stolen bases (15) and tied for fifth in home runs (14), the latter being his professional career high. He started a total of 80 games in the outfield, including 25 of the last 31 contests beginning on September 2. He was bothered at times by a jammed right wrist and a sore right shoulder.
Bob had a good start, batting .282 (11-for-39) in 16 games in April, but batted just .210 (13-for-62) in 38 contests over the next two months. He finished strong, batting .324 (25-for-77) in his last 26 games; included in that stretch was a career-high six-game hitting streak from September 6-11 when he batted .455 (10-for-22).
He had 22 multi-hit games in '87, with a career high of four hits on July 26 at Cleveland. His 14 home runs broke his previous pro high of 13 in 1986 at Oklahoma City.
Brower hit the first inside-the-park grand slam in Ranger history off Eric Plunk of the A's on June 21 (second game) at Oakland. He was the first American Leaguer to accomplish that feat since Minnesota's Tom Brunansky, also a rookie, on July 19, 1982. Brower also hit a two-run homer off Dennis Lamp in that game to give him a career high six RBIs, and the two homers and six RBIs both were one shy of the Texas single-game club records.
He had one other two-homer game, July 26 at Cleveland. He homered to lead off the Texas half of the first inning four times, including his first major league home run on April 28 off the Yankees' Dennis Rasmussen. In addition to his six-RBI game, Brower had four RBIs once and three in a game twice. He singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning on August 5 against Boston.
He played in only 82 games for the Rangers in 1988 and batted .224 (45-for-201) with a home run and 11 RBIs. He did have 10 stolen bases in 15 attempts.
He underwent arthroscopic surgery before the start of the 1988 season, on January 6, to repair torn cartilage in his right shoulder. He was ready by spring training but began the regular season on the 15-day disabled list, having been placed on the DL on March 28 with a pulled right calf muscle.
Brower was activated on April 27 and made his first appearance that day as a designated hitter against Minnesota. He had a four-game hitting streak from May 3-7, his longest hitting streak of the year, batting .500 (6-for-12) in that span, including a 3-for-5 game on May 6 against the Yankees. That streak was broken when he was forced to leave the game of May 10 after the second inning with tightness in his right calf, having gone 0-for-1. In his first game back on May 14, Brower went 2-for-4 to raise his overall season average to .375 (9-for-24) after nine games, his high point of the year.
That three-hit game on May 6 was one of nine multiple-hit games in 1988, including four three-hit games, the other three coming on June 3 at Chicago, June 21 against Seattle on June 28 at Seattle. Bob had four multiple-hit games in an eight-game stretch from June 21 through July 3, batting .370 (10-for-27) in that span.
In the final game of that stretch, on July 3 against Baltimore, Bob hit his only home run of the season, a grand slam off Don Aase. It was his second career grand slam. In that game he also matched his career high with six RBIs (accounting for more than half of his 11 RBIs for the season) and it was the Ranger team high for 1988.
Bob finished the season by batting .091 (2-for-22) in his last 14 games to lower his average from .240 on September 5 to his final .224 mark.
He twice had two stolen bases in a game, on July 8 at Baltimore and on September 4 at Toronto. He was successful in six of his last seven stolen base attempts.
For the year, he started 15 games in left field, 26 games in center field, one in right field and six games as the designated hitter.
Bob was acquired by the Yankees from the Texas Rangers in December 1988 in exchange for shortstop Bobby Meacham.
Bob went to Duke on a football scholarship. He lettered four times in baseball and three times in football. In 1981 Bob led the nation in triples and was a first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection. He gained 130 yards rushing against North Carolina in 1979 to earn ACC 'Offensive Back of the Week' honors. In 1981 he caught 12 passes against Virginia, one shy of the school record. Bob also played a summer in the Alaskan Baseball League.
He played baseball, basketball, football and ran track at James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia where he graduated in 1978. He earned all-regional honors in all four sports in his senior year. He participated in Little League, Babe Ruth League and Clark Griffith League programs.
Bob's hobbies are hunting, fishing and music."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide

Led American Association in bases on balls (94), 1986.
Led American Association outfielders in total chances (382), 1986.

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


LUIS POLONIA
"With the return of All-Star outfielder Dave Winfield, playing time for Luis Polonia may be hard to come by in 1990. But what Polonia offers the Yankees is a very exciting, productive contributor who can fill in when needed.
Since arriving from Oakland in the 1989 Rickey Henderson deal, Polonia has been frequently asked to spark a stagnant offense or make a sensational sliding catch in the outfield. Last year in Pinstripes, he hit .313 and drove in 29 runs in only 66 games. This year the Yankees know the little left-hander is ready when they are."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Polonia was hitting .286 with one home run and 17 RBIs for the Oakland A's in 1989, with nine walks, 15 strikeouts and 13 stolen bases in 17 attempts. On June 21 he was obtained from the Yankees with pitchers Eric Plunk and Greg Cadaret in exchange for outfielder Rickey Henderson.
He played his first game as a Yankee on June 23 in Kansas City and went 0-for-4 but then hit in six straight games (10-for-27, .370) with six RBIs. He hit .304 (7-for-23) in five games in June as a Yankee with two multi-hit efforts, hitting safely in four of five games.
In July, Luis hit in seven straight from July 9-19, going 11-for-33 (.333) and raising his average from .302 to .314. For the month he hit .290 (27-for-93) with two home runs and 12 RBIs, hitting safely in 19 of 25 games and ending July with a .293 average.
Luis hit for his highest average in August at .338 (22-for-65). From August 20-28 he hit in a season best eight straight games (10-for-24, .417), putting his average over .300 to stay. He played in 22 games in the month and hit safely in 14 games, with six games being multi-hit efforts.
He played sparingly in September-October, appearing in 14 games (12 starts) and hitting .326 (15-for-46) for the month. Polonia hit .357 (25-for-70) over his final 22 games (from August 20), raising his average from .292 to a season-ending .313.
He hit .298 before the break and .318 after, hit .344 (21-for-61) in day games and .301 (50-for-166) at night. Polonia hit .311 (14-for-45) against left-handed pitchers and .313 against righties, hit.376 (41-for-109) at Yankee Stadium and .254 (30-for-118) on the road. He started nine games as the designated hitter and hit .333 (11-for-33) with six runs scored; he hit two home runs as a Yankee.
Polonia made two errors in the outfield (113 chances) and had six assists, ranking 16th in the American League with a .985 fielding percentage. He was 9-for-13 stealing bases as a Yankee and 22-for-30 on the season. Luis is now 75-for-99 stealing bases in his career.
He signed a contract for the 1990 season.
Signed as a free agent by the Oakland A's organization in January 1984, Luis stepped in and had a fine season for Class-A Modesto (Midwest League) in his first professional year. He hit .308 with eight homers and 65 RBIs for the Muskies. He stroked 163 hits in 135 games, stole 55 bases, struck out 95 times and drew 57 walks.
Luis had another fine year in 1985 as hit.289 in 130 games for Double-A Huntsville (Southern League). He hustled for 18 triples, one short of the league record set by Alvin Davis [who later starred with Seattle], stole 39 bases and had a .389 on-base percentage.
He enjoyed his third consecutive successful season in the Oakland organization in 1986, hitting .301 with Triple-A Tacoma. A steady performer, his average rarely deviated more than a few points off the .312 mark for the majority of the season. Polonia had 13 multi-hit games and struck out only 16 times in his first 191 at-bats and 24 times in his last 130 at-bats. He led the Pacific Coast League in at-bats and hits and was fourth in stolen bases (36).
Polonia was Oakland's leadoff hitter for 92 games in 1987 and in his other 10 starts was in the number nine spot of the order. He picked up his first major league hit at the Coliseum on April 25 off the Mariners' Scott Bankhead, and his first homer on April 28 off Boston's Calvin Schiraldi.
He put together a 1987 club high 17-game hitting streak from May 2-June 1. In the streak he hit .450 (27-for-60).
Luis topped the A's with 29 steals in 36 attempts and also led the club with 10 triples, the second-best total in A's history, exceeded only by Phil Garner's 12 in 1976. He tied for fourth on the A's with 33 multi-hit games and was one of the top hitters in the clutch, as his .343 average with men in scoring position led the team.
A member of the A's 40-man roster during spring training in 1988, Polonia opened the season in Tacoma. He hit .335 for the Tigers, which ended up being the highest average on the club for '88. He also had 31 steals in 46 attempts.
Polonia was recalled to Oakland on June 15 and found himself in the starting lineup the next day. He played in 82 of the club's next 89 games from that point on; the A's were 64-25 during that stretch.
He got off to a slow start after his recall, going 2-for-16, but rebounded with six hits in nine at-bats on June 24 and 26 against Minnesota. Luis wound up hitting .306 (11-for-36) during June and hit safely in 12 of 13 games from July 3-24. He hit his first homer of the season off Todd Stottlemyre in Oakland.
His average was at .315 after a 3-for-5 day against the Angels on August 13 but, after Luis went 15-for-73, dropped to .285 by September 8. He got his average back over .300 the next night with a 5-for-5 game against the Royals. He also scored five runs that night; the five runs and five hits each tied club records. Luis wen 16-for-62 to close the season, dropping his average to a season-ending .292.
For the season, he stole 24 bases in 33 attempts. Luis was a much better hitter in the Coliseum than on the road: in Oakland, he hit .322 (49-for-152) as opposed to .257 (35-for-136) on the road. He was Oakland's leadoff hitter in 54 games; he hit safely in 44 of those games (75-for-235) for a .319 average.
Luis hit .300 in the League Championship Series, going 2-for-5 in Game 2. He also stole a base that night. He appeared in Games 1 and 4 as a pinch runner and pinch hitter, respectively. Luis was 1-for-8 in the World Series and scored a run.
Luis attended San Francisco school in the Dominican Republic. He resides in Santiago City, D.R. during the off-season."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


JEFF DATZ
"Jeff spent the 1989 season in the Tiger organization after previously being in the Houston organization for seven seasons. He was signed by Detroit as a free agent in November 1988 and spent the season with the Toledo Mud Hens, the Tigers' AAA affiliate. Datz batted .247 in 77 games with 13 doubles, three home runs and 18 RBIs.
He made one tour of duty with Detroit (September 5-30), hitting .200 (2-for-10) in seven games. Jeff was hit by a pitch in his first major league at-bat against Kansas City (Jeff Montgomery). His first major league hit came on September 20 at Baltimore, a 9th inning single off Greg Olson. He was signed by the Yankees in November of 1989 as a six-year minor league free agent.
Datz was selected by the Astros in the 19th round of the June 1982 free agent draft. He was signed by Houston scout Clary Anderson. He played in 36 games with Class-A Auburn, where he hit .224 with 15 RBIs in his first professional season.
He began the 1983 season with Class-A Daytona Beach and batted .273 in 47 games with nine doubles and 19 RBIs. Jeff was promoted to AA Columbus (GA) where he appeared in 39 games, hitting .194 and driving in 11 runs. He split the 1984 season between Daytona Beach and Auburn and batted a combined .202 in 35 games with 13 RBIs.
Jeff spent 1985 with Columbus where he appeared in 53 games and batted .193 with 13 RBIs. He also spent the majority of the 1986 season with Columbus and batted .325 in 59 games with 26 runs and 13 doubles, then was promoted to AAA Tucson for two games.
He was back in Columbus in 1987, batting .248 in 121 games with career highs in doubles (21), homers (8) and RBIs (42). Jeff spent the entire 1989 season with Tucson and batted .223 in 60 games with seven of his 33 hits (21%) being doubles.
Jeff graduated from Glassboro State where he earned a B.A. in health and physical education. He was a Division III All-American in baseball and helped lead Glassboro to a 1979 Division III championship. Jeff attended Clearview Regional High School where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball and competed against current major leaguers Dan Pasqua and Jay Aldrich."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


DAMASO GARCIA
"Damaso spent the 1989 season with the Montreal Expos after being signed as a free agent on April 3. He appeared in 80 games and hit .271 (55-for-203) with three home runs and 18 RBIs. Damaso made 46 starts, all at second base.
He was 2-for-8 through his first four games, then hit in four straight to bring his average up to .385 (10-for-26). He then slumped through the remainder of April (3-for-25, .120) to bring his average for the month down to .255 (13-for-51) over 18 games (11 starts).
Garcia played in only eight games in May (3-for-17, .176) as he was on the 15-day disabled list from May 13-26 with a sore left heel. He hit .216 in June (8-for-37), starting seven games, and through the break was hitting .246 over 46 games.
He hit in a season best six straight games from July 21-29 (11-for-18, .611), raising his average from .238 to .285. Included was a 4-for-4 game on July 28 against Cincinnati, Garcia's high-hit game of the season, and it tied the Expos' individual high for the season, accomplished by five others. He hit .360 (18-for-50) in July while starting 13 games, the most he would start in a month.
Damaso continued to swing a hot bat in August, hitting safely in nine of 14 games at .294 (10-for-34). He appeared in just six games (five stars) in August, going 3-for-14 (.214).
His overall average (.271) was 15 points below his career average entering 1989. Garcia was signed by the Yankees as a free agent in December 1989 to a contract for the 1990 season.
Signed by Yankee scout Epy Guerrero in March 1975, Garcia began his pro career with Oneonta. In 1976, he led the Florida State League in double plays with 83 and in total chances with 647. He had his first taste of AA ball at West Haven in 1977, setting a personal high with 53 RBIs.
In 1978 Damaso made his major league debut on June 25 and went 2-for-4, scoring all three runs in a 4-3 Yankee loss. After starting the 1979 season at AAA Columbus, he hit into a triple play on September 21 at Toronto. In November of 1979 Garcia was traded with first baseman Chris Chambliss and pitcher Paul Mirabella to the Toronto Blue Jays for catcher Rick Cerone, pitcher Tom Underwood and outfielder Ted Wilborn.
1980 was his first full season in the majors. Garcia assisted in 112 of Toronto's AL record-tying total of double plays and was named Blue Jays' Rookie of the Year as selected by the local BBWAA. He spent most of [the post-strike second half] of the 1981 season on the DL as he broke the fifth bone in his right hand after being hit by an Ed Farmer pitch on August 21.
Garcia was Toronto's 1982 MVP as selected by the local BBWAA and was named the second baseman on The Sporting News AL Silver Slugger team. He went hitless in two successive games only once all year. He established the then-club mark of 89 runs scored. Garcia was second in the AL with 54 steals, sixth in hits (185, then the club record) and batting average (.310, then the club record) and 13th in the loop with 32 doubles (then the club record).
In 1983 he was among the league leaders in batting average (.307, 12th in the AL), stolen bases (31, 11th) and triples (6, 14th). Damaso set a Blue Jays record with a 21-game hitting streak from June 21-July 16. He was the only second baseman in the majors to have back-to-back .300 seasons in 1982 and '83.
Damaso was named to the American League All-Star team for the first time in 1984. He led the Blue Jays in multiple-hit games with 54 and was sixth in the AL with 46 steals. In 1985 he was named to both The Sporting News AL All-Star team and the publication's All-Latin team. Garcia was also the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award given annually to the player 'perpetuating the memory' of the first Latin Hall of Famer. He set a personal high with a six-RBI night on May 10 against Seattle, led the Blue Jays in hits and struck out just once every 14.8 at-bats.
In 1986, Garcia had a four-RBI night on May 18 at Cleveland, then enjoyed a 16-game hitting streak from June 15-July 8, batting .449 (31-for-89) with eight RBIs; he tied a major league record and set a Toronto club record with four doubles on June 27 at Yankee Stadium. On July 9 against Seattle, he fanned three times in one game for the first time since June 7, 1983.
Garcia reached the 1,000-hit plateau on July 10 against Oakland and became the first Blue Jay to collect 1,000 hits on July 29 at Kansas City. For the season, he had a fielding percentage of .985, the highest ever by a second baseman with at least 100 games, and by season's end became the Blue Jays' all-time leader in hits (1,028), at-bats (3,572) and stolen bases (194).
He was traded in February 1987 with pitcher Luis Leal to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for pitcher Craig McMurtry. He was sidelined for the entire '87 campaign with torn ligaments in his left knee.
Damaso was first placed on the 15-day disabled list on March 29, then transferred to the 21-day DL on April 13. He was placed on the 20-day rehab roster at AAA Richmond on June 29, and after just one at-bat was recalled from the rehab roster. Damaso was activated on September 1 but did not see any action.
He started the 1987 season with Atlanta, hitting .117 (7-for-60) over 21 games. He was released on May 17 and signed by the Dodgers on June 29, being immediately assigned to their AAA affiliate at Albuquerque. He appeared in three games and went 2-for-5 and was released on August 15."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide

Tied for New York-Penn League lead in double plays, second baseman (33), 1975.
Led Florida State League second basemen in double plays (83), 1976.
Named second baseman on The Sporting News American League All-Star team, 1982.
Named second baseman on The Sporting News American League Silver Slugger team, 1982.
Named second baseman on The Sporting News American League All-Star team, 1985.
Tied major league record, most doubles, game (4), June 27, 1986.

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


DAVE SAX
"Sax started the 1989 season with Columbus as a non-active coach. He assisted in the bullpen and worked closely with the young catchers until he was activated as a player-coach on August 9. He remained on the active roster through the remainder of the season. Although he appeared in only 21 games, Dave helped the team by hitting .313 (20-for-64) with three doubles and five RBIs. He signed a contract for the 1990 season.
Sax was originally signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent in June 1978 and batted .269 at Lethbridge in his first professional season. He batted .270 with Clinton in 1979 and was named to the Midwest League All-Star team. He split the 1980 season between Lodi, where he batted .171, and Vero Beach, where he hit .352.
In 1981, Sax was converted to catching after playing as an infielder and outfielder in his first three professional seasons. He earned All-Star honors in the Texas League with San Antonio. He set career highs in 1982 at Albuquerque in most offensive categories, batting .317 with 12 home runs and 75 RBIs in 117 games. He hit in 15 straight games from April 30-May 13 and made his major league debut with the Dodgers in September.
Dave was the catcher and designated hitter at Albuquerque in 1983 and spent two brief stints with the Dodgers that year, going 0-for-8 in seven games. In 1984, he saw action at first and second base, at catcher and in the outfield for Albuquerque, where he batted .259 in 106 games with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs. Sax signed with the Red Sox as a minor league free agent in January 1985 after seven years in the Dodger organization.
He started the 1985 season with Boston and played once with Boston before going to Pawtucket on April 28. He was recalled by the Red Sox on June 2, [remaining] for the rest of the year and making 11 starts behind the plate. Dave began the 1986 season with the Red Sox but was sent to Pawtucket on May 16 without appearing in any games. He finished third on the PawSox in RBIs (49) and fourth in home runs (9). He was recalled by Boston on September 2 and hit his first major league home run on September 21 at Toronto.
Sax started the season in Boston for the third straight year in 1987. He appeared in just two games for the Red Sox, going 0-for-3 before being outrighted to Pawtucket on April 27, where he finished the season.
He played 45 games at third base, 17 as a catcher and five at first base for the PawSox. He hit .240 in 85 games with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs, batting .273 in 18 games as a designated hitter. Beginning on August 7, Dave hit .378 with a home run and nine RBIs in his final 16 games to raise his average from .212 to .240.
Sax spent the entire 1988 season with the Buffalo Bisons of the American Association, the AAA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had been signed by the Texas Rangers as a free agent on October 31, 1987 and assigned to Oklahoma City. Dave was assigned to Buffalo when he was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates organization from the Rangers organization on April 6 in exchange for first baseman Bill Merrifield.
He batted .233 in 38 games with seven runs, three doubles, three home runs and 11 RBIs. He threw out seven of 56 runners attempting to steal (13%).
Dave had a five-game hitting streak from June 15-July 2, going 5-for-16 (.313) with three RBIs in that span. His one game-winning RBI of the season came on July 31 against Louisville.
He signed with the Yankees as a six-year minor league free agent in December 1988.
Dave played two seasons at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, CA. He was Sacramento area College Player of the Year in 1978. He participated in baseball and basketball at Sacramento's James Marshall High School where he graduated in 1976. Dave also played Little League, Babe Ruth League and American Legion ball. He is the brother of Yankee second baseman Steve Sax.
Dave's hobbies are hunting and fishing."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


JIM WALEWANDER
"Jim spent the 1989 season with the Toledo Mud Hens, the AAA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. He hit .225 over 133 games with 15 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 38 RBIs. He played a majority of his games at second base (85 games), but also played shortstop (13) and third base (1) as well. Jim has good speed as his 32 stolen bases ranked third in the International League. He ranked third in at-bats (434). Jim was signed by Yankee Vice-President George Bradley as a six-year minor league free agent in December 1989.
He was selected by the Tigers in the 9th round of the June 1983 free agent draft. That year he led the Appalachian League in stolen bases (35) and hit .319. He was named to the Appalachian League All-Star team. Jim hit a grand slam against Elizabethton on July 29.
In 1984 Jim finished second in the Florida State League with 47 stolen bases for Lakeland and named to the FSL All-Star team. He spent most of the 1985 season with Lakeland, hitting .283 and being named to the FSL All-Star team.
At Glens Falls in 1986, Jim hit .243 over 124 games and had 26 multi-hit games. He went 22 consecutive games at second base (June 25-July 19) without committing an error. He was named to the Eastern League All-Star team, the fourth straight year he was named to a league All-Star team.
Jim started the 1987 season with Toledo, hitting .271 in 59 games, and was promoted to the parent club on May 30. He made his major league debut on May 31 in the first game of a doubleheader against Minnesota, going 1-for-2 with his first major league hit: a second-inning double off Bert Blyleven. He hit his first major league home run off the Angels' Willie Fraser at Tiger Stadium on July 26. Jim twice scored the winning run in extra-inning games: on September 27 at Toronto in the 13th inning and on October 3 against Toronto in the 12th inning.
Overall, he appeared in 53 games, 14 as a pinch runner; the Tigers were 17-6 when he scored a run. He made one error in 85 infield chances, a .988 fielding percentage.
Jim spent most of the 1988 season with the Tigers, making the club in spring training as a non-roster invitee. He saw action in 88 games, making 59 starts- 55 at second base and four at shortstop. He was successful in 11 of 15 stolen base attempts and tied for the club lead with 10 sacrifice hits. Jim had a brief stint at Toledo (August 29-September 1)."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide

Led Appalachian League in stolen bases (35), 1983.
Named to Appalachian League All-Star team, 1983.
Named to Florida State League All-Star team, 1984.
Named to Florida State League All-Star team, 1985.
Named to Eastern League All-Star team, 1986.

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide

Other 1990 Yankee Profiles: Pitchers

LANCE MCCULLERS
"In his first year in Pinstripes, the Yankees seemed unsure what to do with Lance McCullers. There's no doubt that the right-hander has great stuff. The question was how best to use it.
During the 1989 season the former Padre was tested in every way. He was a starter, set-up man and closer. After all the trials and tribulations, it seems that McCullers makes an ideal closer. He and Dave Righetti give the Yankees an awesome lefty-right combination.
Pitching coach Billy Connors credits McCullers with having 'the best fastball on the club, as well as an excellent changeup.' He mixes these pitches nicely with a nasty slider, one that actually moves in on right-handed hitters. At age 26, Lance McCullers can bring it!"

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"McCullers was used in all capabilities in 1990: as a starter,  in middle relief, in setup, and as a closer. He finished the season 4-3 with three saves (in six opportunities) and a 4.57 ERA.
He started strong, allowing two earned runs over 6.1 innings (1.80 ERA) through his first eight appearances. Lance made his Yankee debut on April 5 at Minnesota, allowing one run on two hits (a two-run homer by  Brian Harper with two inherited runners on) over 1.1 innings. He followed that with four straight scoreless outings (3.2 IP). On April 11 against Toronto, Lance was charged with his first blown save as he entered in the 7th innings with the Yankees leading 4-3 and allowed a sacrifice fly to Kelly Gruber in a game the Yankees eventually lost. He picked up his first save on April 30 against Chicago with 3.2 innings of one-run relief. He pitched five times at home in April and was 0-0 with no earned runs in 7.1 innings. Overall, McCullers pitched 10 times in April with one save in two opportunities with a 2.45 ERA (11 IP, 3 ER).
McCullers fanned12 batters in 10.1 innings over six straight outings from April 26-May 13. He made eight May appearances and was 1-1 with no saves (no opportunities) and a 3.75 ERA (12 IP, 5 ER). He picked up the first of his four wins of '89 on May 5 at Chicago, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings in a game the Yankees came back from a 5-1 deficit to win 7-5. His lone loss in May came on May 15 at California; Lance started the 11th inning of a 3-3 game, loaded the bases and took the loss as Wally Joyner hit a sacrifice fly off Dave Righetti. He was strong through his first 13 appearances (16.2 IP, 4 ER), posting a 2.16 ERA from April 5-May 13; through May he was 1-1 with a 3.13 ERA in 18 appearances, including 11.1 scoreless innings over eight games pitched. Lance fanned 12 batters over 9.1 innings over six outings from May 26-June 11.
He had a difficult stretch from June 4-July 14. In that span (10 relief, one start) Lance allowed 24 earned runs in 25.1 innings (8.42 ERA), raising his ERA from 3.31 to 5.92, but also struck out 12 over 15.2 innings (June 20-July 14). He was 2-1 with a blown save in nine June appearances with a 6.27 ERA (18.2 IP, 13 ER), bringing his season ERA to 4.54.  Lance allowed his first runs at the Stadium on June 5 as Baltimore's Mickey Tettleton hit a two-run homer, then earned his first win at home on June 8 against Boston with two scoreless innings. He pitched a season high five innings on June 20 against Chicago, allowing two earned runs in a 13-6 loss. He made five July appearances and was 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA (11.1 IP, 11 ER); included was his lone 1989 start, on July 12 at Milwaukee (4 IP, 6 ER) in which he took the loss.
Lance settled down in his next 11 appearances (July 20-August 24), posting a 2.08 ERA (17.1 IP, 4 ER) with all four runs coming in one outing (August 2 against Minnesota). He lowered his ERA to 4.91 in that span. He made 12 appearances in August (his most in any month in '89) and was 1-0 with one save (one opportunity) and a 2.49 ERA (21.2 IP, 6 ER). After the August 2 game, Lance had seven straight scoreless appearances (8.2 IP). From August 22-September 7, he struck out 19 batters in 13.2 innings including a season high (and career high tying) five in three innings on August 30 against Oakland. He had back-to-back saves in the August 30 game and on September 3 against California. Lance was 0-0 with one save (two opportunities) in September with a 4.35 ERA (10.1 IP, 5 ER).
52 games was his lowest total since 1985 (21) and his 84.2 innings were also a low since 1985 (35). His strikeout average (8.7/9 innings) was higher than his career average (7.5/nine innings) entering 1989, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.2:1) was also better than his career average (1.75:1). McCullers entered a game with the bases loaded seven times and left them full four times, and overall stranded 17 of 21 (81%) with the bases loaded and 41 of 56 (73%) of all runners on base. As a reliever he pitched three or more innings nine times and had a 3.66 ERA in those games (32 IP, 13 ER), as opposed to a 4.44 ERA (48.2 IP, 24 ER) when pitching fewer than three innings.
He signed a contract for the 1990 season.
McCullers signed with the Phillies organization as a second-round pick in the June 1982 free agent draft. His first year of pro ball was with Helena in the Pioneer Rookie League, going 6-4 in 13 starts with a 3.72 ERA.
In 1983 Lance went 9-6 for Spartanburg, the Phillies 'A' South Atlantic League team, and started all but one of 22 games, with six complete games and two shutouts. He was traded with pitchers Marty Decker, Darren Burroughs and Ed Wojna to San Diego on September 20 for outfielder Sixto Lezcano and pitcher Steve Fireovid.
His first year in the Padres organization was split between Miami (A) of the Florida State League and Beaumont (AA) of the Texas League. With Miami, McCullers was 6-4 with a 2.54 ERA, splitting time between the bullpen and the starting rotation; 13 of his 22 appearances were starts, with five complete games. He was named as the second best major league prospect in the Florida State League. McCullers was used only as a starter at Beaumont, going 4-1 in eight starts with a 2.11 ERA, and allowed only four home runs in 161.2 innings pitched during the season, a ratio of one homer every 40.1 innings pitched.
While in Las Vegas in 1985, his lone year in AAA ball, he was used exclusively as a starter, appearing in 24 games and going 11-8 with a 3.98 ERA and three complete games, with 148 strikeouts in 149.1 innings pitched. A starter through most of his pro career, McCullers made his major league debut in the role of stopper with the Padres upon his recall from Las Vegas on August 11. He was forced into that situation when Rich Gossage was required to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery.
He was impressive immediately, earning saves in his first three big league outings, and all five of his saves came in his first eight appearances. He did not allow an earned run in the first 11.1 innings pitched of his big league career; his first earned run allowed cost him his first decision, a 4-3 loss at Philadelphia on August 26. When Gossage returned in early September, McCullers was used mainly as a setup man for the remainder of the year. He was honored as the Padres' Rookie of the Year.
Lance appeared in 70 games in 1986, both as a starter and a reliever. He opened the year with 37 straight relief appearances before making seven starts at mid-season and wrapped up the year back in the bullpen with 24 more outings. He was 9-6 with five saves and a 2.13 ERA as a reliever but was 1-4 as a starter with a 4.19 ERA. Lance led the club in ERA (minimum 100 innings) at 2.78 and tied with Andy Hawkins for the top spot in victories with ten.
His first big league win came on April 15 against Los Angeles, winning 2-1 in a 12-inning game. He missed 10 games due to a pulled rib cage muscle before returning on April 29. After returning, Andy allowed only one earned run in 16.1 innings pitched in May for a 0.55 ERA (15 outings). His first major league start came on July 4 in Chicago, a 6.1-inning stint, getting a no-decision. He was named the Padres' Pitcher of the Month for both August and September.
In 1987 McCullers was used exclusively out of the bullpen and finished the season among the NL leaders in several categories. He ranked first among relievers in innings pitched (123.1), second in strikeouts (126), tied for fifth in wins (8) and was fifth overall in appearances (78) and ninth in saves (16).
He made good in nine of his first 12 save situations, subbing as the stopper for the injured Gossage, then hit a tailspin, failing in his next four save situations before finishing the year with seven saves in 12 chances. He had a three-game winning streak from July 16-August 6, during which he matched his career high with seven strikeouts in three innings pitched on July 25 against Pittsburgh. Lance finished the season strong, allowing only four earned runs in 24 innings pitched (1.50 ERA) in his last 18 outings. He compiled identical 4-5 marks in each half, but his second-half ERA was 3.08 compared to 4.42 in the first half.
McCullers went 3-6 with 10 saves and a 2.49 ERA in 60 relief appearances for San Diego in 1988. His 10 saves came in 16 save situations and he prevented 25 of 30 inherited runners from scoring. In 97.2 innings pitched he allowed 70 hits and 55 walks, along with his 81 strikeouts, but did allow eight home runs. His .205 batting average against was the second lowest on the Padres, behind Mark Davis.
Along with Davis, McCullers formed the heart of the Padres bullpen which had the fourth-best relief ERA (2.78) in the National League. Lance was one of only 15 NL relievers to record at least 10 saves, and of those, his 2.49 ERA ranked sixth. His 97.2 innings pitched ranked sixth among NL relievers and he finished 39 games.
Lance started the 1988 season slowly, including a rough outing on April 17 against San Francisco, giving up four earned runs in two innings pitched (including 9th inning home runs to Bob Melvin and Candy Maldonado, the only time Lance gave up more than one home run in a game), and was charged with the Padres' 9-4 loss. On May 24 at Montreal, he gave up a solo home run to Andres Gallaraga in the ninth inning (the first of two solo homers Galarraga would hit off McCullers in 1988) to allow the Expos to tie the score and win in 13 innings. Through June 1, covering his first 23 appearances, McCullers was 0-4 with just three saves (in seven save opportunities) and a 3.82 ERA (35.1 IP, 15 ER).
In his next five appearances, from June 4-17, he pitched 9.2 scoreless innings and went 1-0 with three saves. The win, his first of the year, came on June 10 against Los Angeles when he went 1.1 scoreless innings to gain credit for the Padres' 4-3 victory. Two of his three saves in that span came in back-to-back appearances, on June 14 against San Francisco and June 17 at Los Angeles. He had a season high five strikeouts in 2.1 innings pitched on July 31 at Cincinnati.
In 20 appearances from July 7 through September 13, covering 32.2 innings pitched (0.28 ERA), Lance allowed just one earned run (Galarraga's second homer of the year of him on August 18) and went 2-1 with three saves and 26 strikeouts, lowering his overall ERA from 3.23 to 2.10. His two wins in that stretch were both against the Expos, on August 18 in San Diego and on August 28 in Montreal.
After September 13 he finished the season by allowing seven earned runs in his final six appearances covering 11 innings pitched (5.73 ERA), with no decisions and one save, to raise his final ERA to 2.49.
He was acquired by the Yankees on October 24, 1988 along with Jimmy Jones and Stanley Jefferson from the Padres in exchange for Jack Clark and Pat Clements.
Lance attended Catholic High School in Tampa, a rival of Hillsborough High, alma mater of Dwight Gooden and Floyd Youmans. His favorite team growing up was the Cincinnati Reds, his favorite player was Tom Seaver and his favorite ballpark is Jack Murphy Stadium. His hobbies are skiing, fishing, hunting and golf, and his favorite spectator sport is baseball.
Lance was involved in the San Diego community in several ventures, most actively with 'Pitchers for Pets,' a project with the Department of Animal Control to assist in responsible pet ownership."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide

Tied for Pacific Coast League in hit batsmen (6), 1985.

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


CLAY PARKER
"Every pitching staff needs a guy like Clay Parker. He adds one important ingredient- versatility. Parker has the ability to work both as a starter and in long relief. And the best part is, he's still getting better.
With only seven innings of previous major league experience to his credit, the slender right-hander was called up from the minors, joined the Yankees last May and was asked to fill some mighty big shoes. That was then. He learned a great deal last season. On the job training, you might call it.
Now at age 27, he figures prominently in the Yankees' plans. The team expects that he will regain the form he displayed last year, before being hampered by a blister. The Yankees need pitching. And here is Clay Parker who can start or relieve. If things go as planned, it should be a perfect match."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Parker ended the 1989 season with a 4-5 record and a 3.68 ERA in 22 appearances including 17 starts.
He was recalled from Columbus on May 9 and stayed with the club for good. At the time of his recall he had a 3-0 record and a 1.66 ERA (38 IP, 7 ER) with 10 walks and 25 strikeouts over five starts. His first seven appearances as a Yankee (May 16-July 6) were all starts, and in that span Clay was 3-1 with a 2.49 ERA.
In his first start on May 16 at Oakland, he allowed two earned runs on six hits over seven innings while picking up his first major league victory, a 3-2 Yankee win. In his next start, on May 21 at Seattle, Clay took a shutout into the ninth inning only to have Ken Griffey Jr. hit a two-run inside-the-park home run; he allowed two earned runs on five hits in notching a complete game win, striking out 10 along the way. Clay had two straight no-decisions in which he allowed three earned runs over 12 innings (2.25 ERA) and the Yankees were 2-0 in those games. Overall, the club was 6-1 in his first seven starts.
On the disabled list from June 11 to July 1, Parker had a relief outing on July 9 at Boston (1 IP, 0 ER) and then started five straight games from July 14-August 4. After four straight no-decisions, his lone decision came on August 4 at Toronto when he was the losing pitcher in a 2-1 Yankee loss. Overall in that span Clay had a 7.09 ERA (26.2 IP, 21 ER).
He had another relief appearance on August 9 against Cleveland (2.1 IP, 0 ER). Clay made three starts, August 15-25, and was 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA. In his three decisions, all losses, from August 4-25, the Yankees lost by a combined score of 6-2. He had another relief outing on August 28 against Oakland (4.2 IP, 1 ER) before making his final two starts of the year.
On September 4 against California, Parker won for the first time since July 1, a span of 12 outings (10 starts) between wins. In that game the Yankees won, with Parker allowing one earned run over seven innings. He lost his final start on September 9 at Oakland (7 IP, 4 ER) before making two relief appearances (9.1 IP, 2 ER) to close the season.
As a starter Clay was 4-5 in 17 starts with a 4.03 ERA (102.2 IP, 46 ER). He allowed 12 home runs, walked 27 and fanned 48 (1.8:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio). As a reliever, he was 0-0 with a 1.56 ERA (17.1 IP, 3 ER); he did not allow a home run and walked four while fanning five batters, standing three of five (60%) inherited runners.
The Yanks were 10-12 when he pitched, starting out 6-1 and finishing 4-11. Clay was 2-2 with a 4.86 ERA (53.2 IP, 29 ER) in day games and 2-3 with a 2.71 ERA (66.1 IP, 20 ER) in night games. He had a .249 (62-for-249) batting average against versus right-handed hitters, third best on the club. Parker was 2-2, 3.83 (56.1 IP, 24 ER) at home and 2-3, 3.53 (63.2 IP, 25 ER) on the road.
He signed a contract for the 1990 season.
Parker was acquired by the Yankees from Seattle along with Lee Guetterman and Wade Taylor in December of 1987 in exchange for Steve Trout and Henry Cotto. He spent all of the 1988 season at AAA Columbus but suffered through an injury-plagued year. He had a recurring groin injury that caused him to be placed on the disabled list three times, from April 13-22, June 1-23 and June 28 through the end of the season. That injury limited him to 10 games, all starts.
In those 10 games, Clay was 2-2 with a 3.26 ERA (49.2 IP, 18 ER) and also allowed 49 hits and just nine walks [1.17 WHIP] while recording 51 strikeouts. Despite his curtailed season, he still finished seventh on the Clippers in strikeouts and was the only pitcher on the club with ten or more starts to register more strikeouts than innings pitched.
Parker was Seattle's 15th round pick in the 1985 June draft. He led all Class-A Northwest League pitchers with a 1.55 ERA and a .857 winning percentage (6-1) in his first year in pro ball. In 1986, Parker was Wausau's top starter with a 2.88 ERA (eighth in the 'A' Midwest League). He led the club in innings pitched and shared honors in starts, was second in complete games and strikeouts, and was fifth in the league with a 1.92 walks-per-nine-innings-pitched ratio (38 BB, 178 IP).
He began the 1987 season at the Mariners' AA Chattanooga affiliate and made 16 appearances (all starts), going 7-5 with a 2.73 ERA and five complete games along with 60 strikeouts in 112 innings pitched. He was promoted to AAA Calgary on July 5, and in 12 games with Calgary (all starts) was 8-1 with a 2.93 ERA and four complete games along with 44 strikeouts in 86 innings pitched. He was recalled from Calgary to the Mariners on September 12.
He made his major league debut in Seattle against Cleveland on September 14, pitching 2.1 innings of relief and giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits, including a two-run homer to Jay Bell, one hit batter, one walk and four strikeouts, and was not involved in a decision in the Mariners' 11-8 defeat. He made his second appearance on September 23 against Kansas City, finishing that game by pitching one inning of relief, giving up two runs (earned) on two hits with two walks and a strikeout, and did not figure in the Royals' 9-0 win.
Clay made his third and final appearance of the season, a start on October 2 at Texas, going 4.1 innings and giving up four runs (all earned) on eight hits, including a two-run homer by Ruben Sierra, with a walk and three strikeouts, and again was not involved in a decision in the Mariners' 5-4 victory. In his three major league outings, Clay pitched 7.2 innings without a decision, giving up 10 runs (nine earned) for a 10.56 ERA while allowing 15 hits (including two home runs) with four walks [2.48 WHIP] and eight strikeouts.
Clay graduated from Caldwell Parish (Columbia, Louisiana) High School in 1981. He was named All-State in baseball, football and track, where he was the state javelin champion. He attended LSU on a football scholarship and was a three-year starter, playing in the 1983 Orange Bowl and the 1985 Sugar Bowl. He also started in four years of baseball. Clay declined a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys and signed with the Mariners.
His hobbies are hunting and fishing and his favorite spectator sport is football. His favorite team growing up was the Miami Dolphins and his favorite player was Larry Csonka. His most dramatic moments in sports were playing in the 1983 Orange Bowl and 1985 Sugar Bowl. His most humorous moment: 'Celebrating after tackling Willie Gault, not realizing he had returned my 48-yard punt 47 yards.'
Clay's favorite entertainer is Randy Travis."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


JIMMY JONES
"Jimmy Jones' arrival after the 1988 season with Lance McCullers and Stanley Jefferson for Jack Clark met with mixed emotions. But a strong effort in Columbus and New York last year has changed his critics' opinions. Used solely as a starter in the minors, the 26-year-old right-hander won eight games in the always competitive International League. As a Yankee, he started and was also used in relief, a role that may quicken his arrival to the bigs."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Jones started the 1989 season with Columbus and had his contract purchased by the Yankees on May 30. At the time of his recall he was 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA. He allowed 44 hits, 22 runs (21 ER), eight walks and fanned 39 over 49 innings [1.06 WHIP] with the Clippers.
He made his Yankee debut on the day of his recall, starting against Seattle. He was the losing pitcher, allowing three runs (all earned) on six hits, including two home runs by Ken Griffey Jr. over seven innings in a 3-2 loss. His next start was on June 4 at Milwaukee and Jones earned his first win in Pinstripes despite allowing seven runs over 6.1 innings in a 12-9 Yankee win.
Jimmy made four more starts through June 27 and was 1-0 with a 5.32 ERA. His second win came on June 16 in New York in the second game of a doubleheader with Texas; he allowed one run on three hits (a Rafael Palmeiro homer) over six innings in a 6-1 Yankee win. Jimmy made his first relief appearance on July 2 against Milwaukee and allowed four runs (earned) on nine hits over five innings in a 10-2 Columbus.
He was optioned to Columbus on July 4th and recalled for good on September 2. During his stint with the Clippers, he was 3-3 with a 4.23 ERA in 11 starts. After his recall, Jimmy appeared in four games (all relief) and posted a 3.27 ERA. After allowing three earned runs in one-third of an inning at Oakland on September 9, he allowed just one earned run over his final three appearances (10.2 IP) for a 0.84 ERA, dropping his overall Yankee ERA from 6.51 to 5.25.
As a starter, Jimmy was 2-1 with a 5.63 ERA in six starts. He allowed 20 earned runs on 35 hits, walked eight and fanned 15 batters. As a reliever, he was 0-0 in five appearances with a 4.50 ERA. Jimmy was 1-1, 2.42 (26 IP, 7 ER) in night games and 1-0, 8.59 (22 IP, 21 ER) in day games. The Yankees were 4-7 in games he pitched (4-2 in starts, 0-5 in relief).
He signed a contract for the 1990 season.
Jones spent the entire 1988 season in the Padres' starting rotation and went 9-14 in 29 starts with a 4.12 ERA and three complete games. He had 179 innings pitched and allowed 192 hits (including 14 homers) and 98 runs (82 earned) along with 44 walks [1.32 WHIP] and 92 strikeouts, and had a batting average against of .277.
After losing his first start of the year, Jimmy recorded his first win on April 14 against Los Angeles when he pitched 6.2 shutout innings (5H, 4BB, 3K) to gain credit for the Padres' 14-4 victory. It was his only start of the year where he did not allow a run. He followed that with a win in his next outing, April 22 against Houston, allowing one earned run in 6.2 innings pitched in San Diego's 3-1 victory. It was one of only two times all season Jimmy recorded victories in back-to-back appearances.
He lost each of his next three outings from April 27 through May 8, even though his ERA in those three games was 3.57 (7 ER, 17.2 IP) as the Padres scored a total of five runs. In the May 8 contest at Pittsburgh, Jimmy recorded his season high of seven strikeouts. He broke that losing streak with a 5-hit complete game against Montreal, a 7-1 Padre victory. That began a span of six starts from May 13 through June 9, when he went 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA (13 ER, 42 IP).
Jones had his second three-game losing streak, covering four starts from June 19-July 5, going 0-3 with a 7.66 ERA (19 ER, 22.1 IP). That streak began with his worst outing of the year, June 19 in the first game of a doubleheader at Los Angeles, when he allowed nine earned runs and 11 hits in four innings, including home runs to Franklin Stubbs and Kirk Gibson, in the Dodgers' 12-2 win; but in his last loss of that streak, July 5 against Pittsburgh, Jones matched his season high with seven strikeouts while allowing just two earned runs (solo homers by Tommy Gregg and Andy Van Slyke) in seven innings.
He ended the losing streak on July 19 by pitching his second complete game of the season, a 6-hit 6-2 win at Pittsburgh in the first game of a doubleheader, giving up just one earned run in nine innings along with two walks and four strikeouts. He followed with a win in his next outing, July 24 at Chicago, going eight innings and allowing one run (earned) on four hits in the Padres' 2-1 victory. It was the only time all season Jimmy pitched 17 innings in consecutive starts and the second time all year that he won in back-to-back starts.
Jimmy pitched one other complete game, August 11 at Atlanta, allowing five hits and two runs (earned) in eight innings but was charged with the Padres' 2-1 loss. He was 8-10 with a 3.84 ERA on August 16 but from there finished the season by dropping four of his last five decisions (covering his last six starts of the year) from August 22 through September 20, with a 5.46 ERA (19 ER, 31.3 IP), to drop his final record to 9-14 with a 4.12 ERA.
He was acquired by the Yankees along with pitcher Lance McCullers and outfielder Stanley Jefferson on October 24, 1988 in exchange for outfielder Jack Clark and pitcher Pat Clements.
Selected by the San Diego Padres in the first round (third player selected) of the June 1982 draft, his first year in pro ball was a healthy one, Jones going 4-6 in 14 starts for Walla Walla ('A' Northwest League) while fanning 78 in 77 innings pitched.
While pitching for Reno ('A' California League) in 1983, Jones was 7-5 with a 2.70 ERA in 17 starts when on July 3 he was forced to miss the remainder of the season due to tendinitis in his arm. Prior to the injury, he had pitched six complete games and a shutout. In 1984, Jones had a promising start at Beaumont (AA Texas League), posting wins in seven of nine decisions with a 2.10 ERA, but suffered a disabling injury for the second straight year on July 3, tearing ligaments in his right ankle while running in the outfield prior to a game in El Paso.
While pitching for Beaumont in 1985, he won seven games for the third straight year but also had his season cut short by injury for the third successive time. Jimmy was forced out of action on July 16 with an injury to his left knee. He was strongest in May, going 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA.
Jimmy started 1986 strongly at Las Vegas (AAA Pacific Coast League), tossing a 5-hit shutout over Portland in his AAA debut but struggled through June, posting a 3-7 record. He won six of his last nine decisions before being recalled by the Padres and made his major league debut on September 21 against Houston in the Astrodome. A Bob Knepper triple with two out in the third inning prevented Jones from tossing a no-hitter in his major league debut, as he retired the last 19 men he faced in beating the Astros 6-0; Jones became the first pitcher to throw a 1-hitter in his big league debut since Juan Marichal in 1960. His last start of the year came on October 1 against Los Angeles when he established a personal best that still stands with nine strikeouts in an 8-2 win.
He just missed making the Padres out of spring training in 1987, so he started the season at Las Vegas where he was 2-0 in four starts before being recalled to the majors for keeps on April 29. Jimmy initially was used both as a starter and a reliever before establishing himself as a starter after a superb relief performance on July 29. Filling in after the first inning for an injured Storm Davis, he threw eight innings of near-perfect relief, allowing only two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. It marked the longest relief appearance by a Padre since Dennis Kinney went 9.1 innings at Philadelphia on August 21, 1980.
Jimmy was inserted into the rotation for the rest of the year and went 7-4 with a 3.73 ERA in the second half, including a four-game winning streak. The highlight of that streak was a 2-hit shutout over Atlanta on August 10, with one walk and four strikeouts. He was in on two other shutouts, both of a combined nature, and had one other complete game, a 10-2 win over Houston on September 13.
He went 8-1 against Western Division teams but was just 1-6 against the East. His strikeout high was five on two occasions. He hit his first career home on July 30 at Cincinnati, a game-winning two-run homer off Guy Hoffman.
Jimmy attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas, compiling a 14-3 record during his senior year. He is an avid Dallas Cowboys fan. His hobbies are golf and hunting, his favorite spectator sport is football and his favorite ballpark is Wrigley Field. His favorite entertainer is Jimmy Stewart."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide

Tied modern major league record for fewest hits allowed, first major league game, nine innings (1), September 21, 1986.
Tied for Pacific Coast League in games started by pitchers (27), 1986.

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


BRITT BURNS
"An unsigned free agent, Britt received an invitation to spring training in the 1989-90 off-season. He has not pitched in the major leagues since 1985 or in spring training since 1986 because of chronic hip condition which has since been corrected by surgery.
In December of 1988, Britt had the 'hardware' from his May 1986 surgery removed from his hip. He spent the summer and fall of 1989 on his ranch in Colorado running, chasing and hiking after elk to regain his physical strength.
His last major league appearance came on September 30, 1985 at Minnesota, going five innings and allowing six earned runs on 10 hits in taking the loss. His last win came on September 17 of that year as he beat the Angels in Chicago (6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER). His last complete game came five days later (9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER).
Burns was sidelined for the entire 1986 season with a degenerative hip condition. He did begin spring training with the Yankees and made two appearances. He started and went two innings against Texas on March 12 (2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K), giving up a home run to Pete Incaviglia, and made a start against Toronto at Dunedin on March 17 (3.0 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 0 K). Burns finished with a spring training record of 0-0 and a 10.80 ERA in those two games over five innings pitched. Continued pain in both hips affected those two outings, and he was placed on the 60-day emergency disabled list on March 31 because of his hip condition. He remained on the 60-day DL for the entire season.
He underwent surgery on his right hip on May 27. A flexion and rotation osteotomy of the right proximal femur was performed and Britt spent the rest of the season rehabilitating from that surgery.
With the Chicago White Sox in 1985, Burns finished tied for third in the AL in victories with a team leading and personal high 18. He tied for second in the league with four shutouts, three of which were 4-hitters, the fourth being a 5-hit performance, and finished sixth in strikeouts with a career high 172.
He started a career high 34 games, appearing only twice in relief. He had four outings in which he achieved double figures in strikeouts, setting a personal single-game high with 12 at Baltimore on May 1. He had three shutouts against Cleveland, ending the season with 33.2 consecutive scoreless innings against the Indians. Britt was acquired by the Yankees from the Chicago White Sox in December 1985 along with shortstop Mike Soper, outfielder Glen Braxton and two players to be named later in exchange for catcher Ron Hassey and pitcher Joe Cowley.
In 1978, his first pro season, Britt appeared in two games for the White Sox, both starts, and lost them both, going 0-2 with a 13.75 ERA. He pitched six games with Appleton, Chicago's 'A' affiliate, and four games with AA Knoxville in addition to his brief major league stint. He pitched six games with the White Sox in 1979, all in relief, and also spent time with Chicago's Iowa (AAA) and Knoxville affiliates. In 1980 with the White Sox, Burns struck out 133 batters in his rookie season, second best in his career. He had a 15-13 record with a 2.84 ERA in only 32 starts and was named Sporting News Rookie Pitcher of the Year.
Britt won six straight midseason games in 1981 and was named to the AL All-Star team, but didn't appear in the game. His success was tempered when his father was struck by an automobile near Birmingham, Alabama on July 16 and passed away without regaining consciousness on September 12. Over his father's two-month fight for life, Britt commuted between his father's bedside and his starts in the rotation. He hurled 30 consecutive scoreless innings in August.
He led the Sox in wins (13) and win-loss percentage (.722) in 1982 despite missing the final weeks of the season with a shoulder injury. Burns began the 1983 season on the DL after being sidelined in spring training with a viral infection in his pitching arm. He didn't pitch in a game until May 9 and was inconsistent early. Burns returned to form late in the year and won several key games int he Sox' pennant chase. He pitched a 1-hit shutout against the Angels on September 9 in Chicago and followed that with a 2-hit blanking of the Angels in California on September 24. Despite only 26 starts, his four shutouts were second best in the AL.
Britt volunteered to start the 1984 season in the bullpen due to the quality of White Sox starting pitching. He was placed back in the starting rotation six weeks into the season, his first start a May 13 8-1 win over Texas. He then went 0-8 in his next 11 starts and was returned to the bullpen on July 5. Britt made three relief appearances before developing a bacterial infection, going on the 15-day disabled list on July 19. After brief rehabilitation work at two farm clubs (Appleton and AAA Denver), his next appearance with the White Sox came on August 20.
He returned to the starting rotation on September 7 and snapped a 10-game losing streak on September 12 with a 4-2 win at Oakland; his 10-game losing streak was the longest in the AL in 1984. Britt's best game was on September 23 at Comiskey when he beat Seattle 4-0, allowing three hits in 8.2 innings. He recorded three seven-strikeout games in '84.

Selected by the White Sox in the 3rd round of the June 1978 free agent draft, Burns was 'discovered' by former Chicago Tribune book critic Robert Cromie, who read an article about his high school heroics while in Birmingham on business. Cromie clipped the article and mailed it to White Sox president Bill Veeck, a friend of Cromie. Burns' sensational prep career at Hoffman High School in Birmingham included a 0.12 ERA and a 35-2 record with 30 hits, 30 walks and 292 strikeouts in 139 innings; included was an 18-game winning streak. Britt also played scholastic basketball.
His favorite team growing up was the Baltimore Orioles and his favorite player was Boog Powell. His favorite ballparks are Comiskey Park and Yankee Stadium and his most memorable moment is pitching in the fourth game of the 1983 American League Championship Series. Britt's hobbies are horses, fishing and bird hunting and his favorite entertainers are David Letterman, Eddie Murphy and Lionel Ritchie."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide

Tied for American League lead in balks (4), 1980.
Named American League Rookie Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News, 1980.

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


JOHN HABYAN
"Prior to the start of the 1989 season, John had a bizarre accident. On January 6 he had a third-degree separation of his right shoulder when he was involved in a sledding accident in Baltimore. He underwent surgery on January 8 and his rehabilitation extended into the beginning of the season, and as a result John did not report to Baltimore AAA affiliate Rochester until June 11 and did not make his first appearance until June 15. John pitched in seven games (five starts), striking out 22 and walking five, a ratio of 4.4 strikeouts for each walk. He was acquired by AAA affiliate Columbus from Rochester on July 19 in exchange for outfielder Stan Jefferson. At the time of the trade, Habyan was 1-2 with a 2.17 ERA (37.1 IP, 9 ER) for Rochester. He reported to Columbus immediately after the trade and spent the remainder of the season with the Clippers.
At Columbus, John finished with a 2-3 record and a 5.44 ERA (46.1 IP, 28 ER) and was used exclusively as a starter, making eight appearances and notching two complete games. He fanned 30 batters and walked nine, a ratio of 3.3 strikeouts to each walk, and ranked second on the club for fewest walks allowed and gave up only two home runs, an average of one every 23 innings.
Overall in 1989, Habyan was 3-5 with a 3.98 ERA (83.2 IP, 37 ER) in 15 games. He fanned 52 and walked 14, a 3.7:1 strikeout to walk ratio. Overall he allowed four home runs in his 83.2 innings pitched, or one every 21 innings.

In his minor league career, John is 69-47 with a 4.02 ERA in 160 games (157 starts). In his major league career, he is 9-10 with a 4.61 ERA (160 IP, 82 ER) in 42 games. As a major league reliever he is 6-0 with a save and a 3.28 ERA in 24 relief appearances, and 3-10 with a 5.68 ERA in 18 starts.
John signed a contract for the 1990 season.
The Orioles 3rd round pick in the 1982 June draft, John began his pro career with Bluefield (rookie league) and was 9-2 with a 3.54 ERA in 12 games (all starts, with two complete games and a shutout), fanning 55 batters over 81 innings. His nine wins tied for the Appalachian League lead.
Habyan split the 1983 season between Class-A Newark and Class-A Hagerstown. He compiled a 2-3 record with a 5.81 ERA with Hagerstown in 11 games (all starts, one complete game) with 42 strikeouts over 48 innings (7.9 K/9 IP). At Newark, John went 5-3 with a 3.39 ERA in 11 appearances  (all starts, one complete game, one shutout), striking out 64 in 72 innings (8 K/9 IP).
He began the 1984 season with Hagerstown and went 9-4 (3.54 ERA) in 13 games (all starts, four complete games), striking out 81 batters over 81.1 innings (8.96 K/9 IP). John was promoted to Charlotte on June 21 and at the time had nine of Hagerstown's 34 wins. At Charlotte he went 4-7 with a 4.44 ERA over 13 starts.
Habyan spent most of the 1985 season with Charlotte, winning a club-best 13 games. His season highlights included a nine-inning no-hitter against Columbus on May 13 and two 3-hitters. In his first 11 starts he was 8-0 with a 2.54 ERA before losing to Memphis on June 8. Overall, John allowed three runs or less in 19 of 28 starts.
He finished third in the Southern League in strikeouts (123), innings pitched (189.2) and complete games (8) and fifth in ERA (3.27) and was named as the right-handed pitcher on the Southern League All-Star team. John left the Instructional League and was recalled by the Orioles on September 23, joining an injury-riddled staff. He made his major league debut on September 29 at Yankee Stadium. His first major league win came in his only other outing, against Boston on October 3.
John began the 1986 season with Rochester and posted a 12-7 record with a 4.29 ERA, tying for second in the league in wins. In 25 starts (26 games) he had five complete games and a shutout. John was red hot from May 4-August 4, going 12-2 with a 3.33 ERA (135.1 IP, 50 ER).
He was recalled by the Orioles on August 29 and made his major league starting debut that day, losing 4-0  to Dave Stewart at Oakland. Habyan's first major league win as a starter came against Milwaukee on September 20. Overall for the Orioles, he was 1-3 with a 4.44 ERA in six games.
He began the 1987 season with Rochester and was recalled for good by the Orioles on May 18. At the time of his recall, he was leading the International League with 39 strikeouts. With the Orioles, John was 2-7 in 13 starts, and 4-0 with a save and a 3.66 ERA (59 IP, 24 ER) in 14 relief appearances. He went 1-3 with a 6.28 ERA before the break but was 5-4 with a 4.00 ERA after the break; the five wins tied for the club-best after the break. His last eight appearances were all starts. John's best outing came on September 28 at Detroit (8.1 IP, 0 R, 5 H), combining with Tom Niedenfuer for a 3-0 shutout over Jack Morris, one of only four times the Tigers were shut out in 1987.
John spent a majority of the 1988 season at Rochester. He was used exclusively as a starter, going 9-9 with a 4.46 ERA in 23 games with eight complete games (tied for second in the International League) and a shutout. John made two tours of duty with the Orioles (May 2-28 and June 28-July 15), compiling a 1-0 record with a 4.29 ERA (14.2 IP, 7 ER) in seven relief appearances. His only win came on July 2 at Texas. He returned to Rochester after his second stint with the Orioles and compiled a 6-3 record with a 3.66 ERA (59 IP, 24 ER) through his final nine starts.
He graduated in 1982 from St. John the Baptist High School in Brentwood, New York and played Little League ball in Brentwood. John enjoys playing basketball, football and street hockey and was a Tom Seaver fan as a youngster. His favorite entertainer is Bill Murray."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide


FRED TOLIVER
"Toliver spent time with two organizations and four teams in 1989. He started the season with Minnesota, made five appearances (all starts) and was 1-3 with a 7.76 ERA (29 IP, 25 ER). Fred made his '89 debut on April 8 against Baltimore, allowing five earned runs in two innings, but did not get a decision. In an April 18 relief appearance against Detroit, he earned his only major league win of the year, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits over five innings. His best outing came on May 2 against Boston, allowing four hits and one earned run in seven innings, but he did not get the decision.
He made another start on May 7 against Cleveland (2.1 IP, 3ER) before being outrighted to Portland (Twins' AAA affiliate in the Pacific Coast League) on May 11. Toliver was 4-2 with a 2.68 ERA in eight starts at Portland. The Twins purchased his contract on June 24 and he pitched his final game for the Twins that day, a loss at Boston (4.1 IP, 4 ER). He was traded to the Padres for pitcher Greg Booker on June 29.
Fred made his San Diego debut two days later, pitching two innings in relief and allowing three unearned runs while striking out a season high four batters. He was with the Padres until August 8 and made nine appearances, all in relief, posting a 0-0 record with a 7.07 ERA (14 IP, 11 ER). Toliver was outrighted to Las Vegas (Padres' AAA PCL club) where he spent the remainder of the season. He was 4-0 with a 2.41 ERA in five starts with the Stars.
For the season, Toliver was 1-3 in 16 major league games (5 GS) with a 7.53 ERA. He was 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA (22.1 IP, 17 ER) as a starter and was 1-0 with an 8.27 ERA (20.2 IP, 19 ER) in 11 games as a reliever. With Portland and Las Vegas, Toliver was a combined 8-2 with a 2.57 ERA (84 IP, 24 ER) in 13 games (all starts).
He was acquired by the Yankees on September 27, 1989 from the San Diego Padres to complete the July 22 trade that sent third baseman Mike Pagliarulo and pitcher Don Schulze to San Diego for pitcher Walt Terrell and a player to be named later. Toliver signed a contract for the 1990 season.
Toliver was the Yankees' third choice in the June 1979 free agent draft and he was 10-2 with a 2.10 ERA for Oneonta. His ten wins led the New York-Penn League and he was named to the All-Star team. Fred started the 1980 season at Ft. Lauderdale and finished at Greensboro, the Yankees' Class-A club in the South Atlantic League. In 1981, he was 5-3 with Greensboro with a 3.49 ERA. He was traded to Cedar Rapids in December 1981, completing the November 1981 deal that sent pitcher Brian Ryder and a player to be named later to the Reds, with Ken Griffey, Sr. going to the Yankees.
At Cedar Rapids, Fred struck out 12 batters in a game twice, once in seven innings and the other time in six innings. He was promoted to Indianapolis in August and pitched the division clincher, followed by a 2-hit shutout in the playoffs. Overall, he was 2-2 with a 3.92 at Indianapolis, and in 1983 with the same club was 8-10 with a 4.54 ERA over a full season.
Fred started the 1984 season with Wichita and was 11-6 with a 4.83 ERA in 32 games (23 starts). He was promoted to the Reds in September, posting a 0.90 ERA over 10 innings; he made his major league debut in relief on September 15 against Los Angeles.
He started the 1985 season at Denver (Reds' AAA affiliate) going 11-3 with a 3.24 ERA in 19 starts. He led Denver in wins and was among the American Association leaders in ERA. He was sent to the Phillies on August 27 to complete the trade which on August 8 had shipped shortstop Tom Foley and catcher Alan Knicely to Philadelphia in exchange for catcher Bo Diaz and pitcher Greg Simpson. Toliver was 0-4 with the Phillies, registering his first major league save on September 3 at San Francisco.
Starting the 1986 season with Portland of the Pacific Coast League, Toliver was hit on his pitching hand on April 16 while trying to field a ball hit up the middle and suffered a sprained and bruised middle finger. Reacquired by the Phillies on May 13, he set a career high with six strikeouts at Los Angeles on May 24. Fred then suffered a broken ulna bone in his left forearm when hit by a pitch from Roger Mason of the Giants on May 29 and was placed on the disabled list on May 30.
He was reinstated from the DL on June 25, placed in the bullpen, then moved back into the rotation on July 7. He injured his pitching elbow in his July 7 start, suffering a fracture, and was placed on the disabled list again. Fred missed a total of 21 starts because of the injuries.
Fred spent most of the 1987 season with the Maine Guides (Phillies' AAA club) and was 6-9 with a 4.62 ERA in 22 games (21 starts). He made his 1987 debut with the parent club on August 11 against the Cubs. He earned his first major league win on August 20 against the Padres, allowing two runs over six innings in a 10-2 Phillies win. Overall, Toliver appeared in 10 games with Philadelphia and was 1-1 with a 5.64 ERA.
Traded to the Twins for catcher Chris Calvert in February 1988, Toliver started the season with Portland and had his contract purchased by Minnesota on June 19. He made his American League debut against California on June 21 but did not get a decision (6 IP, 4 ER). Toliver notched his first AL win in his fifth start on July 16 at Baltimore (7 IP, 2 ER) in a 4-3 Twins victory. The win was one of four without a loss from July 16-August 9 (seven starts).
He had an impressive outing in a September 9 game at Chicago, allowing one hit over eight innings (a Steve Lyons single) in leading the Twins to a 1-0 win. Fred followed with 7.1 innings of 2-hit pitching at Seattle on September 14, taking the loss in a 2-0 Mariners win. Overall in '88, he was 7-6 with a 4.24 ERA in 21 games (19 starts), his first winning season in the majors.
Signed by Yankee scouts Bob Nieman and Don Lindeberg in 1979, Fred attended San Gorgonia High School in Highland, California. He played baseball, basketball and football and ran track. He played Little League and Pony League ball in San Bernadino and grew up a Rod Carew fan.
Fred enjoys fishing and collecting crystal and watching tractor pulling and auto racing."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide

1990 Profile: Jim Leyritz

"Jim spent the 1989 season with Albany (AA) of the Eastern League. He led the league in hitting (.315) and on-base percentage (.423), tied for the league lead in hit by pitches (9), ranked second on the team in hits (118) and RBIs (66) and had 10 home runs and 18 doubles. Jim had a five-hit game and was named to the Eastern League All-Star team (as a utility man).
A versatile player in his career, he has played three positions with the following breakdown: catcher: 268 games, outfield: 30 games, third base: 17 games. Jim signed a contract for the 1990 season.
Jim was signed by the Yankee organization as a free agent by scout Bill Livesey on August 24, 1985. He began his pro career in 1986 with the Oneonta Yankees [short-season A New York-Penn League] and batted .363 in 23 games. Jim was promoted to Ft. Lauderdale where he batted .294 in 12 games with a double and a triple.
He spent the 1987 season at Ft. Lauderdale and batted .307 in 102 games with 22 doubles, six homers and 51 RBIs. He played in the Florida State League All-Star Game and led FSL catchers in assists (76), double plays (7) and passed balls (25). Jim spent the 1988 season at Albany where he batted .241 in 112 games with 18 doubles and 49 RBIs."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide

1990 Profile: Kevin Maas

"Kevin was selected by the Yankees in the 22nd round of the 1986 June draft. A .294 hitter in four pro seasons, he was named the Yankees' 1988 Minor League Player of the year.
He spent the entire 1989 season at Columbus where he hit .320 with 45 RBIs in 83 games and was named to the International League All-Star team. A knee injury ended his year in late July.
Kevin is a strong, versatile athlete with great potential."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Maas spent the entire 1989 season at Columbus. He hit .320 in 83 games (third best on the club) with 23 doubles, six home runs and 45 RBIs. 31 of his 93 hits (33%) went for extra bases and his .474 slugging percentage ranked second on the team. He played 43 of 83 games as an outfielder but was named to the International League All-Star team as a designated hitter.
He was on the disabled list twice in 1989: from April 18-May 1 with the chicken pox, and from July 28 through the end of the season as he underwent arthroscopic surgery on August 16 to have ligaments in his right knee repaired. He signed a contract for the 1990 season.
Kevin was the Yankees' 22nd pick in the June 1986 free agent draft. He was signed by Bill Livesey and recommended by Greg Orr. He played 28 games with Oneonta, where he batted .356 with 10 doubles and 18 RBIs in his first professional season.
He spent the 1987 season at 'A' Ft. Lauderdale of the Florida State League where he batted .278 (122-for-439) with 28 doubles, 11 home runs, 73 RBIs, 14 stolen bases and 108 strikeouts. He played 76 of his 116 games at first base but was named as the designated hitter on the Florida State League All-Star team.
Maas was named the 1988 Yankee Minor League Player of the Year.
He started the season with 'A' Prince William of the Carolina League and batted .296 in 29 games with seven doubles, 12 home runs and 35 RBIs. He was promoted to AA Albany-Colonie of the Eastern League on May 13, where he finished the season.
Kevin was named to play in the mid-season Eastern League All-Star Game and was selected as the first baseman on the postseason Eastern League All-Star team. He was named Topps Minor League Player of the Month in the Eastern League for August, when he batted .243 in 31 games with 20 runs scored, six home runs and 16 RBIs (including four game-winning RBIs).
He batted .263 in 108 games at Albany with 66 runs, 14 doubles, 16 home runs and 55 RBIs, along with 103 strikeouts. He finished third in the Eastern League in home runs and third in walks (64). Kevin's combined 28 home runs at Prince William and Albany led the Yankee farm system. He was added to the Yankees' 40-man roster in November of 1988.
Kevin graduated from Bishop O'Dowd (CA) High School and earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. He is the younger brother of Jason Maas, an outfielder in the Yankee organization."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide

Named Eastern League Player of the Month, August 1988.

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide

1990 Profile: Oscar Azocar

"Oscar was signed as a free agent by the Yankees. He's a top-rated prospect in the organization who possesses strong defensive skills and runs very well.
A former pitcher who has hit .290 since being converted to an outfielder before the 1987 season, Oscar split 1989 between Columbus and Albany-Colonie."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Oscar began the 1989 season with the AA Albany-Colonie Yankees. He hit .279 (101-for-362) with 15 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 47 RBIs over 92 games. He was promoted to Columbus and hit .292 (38-for-130) with eight doubles, three triples, a home run and 12 RBIs.12 of Oscar's 38 hits were for extra bases and he had a .423 slugging percentage.
He signed a contract for the 1990 season.
Signed as a free agent by Yankee scout Fred Ferriera in November 1983, Oscar was 4-1 at Sarasota in 1984 in his first professional season, with a 1.28 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) with 60 strikeouts in 56.1 innings pitched. He spent time with both Sarasota and Oneonta in 1985. At Sarasota, Oscar was 4-0 with a 1.45 ERA in five games (four starts) with 36 strikeouts in 37.1 innings, and at Oneonta was 0-2 with a 4.86 ERA in 14 games (two starts).
In 1986, his final season as a pitcher, he posted a record of 4-2 and a 3.25 ERA in six games at Sarasota (five starts) before being promoted to Oneonta, where he appeared in 10 games (one start) with a record of 2-0, a 2.86 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 22 innings.
After spending his professional career as a pitcher, he was converted to an outfielder prior to the 1987 season. In his initial campaign as an everyday player, Oscar batted .359 (69-for-192) in 53 games for the Ft. Lauderdale Yankees of the 'A' Florida State League, with six home runs and 39 RBIs.
He played the entire 1988 season with the AA Albany-Colonie Yankees of the Eastern League and batted .273 with six home runs, 66 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. Oscar led the Eastern League in games (138), at-bats (543) and triples (9) and was second in hits (148) and total bases (206). He also led all outfielders in errors (15). He was named as an outfielder on the postseason Eastern League All-Star team. He was added to the 40-man roster in November 1988.
Oscar resides in Caracas, Venezuela."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide

Led Eastern League in games (138), at-bats (543), triples (9) and errors (15), 1988.
Named to Eastern League All-Star team, 1988.

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide

1990 Profile: Chuck Cary

"When you least expect it. Isn't that how the story goes? It [was] hard imagining Chuck Cary as a key to Yankee pitching hopes for 1990. There was no hoopla when he was signed in January 1989, and nobody cared when he was called up in May. But after an impressive start and a string of strong performances, Cary turned himself into a prominent figure for this season. The 30-year-old left-hander has indeed been a find for the Yankees.
'I was given a shot, and I've taken full advantage of it,' says Cary, who not only expects to make the 1990 staff but to be a major contributor. 'Nothing can compare to playing for this team, in this city, and in this Stadium.'
It may too early to call him a diamond in the rough, but if the Yankees are to succeed, a lot will depend on Chuck Cary."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"Chuck began the 1989 season with the Clippers and was recalled on May 9. At the time of his recall he was 0-0 with no saves in nine relief appearances with a 1.84 ERA (14.2 IP, 3 ER). He made seven appearances (all in relief) in May and was 0-0 with no saves with a 1.64 ERA  (11 IP, 2 ER), allowing just four hits in the month.
He made his Yankee debut on May 13 at California, allowing one run on one hit (a Bill Schroeder homer) over 2.1 innings. After that Chuck allowed just one run on three hits through the rest of the month.
Chuck made three appearances in June, two in relief and one start. On June 5 in New York against Baltimore he allowed a grand slam to Steve Finley, the first hit he allowed to a left-handed hitter as a Yankee. On June 14 in Baltimore, Chuck made his first major league start, allowing no runs and two hits over five innings. On June 22 he was placed on the 21-day disabled list, retroactive to June 15, with a sprained lower back and did not pitch again until after the break. At the time of his injury he was 0-0 with no saves in 11 appearances (one start) with a 2.84 ERA (25.1 IP, 8 ER).
During his rehabilitation Chuck pitched twice for Columbus (8.2 IP, 5 ER). He was reinstated on July 11 and started on July 15 against Kansas City, pitching seven innings and allowing one earned run on two hits and left the game with score 1-1 (the Yankees lost 7-1).
On July 23 at Texas, Chuck pitched masterpiece until things fell apart in the last of the ninth inning. After allowing a first-inning single to Scott Fletcher, he carried a 1-hitter into the ninth inning. With two out Fletcher doubled, driving in a run, and Chuck exited the game having allowed two hits and was not involved in the decision with the Yankees losing 5-4 in 10 innings. In his first three starts Chuck was 0-0 with a 1.31 ERA (20.2 IP, 3 ER).
He was the winning pitcher on July 29 against Toronto, pitching a complete game in a 7-2 Yankee win. The win was Chuck's first since September 30, 1987 when he beat the Astros as a member of the Braves and it was his first AL win since beating the A's on September 5, 1986 as a member of the Tigers.
Chuck won again on August 3, again throwing a complete game, a 5-hitter, in an 8-1 Yankee win against Minnesota; he had a shutout until the ninth inning when Greg Gagne hit a home run. On August 8 against Cleveland, Chuck struck out a career high 10 batters. He ended the season on a winning note at Baltimore, allowing two hits and no runs over seven innings and again striking out 10 as the Yankees shut out the Orioles 2-0.
In 11 starts in 1989, Chuck posted a 4-3 record with a 3.25 ERA (74.2 IP, 27 ER) and the Yankees went 6-5 when he started. He pitched into the seventh in seven of those starts. He won four games, two more than in his major league career entering the season. In his four wins he had a 1.19 ERA, in his four losses he had an 8.15 ERA and in his four no-decisions he had a 2.42 ERA. He made 11 relief appearances and was 0-1 with no saves and a 3.28 ERA (24.2 IP, 9 ER); the Yankees were 0-11 when he pitched in relief.
Overall, Chuck allowed 13 home runs, three in his first 41 innings and ten over his last 58.1 innings. He had a .209 batting average against, best on the team and 72 points better than the club average of .281. Chuck was 1-0 with a 3.10 ERA and a .194 batting average against in day games, 3-4 with a 3.33 ERA and a .215 batting against in night games. He struck out 79 and walked 29, an average of 7.2 strikeouts and 2.6 walks per nine innings.
Chuck signed a contract for the 1990 season.
He was was originally a 7th round selection of the Detroit Tigers in the June 1981 free agent draft. He began his pro career at class-A Macon, going 5-5 with a 2.59 ERA in 13 starts. With AA Birmingham in 1982, Chuck tossed 166 innings and fanned 125 while setting personal marks with eight wins and 14 losses.
Chuck split 1983 between Birmingham and AAA Evansville. He started all 17 of his games at Birmingham and relieved in 14 of 15 at Evansville. [With Birmingham for all of 1984] he started 20 of 22 games and tied for the Southern League lead for fielding percentage by a pitcher (1.000).
In 1985, Chuck was AAA Nashville's leader in appearances (48) and saves (8). He made his major league debut on August 22 at Oakland, earning his first save by fanning two A's in one inning and preserving a 5-3 Tiger win.
Chuck opened the 1986 season with Detroit. He was optioned to Nashville on June 16, recalled on September 2 and collected his first major league win on September 5 at Oakland. He allowed just one earned run in his five eight appearances covering 12.1 innings. Chuck was traded with pitcher Randy O'Neal to the Atlanta Braves for outfielders Terry Harper and Freddy Tiburcio in January of 1987.
He spent most of his first season in the Atlanta organization with the AAA Richmond Braves, leading the club in strikeouts with 127 and allowing just 104 hits in 105.2 innings pitched. Chuck was recalled by Atlanta on September 1 and made his National League debut on September 2, tossing an inning of hitless relief while fanning two Pirates. He collected his first NL save on September 22, tossing four scoreless frames against Houston (2 H, 3 K)- Chuck's longest outing with the Braves. He recorded his first NL victory on September 30, hurling 1.1 hitless innings of relief as the Braves topped the Astros 3-1.
He struck out 15 in 16.2 innings of work in 13 games for Atlanta. He was 1-for-3 in save situations, first batters Chuck faced hit .385 (5-for-13) against him, and six of seven inherited runners scored.
Chuck opened the 1988 season with Richmond and was 0-0 with a 1.42 ERA in five games before being sent to Bradenton on injury rehabilitation from July 29-August 17. He finished the season with Atlanta, appearing in seven games (0-0, 6.48). Chuck played winter ball in the 1988-89 off-season with Caguas in the Puerto Rican league. He was signed as a free agent by Yankee VP George Bradley in January of 1989.
Chuck graduated from California High School in San Ramon, CA, attended the University of California at Berkeley and resides in San Ramon."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide