"In his rather unorthodox batting stroke, Mel Hall has found a swing quite appeasing to the Yankee Stadium dimensions.
In two seasons with the Yankees, Hall has slammed 29 home runs and collected 104 RBI in limited playing time. His aggressive play in the outfield has produced several memorable catches.
A fine all-around athlete, this 30-year-old left-hander will see time as a designated hitter and as a fourth outfielder. His explosive bat and skill with the glove make him invaluable coming off the bench in key situations. Last season he produced when asked and is looking forward to another season.
'This is where I want to play,' Hall says. 'The fans respect me and I respect them. It's the place for me to play. This park was tailor-made for me.'"
-The New York Yankees Official 1991 Yearbook
"Hall hit .258 with 23 doubles, 12 home runs and 46 RBIs over 113 games in 1990.
He had a slow first half of April (2-for-21) and then a torrid second half of the month (10-for-23) hitting .273 overall with two homers and seven RBIs over 13 games (11 starts). His hot streak started with a solo homer off Nolan Ryan at Texas on April 20. The home run was the first by the Yankees in 1990; the seven homerless games was the most by the Yankees at the start of a season since 1918. Two days later Hall hit a two-run shot off Kevin Brown.
Hall started out hot in May, getting five hits in his first 16 at-bats through May 5 and bringing his season batting average to what would be a season high .283. His average tailed off drastically over the course of the month as he hit .200 (13-for-65). On May 24 and 29, Mel drove in ninth-inning runs to bring the Yankees within one run, but the Yanks ended up losing both games. Overall in May, he appeared in 25 games (21 starts) and hit .222 with eight doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs.
June was by far his most productive month, with Mel hitting .286 with six doubles, five home runs and 15 RBIs. He started the month hot, getting five hits in his first 13 at-bats, including a three-run homer off Dennis Lamp on June 5 in Boston. From June 10-14 he had an RBI in four straight games, including three games against Boston. Mel was especially effective over an 11-game stretch from June 10-21 when he hit .289 (11-for-38) with two doubles, four home runs and 10 RBIs (the Yankees were 6-5 in that stretch). On June 21 at Toronto he was 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. From June 12 through the end of June (18 games), Mel hit .318 (21-for-66), raising his season average 26 points to .259.
He continued his torrid hitting into July until sidelined with an injury in the middle of the month. He appeared in 11 games (all starts) and hit .325 (13-for-40). Hitting safely in 10 of 11 games, he raised his average 11 points to .270. From June 28 into the All-Star break, Mel hit safely in a season best 10 straight games with an average of .372 (16-for-43).
Over a 29-game period from June 12 through July 15, Mel hit .321 (34-for-106), raising his average from .233 to .270. In the July 15 game against Chicago, he doubled to right field and had to leave the game with a pulled right quadriceps which he injured sliding into second. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 16 and activated on August 1.
Hall had a horrendous August, hitting .211 with two home runs and seven RBIs while appearing in 26 games. His worst stretch was from August 8-14 when he was 0-for-16, dropping his batting average from .271 to .258. September was a month marred by injuries. On September 1 at Boston, while chasing a Wade Boggs double, Hall went headfirst into the left field wall, spraining his left wrist; he missed the next five games.
He came back and was 1-for-12 over the next six games before going 3-for-4 on September 11 against Texas. Starting with that game he had seven hits in his next 13 at-bats including a pinch-hit homer in Detroit off Ed Nunez. He made his final start on September 17 in Toronto and jammed his right shoulder diving for an errant throw into left field. The Yankees played 15 more games and Mel appeared twice as a pinch hitter.
Mel hit .268 with nine home runs and 34 RBIs in 71 games before the break, .237 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 42 games after the break. On June 2 against Baltimore, he played in career game No. 900. He made 95 starts in 1990 and the Yanks went 33-62 in those games.
He was 0-for-7 with an RBI with the bases loaded. Hall hit .268 (81-for-302) with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs against right-handed pitching and .207 (12-for-58) with a homer and five RBIs against lefties. He hit .273 with three home runs and 25 RBIs at home and .243 with nine homers and 25 RBIs on the road, hitting .333 (19-for-57) on astroturf. He hit .276 at night and .214 in day games. The Yankees were 6-6 in games in which Hall hit a home run.
Hall had 24 multi-hit games, three more than in 1989. He stroked 23 doubles, his most in one season since he had a combined 24 in 1984 for the Cubs and Indians, and his 113 games matched his 1989 total. Hall's batting average was his lowest since hitting .257 in 83 games for the Cubs in '84. His seven game-tying RBIs tied for the team lead with Jesse Barfield and Steve Sax and 19 of his 46 RBIs (41%) came with two out.
He signed a three-year contract in November 1989. The contract extends through the 1992 season.
Hall was acquired from the Cleveland Indians on March 19, 1989 in exchange for catcher Joel Skinner and outfielder Turner Ward. He started out slowly, appearing in 15 games and hitting .258 (8-for-31) with two RBIs for the month of April. He made six starts, all in right field. Mel went on the disabled list on April 26 with a pulled right hamstring; the injury occurred on April 25 in Kansas City while he was trying to score from first base on a double and was hurt rounding third base.
He was reinstated on May 26 and hit in seven straight games from May 30-June 10 (11-for-26, .423) with three home runs and eight RBIs, raising his batting average 82 points from .235 to .317. From June 4-8, Hall hit home runs in three consecutive games for the third time in his career and the first time by a Yankee since Don Mattingly hit in eight straight in 1987. From June 4-13 he had an RBI in seven straight games and from June 22-28 hit in six straight (7-for-25, .280) with a homer and seven RBIs. On June 24 Mel hit a grand slam at Kansas City off Kevin Appier, his first since August 29, 1983 when, as a Cub, he hit one off Atlanta's Phil Niekro; it was also the second and final grand slam by a Yankee in 1989. For the month of June, Mel hit .288 with five home runs and 18 RBIs, raising his overall average from .250 to .274.
He maintained his average and power in July, hitting .278 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. At the break, he was hitting .279 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs over 46 games, averaging one RBI every 5.4 at-bats. August was his busiest month as he appeared in 28 games (24 starts- 13 LF, 9 DH, 2 RF), hitting .270 with a home run and 11 RBIs. Mel hit in a season best nine straight games from August 26-September 6 (12-for-33, .364) and in 12 of 13 games from August 26-September 10 (15-for-47, .319). He also scored a run in seven straight games (10 total) from August 26-September 6. On September 1 and 2, he homered in consecutive games against California- the second one, off Mike Witt in the bottom of the ninth, was the game-winner in a 2-1 Yankee win.
Hall went into a 10-game slump from September 12-25, hitting .083 (3-for-36) and dropping his average from .272 to .252. On September 21 in New York in the first game of a twin-bill with the Brewers, he was ejected for being involved in an incident when Luis Polonia was hit by a Mark Knudsen pitch. On September 29 against Detroit, Mel hit a pair of home runs off Jack Morris, the eighth two-homer game of his career and his first since September 29, 1987. He hit in five straight (8-for-20) to end the season and raise his average 10 points to .260.
He had 21 multi-hit games in 1989 and hit .267 with runners in scoring position. He hit .284 with 16 home runs and 47 RBIs against right-handed pitchers and .159 with a home run and 11 RBIs against left-handers. He hit .282 with 11 home runs and 29 RBIs in Yankee Stadium and .233 with six homers and 29 RBIs on the road. The Yankees were 15-1 when Mel homered. His season average was 21 points lower than his career average entering 1989, yet his strikeout to at-bat ratio (1.9:8) was a career low.
Hall was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 2nd round of the June 1978 free agent draft. He was a Gulf Coast League All-Star at Bradenton that year, leading outfielders in putouts (97) and total chances (102) while finishing sixth in the loop with a .290 batting average. For Geneva in 1979, he was named to the New York-Penn League All-Star team and was tied for second in the league in doubles (18), fifth in RBIs (53) and 10th in batting (.315).
At Class A Quad City in 1980 Hall was the Midwest League's fourth-best hitter (.294) and was second in the league in fielding (.973) among outfielders. In 1981, he led the AA Texas League in hits (170) and total bases (286) while tying for the league lead in runs scored (98). He hit .319 with 24 homers and 95 RBIs at Midland and earned a September promotion to the Cubs, his first appearance in the big leagues.
Mel's final season of minor league action, in 1982, was also his best. He led AAA Iowa in homers (32), RBIs (125), hits (165), runs (116), doubles (34) and game-winning RBIs (17). He led the American Association in the three latter departments and was named to the All-Star squad. He hit .329 and was tabbed as the league's Rookie of the Year.
Mel had a fine rookie season with the Cubs in 1983, batting .283 with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs in 112 games, and finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting. He was the NL's Player of the Month for August when he hit .333 with nine homers and 17 RBIs- the first NL rookie to win that award since Fernando Valenzuela in April 1981- and hit his first major league grand slam off Phil Niekro on August 29.
On June 13, 1984, Hall was traded with outfielder Joe Carter and pitchers Don Schulze and Darryl Banks to the Cleveland Indians for catcher Ron Hassey and pitchers Rick Sutcliffe and George Frazier. He hit his first American League home run against Minnesota on June 27, a game-winner in the 10th inning off Ron Davis. He had five RBIs that night.
He was leading the Indians with a .318 average in 1985 when he was felled in a freak car accident on May 9 in Texas. Mel was sidelined for the remainder of the season with a fractured left clavicle, a fractured right side of the pelvic bone, a slight concussion and a neck strain. He returned to Cleveland in mid-September and took batting practice and also spent a week at the Tribe's Florida League Instructional League complex.
In 1986 Mel set career highs in batting average (.296), homers (18) and RBIs (77). In a 50-game span, he batted .346 with 12 homers, 47 RBIs and 34 runs.
He tied his career best in 1987 with 18 homers and was tied for eighth among AL outfielders with a .989 fielding percentage. In a 63-game stretch from July 7-September 25, Mel hit .340 with nine homers and 44 RBIs. In a three-game set against Minnesota from September 11-13, he batted .600 (9-for-15) with four homers and six RBIs; Mel was named American Player of the Week for September 7-13. He hit his first career home run off a left-handed pitcher on September 25 off Gary Lucas of the Angels (after 170 previous career at-bats against lefties).
Mel had the most playing time of his career in 1988 and set season highs in most offensive departments, but his home run output (6) was a career low. Mel set career highs in games (150), at-bats (515), runs (69), hits (144), doubles (32), triples (4), stolen bases (7) and game-winning RBIs (5) and ranked third on the club with 71 RBIs. He struck out just 50 times and led the club with 12 intentional walks.
Named a co-captain on April 4, Hall batted .333 (21-for-63) with nine RBIs through April 24, endured a 27-for-119 (.227) slide in his next 38 games, through June 9, with no homers and nine RBIs, then hit .381 (24-for-63) from June 10-29. Included in that span was his first home run of the season on June 23, off Rick Rhoden at Yankee Stadium, his first homer since the previous October 4 (in 223 at-bats).
Mel hit .352 in 43 games from June 10-July 31 with four homers and 28 RBIs, raising his batting average from .264 to .305. This included a career-high 16 straight games from July 3-20 (23-for-66, .348) with two homers and 13 RBIs. He hit an inside-the-park home run on July 6 against Oakland, the first by an Indian since Joe Carter's on September 10, 1985 and the first in Cleveland since Andre Thornton's on August 29, 1977. Mel hit the homer off Rick Honeycutt, just his second career homer off a southpaw.
He had another hot streak in August, batting .339 in 17 games from the 12th to the 30th with eight doubles, a homer and 15 RBIs. He cooled off in September/October, batting .184 in 25 games with a homer and nine RBIs. He hit his last homer on September 4 against Chicago, his only one after August 16.
For the 1988 season, Mel tied for second best on the Indians with a .290 average (40-for-138) and 63 RBIs with runners in scoring position and was 3-for-7 with eight RBIs with the bases loaded. He was tops on the club in driving home runners from third with less than two out, being successful 24 of 32 times. He was third on the club with 41 multi-hit games but against left-handers was 5-for-46 with a home run, five RBIs, three walks and seven strikeouts.
Mel graduated in 1978 from Port Byron (NY) High School where he was a baseball All-American. He was All-State twice in football and once in basketball. He played Little League, Babe Ruth, and American Legion ball as a youngster. Hall's father, Mel Sr., played minor league baseball, and a cousin, Oscar Bennett, was an infielder in the Oakland organization."
-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Saturday, April 20, 2019
1991 Profile: Steve Farr
"Farr enjoyed a career year as a Royal relief pitcher and, as a free agent, turned it into a three-year, $6.3 million contract. He posted personal bests in record, ERA, innings and strikeouts and his 13 wins topped the club. Fifty-one of his 57 appearances were in relief. He had only one save. As a starter, Farr won five games and posted a 1.51 ERA- he threw his first career complete game and shutout on September 23 against California. He was the Royals' Pitcher of the Month in September.
Born in Cheverly, Maryland, he pitched seven and a half seasons in the minors before breaking in with Cleveland in 1984. He was signed by the Royals as a free agent in 1985."
-John Shea and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1991 Edition
"On first appearance, Steve Farr, a fireplug of a pitcher, elicits an attitude most pitchers would find quite helpful. The right-hander can be downright intimidating, and his fierce, competitive nature has become legendary.
Selected by the Kansas City Royals as their pitcher of the year last season, Farr, also known as 'The Beast,' works as either reliever or starter.
In addition to his career-high 13 wins in 1990, the 34-year-old worked 127 innings while collecting a minuscule 1.98 ERA. Farr is not concerned with being labeled a starter or reliever, he just wants the ball regardless of the circumstances.
'I like to do a little bit of everything,' Farr says. 'I like getting saves or being out there when the game is on the line.' "
-The New York Yankees Official 1991 Yearbook
"A member of the Kansas City Royals in 1990, Steve had perhaps his finest season in the majors, posting a 13-7 record with a save and a 1.98 ERA over 57 appearances (second most on the club), including six starts. He led the club in wins, and his wins, ERA, innings (127.0) and strikeouts (94) were all career bests. Opponents hit .220 against Steve.
He was 5-1 with a 1.51 ERA as a starter and 8-6 with a save and 2.19 in relief. He was used in save situations only twice all year and his one save came on August 9 against Chicago (2.2 IP, 0 R). Of his relief appearances, Steve had 12 of more than 2.0 innings and had a 1.21 ERA in such games (37.1 IP, 5 ER) as opposed to 39 appearances of 2.0 innings or less in which he had a 2.83 ERA (54.0 IP, 7 ER).
Farr made seven appearances from June 10-July 3 of which three were starts. He made his first start on June 10 at Oakland and took the loss (5.0 IP, 3 ER); the start was his first since making two starts in his final two 1989 appearances. Steve's other starts in that period resulted in wins on June 19 against Seattle and on July 3 against the Yankees. He had a stretch from July 13-August 26 where over 16 games he allowed just five earned runs over 38.0 innings pitched for a 1.18 ERA, lowering his overall ERA from 2.51 to 1.98.
His other three starts were his final games of the season (September 17-29) and all three resulted in wins. Included was a complete game shutout against California on September 23 (9 IP, 5 H)- the complete game and the shutout were both career firsts. Overall in those three starts Steve allowed just one earned run (a Larry Parrish homer in the final outing) over 21.1 innings, lowering his ERA from 2.30 to a season ending 1.98.
Steve was 9-2, 1.37 in 37 games at Royals Stadium; 4-5, 2.64 on the road; 11-3, 1.63 at night, and 2-4, 2.64 in day games. His 49 career saves as a Royal are third most in their club history behind Dan Quisenberry and Doug Bird. Over the 1988-90 seasons, Farr was successful in 39 of 49 (80%) save situations.
He signed a three-year contract with the Yankees as a free agent in November 1990. The contract extends through the 1993 season.
In 1989, Farr was 2-5 with 18 saves and a 4.12 ERA over 51 games, including two starts in his final two appearances of the season. The 18 saves tied Jeff Montgomery for the club lead, with eight coming in one-run games and seven in two-run games.
Of his 49 relief appearances, he started the inning 41 times. Overall, he was successful in 18 of 22 save situations. All four blown saves came as a result of having allowed a home run.
Steve opened the season as the bullpen closer and was successful in each of his first ten save situations. Through his first 26 outings he had 15 saves and a 1.95 ERA. Included was a stretch from June 15-July 22 where he struck out at least one batter (15 total) in 12 straight games. Steve's only relief win came on July 30 against Baltimore (2.0 IP). He finished 35 of the first 37 outings in which he appeared, none commencing earlier than the eighth inning.
He underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair his knee and was activated on September 13. Farr started on September 24 against Seattle, only his second start since 1985, and picked up the win (6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER). In his two starts he posted a 1.50 ERA (12.0 IP, 2 ER), fanning 10 batters along the way.
In 1988, Farr established himself as the Royals' closer in the pen. He led the staff, and established a personal best, by appearing in 62 games, eighth best in Royal history. He did not register his first save until May 16, yet finished with 20 saves to tie for seventh best in club history. Steve was successful in 20 of 25 save situations.
Steve was signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates in December 1976. He spent the 1983 season with AA Buffalo of the Eastern League, where he was 13-1 with a league leading 1.61 ERA. Steve was named to Baseball America's Class AA and Eastern League all-star teams.
He began the 1984 season with Cleveland's AAA club at Maine, going 4-0 with a 2.60 ERA over six starts. Steve earned a promotion to the Indians on May 14, appearing in 31 games (16 starts) for the Tribe. He was 3-11 with a 4.58 ERA.
In 1985, Steve was signed as a free agent by the Royals on May 9. He started his season at Omaha and pitched brilliantly, posting a 10-4 record with a league leading 2.02 ERA over 17 games (16 starts). He led Omaha in wins, ERA, complete games, shutouts and strikeouts.
Steve made his first appearance in a Kansas City uniform on August 8 as a starter against Detroit and was not involved in the decision in a 6-4 Royal win. He picked up his first win as a Royal on September 6 against Milwaukee in a 7-1 Kansas City win- the victory marked Steve's first major league win since August 13, 1984. He notched his first save as a Royal on September 25 at Seattle.
He appeared in two games in the American League Championship Series, both in relief. He hurled 4.1 innings of 2-hit ball in relief in Game 3, picking up Kansas City's first win in the ALCS. He did not pitch in the World Series.
1986 was the first full season in the majors for Steve and he established his mark as an effective reliever. He tied for second on the club with 56 games pitched and posted the club's second best ERA (3.13). He was 7-0 with four saves and 2.23 ERA at Royals Stadium.
Steve was named the Royals' pitcher of the month for both May and June. He did not pitch after September 16 because of a sore shoulder.
He spent most of the 1987 season in the bullpen, appearing in 47 games which tied him for second most on the club. He had a then career high 88 strikeouts which also led the bullpen. He had two brief stints at Omaha: from July 31-August 13 and from August 30-September 4.
Steve graduated from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He was a catcher and pitcher at DeMatha, lettering in baseball. He attended Charles County Community College (LaPlata, MD) and American University (Washington, DC). Steve went to American U. on a scholarship and played baseball at both schools.
Steve played Babe Ruth and American Legion ball as a youngster. He helped his team to the 1972 Babe Ruth World Series, held in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
Steve credits Jamie Quirk with helping his career."
-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide
Born in Cheverly, Maryland, he pitched seven and a half seasons in the minors before breaking in with Cleveland in 1984. He was signed by the Royals as a free agent in 1985."
-John Shea and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1991 Edition
"On first appearance, Steve Farr, a fireplug of a pitcher, elicits an attitude most pitchers would find quite helpful. The right-hander can be downright intimidating, and his fierce, competitive nature has become legendary.
Selected by the Kansas City Royals as their pitcher of the year last season, Farr, also known as 'The Beast,' works as either reliever or starter.
In addition to his career-high 13 wins in 1990, the 34-year-old worked 127 innings while collecting a minuscule 1.98 ERA. Farr is not concerned with being labeled a starter or reliever, he just wants the ball regardless of the circumstances.
'I like to do a little bit of everything,' Farr says. 'I like getting saves or being out there when the game is on the line.' "
-The New York Yankees Official 1991 Yearbook
"A member of the Kansas City Royals in 1990, Steve had perhaps his finest season in the majors, posting a 13-7 record with a save and a 1.98 ERA over 57 appearances (second most on the club), including six starts. He led the club in wins, and his wins, ERA, innings (127.0) and strikeouts (94) were all career bests. Opponents hit .220 against Steve.
He was 5-1 with a 1.51 ERA as a starter and 8-6 with a save and 2.19 in relief. He was used in save situations only twice all year and his one save came on August 9 against Chicago (2.2 IP, 0 R). Of his relief appearances, Steve had 12 of more than 2.0 innings and had a 1.21 ERA in such games (37.1 IP, 5 ER) as opposed to 39 appearances of 2.0 innings or less in which he had a 2.83 ERA (54.0 IP, 7 ER).
Farr made seven appearances from June 10-July 3 of which three were starts. He made his first start on June 10 at Oakland and took the loss (5.0 IP, 3 ER); the start was his first since making two starts in his final two 1989 appearances. Steve's other starts in that period resulted in wins on June 19 against Seattle and on July 3 against the Yankees. He had a stretch from July 13-August 26 where over 16 games he allowed just five earned runs over 38.0 innings pitched for a 1.18 ERA, lowering his overall ERA from 2.51 to 1.98.
His other three starts were his final games of the season (September 17-29) and all three resulted in wins. Included was a complete game shutout against California on September 23 (9 IP, 5 H)- the complete game and the shutout were both career firsts. Overall in those three starts Steve allowed just one earned run (a Larry Parrish homer in the final outing) over 21.1 innings, lowering his ERA from 2.30 to a season ending 1.98.
Steve was 9-2, 1.37 in 37 games at Royals Stadium; 4-5, 2.64 on the road; 11-3, 1.63 at night, and 2-4, 2.64 in day games. His 49 career saves as a Royal are third most in their club history behind Dan Quisenberry and Doug Bird. Over the 1988-90 seasons, Farr was successful in 39 of 49 (80%) save situations.
He signed a three-year contract with the Yankees as a free agent in November 1990. The contract extends through the 1993 season.
In 1989, Farr was 2-5 with 18 saves and a 4.12 ERA over 51 games, including two starts in his final two appearances of the season. The 18 saves tied Jeff Montgomery for the club lead, with eight coming in one-run games and seven in two-run games.
Of his 49 relief appearances, he started the inning 41 times. Overall, he was successful in 18 of 22 save situations. All four blown saves came as a result of having allowed a home run.
Steve opened the season as the bullpen closer and was successful in each of his first ten save situations. Through his first 26 outings he had 15 saves and a 1.95 ERA. Included was a stretch from June 15-July 22 where he struck out at least one batter (15 total) in 12 straight games. Steve's only relief win came on July 30 against Baltimore (2.0 IP). He finished 35 of the first 37 outings in which he appeared, none commencing earlier than the eighth inning.
He underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair his knee and was activated on September 13. Farr started on September 24 against Seattle, only his second start since 1985, and picked up the win (6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER). In his two starts he posted a 1.50 ERA (12.0 IP, 2 ER), fanning 10 batters along the way.
In 1988, Farr established himself as the Royals' closer in the pen. He led the staff, and established a personal best, by appearing in 62 games, eighth best in Royal history. He did not register his first save until May 16, yet finished with 20 saves to tie for seventh best in club history. Steve was successful in 20 of 25 save situations.
Steve was signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates in December 1976. He spent the 1983 season with AA Buffalo of the Eastern League, where he was 13-1 with a league leading 1.61 ERA. Steve was named to Baseball America's Class AA and Eastern League all-star teams.
He began the 1984 season with Cleveland's AAA club at Maine, going 4-0 with a 2.60 ERA over six starts. Steve earned a promotion to the Indians on May 14, appearing in 31 games (16 starts) for the Tribe. He was 3-11 with a 4.58 ERA.
In 1985, Steve was signed as a free agent by the Royals on May 9. He started his season at Omaha and pitched brilliantly, posting a 10-4 record with a league leading 2.02 ERA over 17 games (16 starts). He led Omaha in wins, ERA, complete games, shutouts and strikeouts.
Steve made his first appearance in a Kansas City uniform on August 8 as a starter against Detroit and was not involved in the decision in a 6-4 Royal win. He picked up his first win as a Royal on September 6 against Milwaukee in a 7-1 Kansas City win- the victory marked Steve's first major league win since August 13, 1984. He notched his first save as a Royal on September 25 at Seattle.
He appeared in two games in the American League Championship Series, both in relief. He hurled 4.1 innings of 2-hit ball in relief in Game 3, picking up Kansas City's first win in the ALCS. He did not pitch in the World Series.
1986 was the first full season in the majors for Steve and he established his mark as an effective reliever. He tied for second on the club with 56 games pitched and posted the club's second best ERA (3.13). He was 7-0 with four saves and 2.23 ERA at Royals Stadium.
Steve was named the Royals' pitcher of the month for both May and June. He did not pitch after September 16 because of a sore shoulder.
He spent most of the 1987 season in the bullpen, appearing in 47 games which tied him for second most on the club. He had a then career high 88 strikeouts which also led the bullpen. He had two brief stints at Omaha: from July 31-August 13 and from August 30-September 4.
Steve graduated from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He was a catcher and pitcher at DeMatha, lettering in baseball. He attended Charles County Community College (LaPlata, MD) and American University (Washington, DC). Steve went to American U. on a scholarship and played baseball at both schools.
Steve played Babe Ruth and American Legion ball as a youngster. He helped his team to the 1972 Babe Ruth World Series, held in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
Steve credits Jamie Quirk with helping his career."
-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
1991 Profile: Jesse Barfield
"Not necessarily an impact player despite some gaudy statistics. The right fielder paced the Yankees with 25 homers and 78 RBI, but also led the club with 150 strikeouts. His team high 82 walks were not a positive as this power hitter seems to prefer taking a pass in key situations and leaving it to the next man.
Barfield topped the majors in homers with 40 in 1986 and has clouted 20-plus homers six times. He topped major league outfielders with 16 assists last year.
Born in Joliet, Illinois, Barfield was acquired from the Blue Jays for Al Leiter on April 30, 1989."
-John Shea and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1991 Edition
"The Yankees have been fortunate enough to feature some of baseball's best outfielders over the years, and Jesse Barfield has taken his place alongside those names. He possesses the grace, the smarts, the speed and strength that is required of the outfield elite. His defense, especially his howitzer arm, can win games alone as exhibited by his leading the majors with 16 assists in 1990. It was the second time he's been atop that list in the last three seasons and he is now ranked third among active players in career assists.
At the plate, Barfield's 25 home runs and 78 RBI led the Yankees in '90. His all-around contributions can certainly help the club return to contender status in 1991 and he's well aware of what both aspects of his game can accomplish. 'Offense brings them,' he says of Yankee fans, 'and defense sends them home happy."
-The New York Yankees Official 1991 Yearbook
"Jesse hit .246 with 25 home runs and 78 RBIs in 1990 and led the club in homers, RBIs, walks (82) and strikeouts (150).
He started 15 games in April and was hot from the beginning of the season, getting five hits in his first 15 at-bats through five games. His first home run came on April 24 against Seattle off Matt Young. Two days later, also against Seattle, Jesse hit of pair of homers off Randy Johnson and was robbed of a third when Ken Griffey Jr. reached over the center field fence to make a spectacular catch; the two-homer game was the 18th of his career and his only one of 1990.
His batting average for the month was .224 with three home runs (all at home) and eight RBIs. He struck out 17 times, giving him a batting average of .344 when putting the ball in play.
Barfield had three five-game hitting streaks in May but wound up hitting .259 for the month. He hit five home runs, all on the road, including circuit clouts in consecutive games at Chicago on May 28-29 (off Eric King and Jack McDowell). Jesse drove in 17 runs (15 on the road) and struck out 28 times in 85 at-bats, giving him a .386 batting average while putting the ball in play for the month.
He made 27 starts in June and did not commit an error after committing three through the month of May. Jesse hit .271 in June, his best average for any month of 1990, with four home runs and 13 RBIs. He had a .406 batting average while putting the ball in play.
Jesse hit homers in consecutive games, June 2-3, against Baltimore (Dave Johnson and Bob Milacki) and another off Milacki on June 8 at Baltimore. He reached base safely in 11 of the first 12 games of the month, hitting .364 (12-for-33, 8 BB) and raising his overall average 23 points to .269. Jesse enjoyed a season best nine-game hitting streak from June 18-27 (10-for-37, .270) and reached base safely in the final 13 games of the month. He went into the break hitting .262 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs.
He went into a slump after the break, hitting .108 (4-for-37) over the first 15 games; he was 0-for-17 before getting a pinch-hit single on July 22. On July 27 in the first game of a doubleheader at Cleveland, Barfield recorded 10 putouts, two shy of the major league record for putouts by a right fielder. Over the last four games of July he went 6-for-11 with two home runs and five RBIs, including homers in each of the final two games, against Detroit (Steve Searcy and Clay Parker). The homer on July 30 broke a string of 76 homerless at-bats. Barfield hit .243 for the month with seven RBIs.
August turned out to be his weakest month average wise (.193) but he hit six home runs and drove in 16 runs. Included were home runs in three straight games, August 26-28, off Dan Plesac, against Milwaukee, and Ben McDonald and Jose Mesa at Baltimore. The one off Plesac was an 8th inning two-run shot tying the game at 3-3 with Barfield scoring the winning run in the 11th inning on a Steve Sax single.
Barfield hit .281 (25-for-89) in September/October with six home runs and 16 RBIs while drawing 21 walks, his most for any month of 1990. He played 29 games in September, reaching base safely in all but three.
He hit safely in seven of eight games from September 5-13 (.346, 9-for-26) raising his average seven points to .243. In three games, September 15-17, he reached base safely in 10 of 13 plate appearances (4-for-7, 6 BB), getting on base five times in five at-bats (1-for-1, 4 BB) on September 17. Jesse's final home run of the season came on September 28 at Milwaukee off Ted Higuera. A strikeout by Randy Nosek of Detroit on October 2 at the Stadium gave Jesse 150 for the season.
For the season, Jesse led the majors with 16 outfield assists and has now led the majors in each of the past two seasons (20 in '89). He has led the league in outfield assists five times, two shy of the record held by Carl Yastrzemski. Barfield has 149 career outfield assists, third on the active list behind Dave Winfield (156) and Dwight Evans (151), and has 32 as a Yankee.
Barfield registered his first assist of 1990 on Opening Day (April 12), in New York, getting Brook Jacoby attempting to stretch a single into a double. His monthly breakdown of assists was as follows: April (2), May (2), June (3), July (2), August (4), September (3). Jesse had four assists in a 31-game period from April 29-June 2 and then seven more in a 24-game stretch from August 17-September 11. He also had a two-assist game on September 6 against California, getting Jack Howell twice: at third base and at the plate in the 10th inning of a game the Yankees lost in 11 innings.
Of his assists, two came at first base, eight came at second, three came at third and three at the plate. He had a least one assist in every inning except the third and had two in the 10th inning. 13 of Barfield's 16 assists came at the Stadium and all cam as a right fielder.
Barfield's games (153), batting average (.246), homers (25) and RBIs (78) were all his best since 1987. He ranked ninth in the American League in home runs, seventh in home runs per at-bat (1:19), tied for fifth in RBIs per at-bat (1:6.1), 12th in slugging (.456) and fourth in strikeouts (150). His strikeout total equaled his career high in 1989 and set the Yankee record for most in one season, yet Jesse hit .359 when putting the ball in play. He shared the team lead (with Mel Hall and Steve Sax) with seven game-tying RBIs and had a club best 28 two-out RBIs.
He had 20+ doubles for the sixth straight season, had 20+ homers for the sixth time and played 150+ games for the fifth time in six seasons. On April 26 against Seattle his seventh-inning home run (second of the game) was career home run No. 200. On May 17 against Minnesota, his third at-bat of the game was No. 4,000 of his career. His August 4 fourth inning double against Cleveland off Bud Black was No. 200 of his career.
Jesse led the club with 21 home runs and 64 RBIs in night games. He hit .259 with 13 homers and 25 RBIs against left-handed pitchers, .259 with 12 homers and a club high 53 RBIs against right-handers. He hit .218 at home but had 12 home runs and a club high 35 RBIs; he hit .274 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs, all club highs, on the road. Jesse hit .307 (23-for-75) on artificial turf. He hit .264 (29-for-110) with men in scoring position as opposed to .194 in 1989 and was 4-for-10 with three doubles and 12 RBIs with the bases loaded- he had three of the club's four extra-base hits with the bases loaded.
He signed a three-year contract on October 12, 1989. The contract extends through the 1992 season.
Barfield was acquired by the Yankees from the Toronto Blue Jays on April 30, 1989 in exchange for pitcher Al Leiter. At the time of the trade, he was hitting .200 (16-for-80) with nine of those hits being for extra bases (4 2B, 5 HR). He also had 11 RBIs and four assists as a Blue Jay.
He started the season by hitting in five straight games (6-for-20, .300) with two home runs. He dropped his average to .217 over the next nine games, going 6-for-38 (.158) with four of those hits coming on April 10 against the Yankees in New York. To his credit, Barfield had a two-assist game against the Royals on April 15. He played in seven more games for the Jays before being traded, going 4-for-22 (.182).
Jesse played in Pinstripes for the first time on May 2 in New York in right field against the Royals, singling in four at-bats off Mark Gubicza. Following that game, he went 0-for-19 over a seven-game stretch until May 8, then hit in three straight with two home runs. On May 9, Jesse hit his first home run as a Yankee, off Texas' Charlie Hough. He struck out in seven games (10 total) from May 15-28 and hit .143 (4-for-28) in that span. He also missed four games when he suffered a mild concussion running into the fence at Oakland on May 17.
On June 4, Jesse recorded the first of his two two-homer games in Milwaukee. He hit in a season best seven straight games from June 11 (second game) through June 17, going 10-for-26 and raising his average from .210 to .246. He also reached base in 23 straight games from June 3-29, going 27-for-82 (.329) with 19 walks, raising his average from .154 to .245. For the month of June, he hit .300 with three home runs and 12 RBIs, the average being Jesse's highest for any one month.
Jesse started out July hitting in six straight (7-for-22) and 13 of 15 games (16-for-48), raising his average from .239 to a season best .261 on July 19. On July 6 against Detroit, the Yankees allowed a run in the top of the 11th inning; Jesse homered off Mike Henneman to lead off the bottom of the inning. The Yankees won when Steve Sax hit a sacrifice fly later that inning. On July 9 at Boston, Jesse had his 17th career two-homer game and drove in all five runs.
At the break he was hitting .247 with nine homers and 29 RBIs as a Yankee. On July 14 against the Royals in game 2 of a twin bill, with the Yankees trailing 7-6 entering the last of the ninth, Jesse hit a three-run homer off Steve Farr for a 9-6 win. From July 16-19, he reached base eight straight times against Kansas City, then drew a base on balls in his first plate appearance in Chicago, reaching base nine straight times (2 1B, 1 HR, 4 BB, 2 IBB) before being stopped. From July 19-28 was 6-for-30 with 16 strikeouts, fanning seven straight times from July 20-22. In July, Barfield hit .291 with six home runs and 15 RBIs.
From July 29-August 3 he hit in six straight (9-for-23), including a three-run game-tying homer on August 2 against the Twins in a game the Yankees would lose in the 10th. Barfield then had a slow spell from August 8-17, going 3-for-26 and dropping his average from .258 to .246. He hit in five straight (8-for-18) from August 18-22 and ended the month by going 5-for-37, dropping his average to .248 at the end of the month.
He started out slowly in September, going 2-for-10 over the first six games. He hit in four straight (September 24-27) but was 2-for-9 over the final three games of the season.
Jesse led the majors in outfield assists with 20 in 1989. It was his third 20+ assist season. His 16 assists as a Yankee were the most since Dave Winfield's 17 in 1982.
He did not register an assist as a Yankee until his 32nd game with the club, and that came from center field on June 13 at Baltimore. He then reeled off an assist in four straight games, against Texas (June 17-18) and Chicago (June 20-21). Jesse had eight assists overall in June, all in a span of 17 games, had four in July, one in August and three in September.
Of his assists, four came at second base, six at third base and six at home plate. 11 of his 16 assists (69%) came when the Yankees were either ahead or trailing by two runs or less. 12 came at Yankee Stadium and four on the road, with the four road assists all being at home with the Yankees ahead or behind by two runs or less.
Barfield topped the majors in homers with 40 in 1986 and has clouted 20-plus homers six times. He topped major league outfielders with 16 assists last year.
Born in Joliet, Illinois, Barfield was acquired from the Blue Jays for Al Leiter on April 30, 1989."
-John Shea and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1991 Edition
"The Yankees have been fortunate enough to feature some of baseball's best outfielders over the years, and Jesse Barfield has taken his place alongside those names. He possesses the grace, the smarts, the speed and strength that is required of the outfield elite. His defense, especially his howitzer arm, can win games alone as exhibited by his leading the majors with 16 assists in 1990. It was the second time he's been atop that list in the last three seasons and he is now ranked third among active players in career assists.
At the plate, Barfield's 25 home runs and 78 RBI led the Yankees in '90. His all-around contributions can certainly help the club return to contender status in 1991 and he's well aware of what both aspects of his game can accomplish. 'Offense brings them,' he says of Yankee fans, 'and defense sends them home happy."
-The New York Yankees Official 1991 Yearbook
"Jesse hit .246 with 25 home runs and 78 RBIs in 1990 and led the club in homers, RBIs, walks (82) and strikeouts (150).
He started 15 games in April and was hot from the beginning of the season, getting five hits in his first 15 at-bats through five games. His first home run came on April 24 against Seattle off Matt Young. Two days later, also against Seattle, Jesse hit of pair of homers off Randy Johnson and was robbed of a third when Ken Griffey Jr. reached over the center field fence to make a spectacular catch; the two-homer game was the 18th of his career and his only one of 1990.
His batting average for the month was .224 with three home runs (all at home) and eight RBIs. He struck out 17 times, giving him a batting average of .344 when putting the ball in play.
Barfield had three five-game hitting streaks in May but wound up hitting .259 for the month. He hit five home runs, all on the road, including circuit clouts in consecutive games at Chicago on May 28-29 (off Eric King and Jack McDowell). Jesse drove in 17 runs (15 on the road) and struck out 28 times in 85 at-bats, giving him a .386 batting average while putting the ball in play for the month.
He made 27 starts in June and did not commit an error after committing three through the month of May. Jesse hit .271 in June, his best average for any month of 1990, with four home runs and 13 RBIs. He had a .406 batting average while putting the ball in play.
Jesse hit homers in consecutive games, June 2-3, against Baltimore (Dave Johnson and Bob Milacki) and another off Milacki on June 8 at Baltimore. He reached base safely in 11 of the first 12 games of the month, hitting .364 (12-for-33, 8 BB) and raising his overall average 23 points to .269. Jesse enjoyed a season best nine-game hitting streak from June 18-27 (10-for-37, .270) and reached base safely in the final 13 games of the month. He went into the break hitting .262 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs.
He went into a slump after the break, hitting .108 (4-for-37) over the first 15 games; he was 0-for-17 before getting a pinch-hit single on July 22. On July 27 in the first game of a doubleheader at Cleveland, Barfield recorded 10 putouts, two shy of the major league record for putouts by a right fielder. Over the last four games of July he went 6-for-11 with two home runs and five RBIs, including homers in each of the final two games, against Detroit (Steve Searcy and Clay Parker). The homer on July 30 broke a string of 76 homerless at-bats. Barfield hit .243 for the month with seven RBIs.
August turned out to be his weakest month average wise (.193) but he hit six home runs and drove in 16 runs. Included were home runs in three straight games, August 26-28, off Dan Plesac, against Milwaukee, and Ben McDonald and Jose Mesa at Baltimore. The one off Plesac was an 8th inning two-run shot tying the game at 3-3 with Barfield scoring the winning run in the 11th inning on a Steve Sax single.
Barfield hit .281 (25-for-89) in September/October with six home runs and 16 RBIs while drawing 21 walks, his most for any month of 1990. He played 29 games in September, reaching base safely in all but three.
He hit safely in seven of eight games from September 5-13 (.346, 9-for-26) raising his average seven points to .243. In three games, September 15-17, he reached base safely in 10 of 13 plate appearances (4-for-7, 6 BB), getting on base five times in five at-bats (1-for-1, 4 BB) on September 17. Jesse's final home run of the season came on September 28 at Milwaukee off Ted Higuera. A strikeout by Randy Nosek of Detroit on October 2 at the Stadium gave Jesse 150 for the season.
For the season, Jesse led the majors with 16 outfield assists and has now led the majors in each of the past two seasons (20 in '89). He has led the league in outfield assists five times, two shy of the record held by Carl Yastrzemski. Barfield has 149 career outfield assists, third on the active list behind Dave Winfield (156) and Dwight Evans (151), and has 32 as a Yankee.
Barfield registered his first assist of 1990 on Opening Day (April 12), in New York, getting Brook Jacoby attempting to stretch a single into a double. His monthly breakdown of assists was as follows: April (2), May (2), June (3), July (2), August (4), September (3). Jesse had four assists in a 31-game period from April 29-June 2 and then seven more in a 24-game stretch from August 17-September 11. He also had a two-assist game on September 6 against California, getting Jack Howell twice: at third base and at the plate in the 10th inning of a game the Yankees lost in 11 innings.
Of his assists, two came at first base, eight came at second, three came at third and three at the plate. He had a least one assist in every inning except the third and had two in the 10th inning. 13 of Barfield's 16 assists came at the Stadium and all cam as a right fielder.
Barfield's games (153), batting average (.246), homers (25) and RBIs (78) were all his best since 1987. He ranked ninth in the American League in home runs, seventh in home runs per at-bat (1:19), tied for fifth in RBIs per at-bat (1:6.1), 12th in slugging (.456) and fourth in strikeouts (150). His strikeout total equaled his career high in 1989 and set the Yankee record for most in one season, yet Jesse hit .359 when putting the ball in play. He shared the team lead (with Mel Hall and Steve Sax) with seven game-tying RBIs and had a club best 28 two-out RBIs.
He had 20+ doubles for the sixth straight season, had 20+ homers for the sixth time and played 150+ games for the fifth time in six seasons. On April 26 against Seattle his seventh-inning home run (second of the game) was career home run No. 200. On May 17 against Minnesota, his third at-bat of the game was No. 4,000 of his career. His August 4 fourth inning double against Cleveland off Bud Black was No. 200 of his career.
Jesse led the club with 21 home runs and 64 RBIs in night games. He hit .259 with 13 homers and 25 RBIs against left-handed pitchers, .259 with 12 homers and a club high 53 RBIs against right-handers. He hit .218 at home but had 12 home runs and a club high 35 RBIs; he hit .274 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs, all club highs, on the road. Jesse hit .307 (23-for-75) on artificial turf. He hit .264 (29-for-110) with men in scoring position as opposed to .194 in 1989 and was 4-for-10 with three doubles and 12 RBIs with the bases loaded- he had three of the club's four extra-base hits with the bases loaded.
He signed a three-year contract on October 12, 1989. The contract extends through the 1992 season.
Barfield was acquired by the Yankees from the Toronto Blue Jays on April 30, 1989 in exchange for pitcher Al Leiter. At the time of the trade, he was hitting .200 (16-for-80) with nine of those hits being for extra bases (4 2B, 5 HR). He also had 11 RBIs and four assists as a Blue Jay.
He started the season by hitting in five straight games (6-for-20, .300) with two home runs. He dropped his average to .217 over the next nine games, going 6-for-38 (.158) with four of those hits coming on April 10 against the Yankees in New York. To his credit, Barfield had a two-assist game against the Royals on April 15. He played in seven more games for the Jays before being traded, going 4-for-22 (.182).
Jesse played in Pinstripes for the first time on May 2 in New York in right field against the Royals, singling in four at-bats off Mark Gubicza. Following that game, he went 0-for-19 over a seven-game stretch until May 8, then hit in three straight with two home runs. On May 9, Jesse hit his first home run as a Yankee, off Texas' Charlie Hough. He struck out in seven games (10 total) from May 15-28 and hit .143 (4-for-28) in that span. He also missed four games when he suffered a mild concussion running into the fence at Oakland on May 17.
On June 4, Jesse recorded the first of his two two-homer games in Milwaukee. He hit in a season best seven straight games from June 11 (second game) through June 17, going 10-for-26 and raising his average from .210 to .246. He also reached base in 23 straight games from June 3-29, going 27-for-82 (.329) with 19 walks, raising his average from .154 to .245. For the month of June, he hit .300 with three home runs and 12 RBIs, the average being Jesse's highest for any one month.
Jesse started out July hitting in six straight (7-for-22) and 13 of 15 games (16-for-48), raising his average from .239 to a season best .261 on July 19. On July 6 against Detroit, the Yankees allowed a run in the top of the 11th inning; Jesse homered off Mike Henneman to lead off the bottom of the inning. The Yankees won when Steve Sax hit a sacrifice fly later that inning. On July 9 at Boston, Jesse had his 17th career two-homer game and drove in all five runs.
At the break he was hitting .247 with nine homers and 29 RBIs as a Yankee. On July 14 against the Royals in game 2 of a twin bill, with the Yankees trailing 7-6 entering the last of the ninth, Jesse hit a three-run homer off Steve Farr for a 9-6 win. From July 16-19, he reached base eight straight times against Kansas City, then drew a base on balls in his first plate appearance in Chicago, reaching base nine straight times (2 1B, 1 HR, 4 BB, 2 IBB) before being stopped. From July 19-28 was 6-for-30 with 16 strikeouts, fanning seven straight times from July 20-22. In July, Barfield hit .291 with six home runs and 15 RBIs.
From July 29-August 3 he hit in six straight (9-for-23), including a three-run game-tying homer on August 2 against the Twins in a game the Yankees would lose in the 10th. Barfield then had a slow spell from August 8-17, going 3-for-26 and dropping his average from .258 to .246. He hit in five straight (8-for-18) from August 18-22 and ended the month by going 5-for-37, dropping his average to .248 at the end of the month.
He started out slowly in September, going 2-for-10 over the first six games. He hit in four straight (September 24-27) but was 2-for-9 over the final three games of the season.
Jesse led the majors in outfield assists with 20 in 1989. It was his third 20+ assist season. His 16 assists as a Yankee were the most since Dave Winfield's 17 in 1982.
He did not register an assist as a Yankee until his 32nd game with the club, and that came from center field on June 13 at Baltimore. He then reeled off an assist in four straight games, against Texas (June 17-18) and Chicago (June 20-21). Jesse had eight assists overall in June, all in a span of 17 games, had four in July, one in August and three in September.
Of his assists, four came at second base, six at third base and six at home plate. 11 of his 16 assists (69%) came when the Yankees were either ahead or trailing by two runs or less. 12 came at Yankee Stadium and four on the road, with the four road assists all being at home with the Yankees ahead or behind by two runs or less.
With 87 walks for the season, his career best, Jesse ranked eighth in the American League and tied for 12th in the majors. He also set a career high in strikeouts (150), and his .234 batting average was his lowest as a regular. He played 150+ games for the fourth time in five years. Jesse's 23 doubles were his fifth straight season of 20+ and his 23 homers were also a fifth straight 20+ season. Of his 18 homers as a Yankee, six were hit at the Stadium. Jesse is still the Blue Jays' all-time home run leader with 179.
Selected in 9th round of the June 1977 draft, Barfield spent the season with Utica [Class-A New York-Penn League], helping the club to a second place finish. In 1978 he spent the season at Dunedin [Class-A Florida State League] where he slumped noticeably, batting only .206. He had his best minor league season in 1979 with Kinston [Class-A Carolina League], batting .264 with 71 RBIs, more than in his two previous seasons combined.
In 1980, Barfield led Knoxville [AA Southern League] in home runs (14) and RBIs (61). He spent his second season with Knoxville in 1981 before joining the parent club in September. In his major league debut on September 3, Jesse responded with a hit, an RBI and a stolen base. He hit his first major league home run on September 6 off Chicago's Britt Burns. Jesse hit safely through his first eight games, setting a club mark for the start of a career. In total, he hit safely in 12 of his first 13 major league games.
In 1982, Jesse was Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for April while becoming the first Blue Jay to hit a pinch-hit grand slam, on April 24. He captured Toronto's BBWAA Rookie of the Year award while setting club rookie marks in home runs (18), bases on balls (42) and slugging percentage (.426).
Jesse tied for the club lead in home runs (27) in 1983, setting the club mark for home runs at Exhibition Stadium (22). He led the team in two-homer games (4) and set then career highs in homers, runs (58), triples (3) and RBIs (68). Jesse also led the club in outfield assists (16) with errorless streaks of 55 and 50 games.
He was the American League Player of the Week for the week ending September 4 on the basis of a .421 average, seven homers and 13 RBIs. Jesse raised his average 53 points over his last 53 games, including four home runs in eight at-bats, September 1-2.
He was platooned in right field in 1984, seeing action against left-handed pitchers. Jesse set then personal highs in doubles (14) and stolen bases (8) while leading the club with three four-hit games. He clouted five home runs in three games, July 1-6.
In 1985, Jesse set a personal high with a 16-game hitting streak from May 8-26. Among his six home runs in 10 games from May 10-21, he tied the then club mark with home runs in three consecutive games from May 19-21.
Jesse reached base safely in 24 consecutive games from August 3-27 and was named Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for August (.365, 2 HR, 17 RBI). He had seven consecutive hits and reached base nine straight times, August 8-9. Jesse set the American League record with extra-base hits in 11 consecutive games.
For the 1985 season, he was third in the American League in slugging percentage (.536), ninth in doubles (34) and 12th in game-winning RBIs (12). Jesse set then club marks in extra-hits (70) and strikeouts (143) as well as then personal highs in at-bats (539), RBIs (84), hits (156), doubles (34) and home runs (27). He was the first Blue Jay to have 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in the same season. Jesse led AL with 22 outfield assists to set the club mark. He hit safely in six of seven ALCS games.
Jesse was voted as Labatt's Blue Player of the Year and Blue Jays Player of the Year by Toronto's BBWAA.
In 1986, Jesse set a personal high with six RBIs on May 17 against Cleveland. He was Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for May (.276, 9 HR, 23 RBI), then became the first Blue Jay player to reach 100-homer mark, on June 1 off Bob James of Chicago.
Jesse's 10th career two-homer game came on July 3 against Boston, followed by his first All-Star Game appearance, going 0-for-2. He was Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for September/October (.266, 10 HR).
He led American League in home runs (40) and was among the league leaders in slugging percentage (.559, 2nd), extra-base hits (77, 2nd), total bases (329, 5th), runs (107, tied for 5th), game-winning RBIs (13, tied for 7th) and doubles (35, tied for 10th). He led the club in RBIs (108, tied with George Bell), homers, strikeouts (146) and slugging, and hit six ninth-inning home runs
Barfield led all American League outfielders with 20 assists while capturing Gold Glove honors. He won the Silver Slugger Award, was voted Blue Jays Player of the Year by Toronto's BBWAA and voted to the AP Major League All-Star team. Jesse was named to the American League All-Star team which toured Japan after the 1986 season.
Moved around in the batting order for much of 1987, Jesse's average dropped from .319 to .248 from June 10-August 26. His seventh career four-hit game came on June 16 against Detroit, followed by his eighth career four-hit game on July 16 against Milwaukee. Barfield's home run against Texas on July 23 ended a drought of 22 games, and his sacrifice hit on August 14 was his first since June 24, 1984. He delivered a pinch hit against New York on September 12, his first since September 29, 1984. His third and fourth four-hit games of the year came on September 14 against Baltimore and September 26 against Detroit. He hit no home runs in his last 21 games.
Jesse placed fifth in the AL in games (159) and at-bats (590), and tied Ruben Sierra for the league lead in assists and won his second consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award for defensive excellence. He underwent surgery on his left knee and left wrist during the off-season.
He started the 1988 season going 0-for-11 from April 11-17, then hit his second career grand slam on April 19 off Kansas City's Bret Saberhagen. He left the May 14 game at Chicago with a swelling of the left wrist and was on the disabled list from May 16-31.
His solo homer off Walt Terrell of Detroit on June 18 snapped a drought of 17 homerless games, and his season high four RBIs at Detroit on June 19 was his first multiple RBI game since April 29. His third career grand slam came off Oakland's Rick Honeycutt on July 3. He tied a personal high with homers in three consecutive games from August 21-23.
Jesse played his 1,000th major league game on September 19, becoming the fourth player to reach the 1,000-game plateau in a Blue Jays uniform. His third grand slam of the season came on September 21 off Detroit's Paul Gibson. He tied a personal high with two stolen bases on October 1 against Baltimore.
His longest hit streak was five games, five times, and he homered in at least two consecutive games on three occasions. He was 16-for-47 (.340) with five home runs and 12 RBIs against the Tigers and 15-for-40 (.375) with two homers and 10 RBIs against the Royals. Jesse hit .209 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs through the break compared to .278 with 11 homers and 30 RBIs after the break. He led the team with 13 outfield assists.
Jesse attended Joliet Central High School (outside of Chicago) where former major leaguers Bill Gullickson, Larry Gura and Jack Perconte attended high school. His uncle played Negro league baseball.
Jesse enjoys basketball and ping-pong. His favorite team growing up was the Cubs and his favorite player was Ernie Banks."
-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide
Selected in 9th round of the June 1977 draft, Barfield spent the season with Utica [Class-A New York-Penn League], helping the club to a second place finish. In 1978 he spent the season at Dunedin [Class-A Florida State League] where he slumped noticeably, batting only .206. He had his best minor league season in 1979 with Kinston [Class-A Carolina League], batting .264 with 71 RBIs, more than in his two previous seasons combined.
In 1980, Barfield led Knoxville [AA Southern League] in home runs (14) and RBIs (61). He spent his second season with Knoxville in 1981 before joining the parent club in September. In his major league debut on September 3, Jesse responded with a hit, an RBI and a stolen base. He hit his first major league home run on September 6 off Chicago's Britt Burns. Jesse hit safely through his first eight games, setting a club mark for the start of a career. In total, he hit safely in 12 of his first 13 major league games.
In 1982, Jesse was Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for April while becoming the first Blue Jay to hit a pinch-hit grand slam, on April 24. He captured Toronto's BBWAA Rookie of the Year award while setting club rookie marks in home runs (18), bases on balls (42) and slugging percentage (.426).
Jesse tied for the club lead in home runs (27) in 1983, setting the club mark for home runs at Exhibition Stadium (22). He led the team in two-homer games (4) and set then career highs in homers, runs (58), triples (3) and RBIs (68). Jesse also led the club in outfield assists (16) with errorless streaks of 55 and 50 games.
He was the American League Player of the Week for the week ending September 4 on the basis of a .421 average, seven homers and 13 RBIs. Jesse raised his average 53 points over his last 53 games, including four home runs in eight at-bats, September 1-2.
He was platooned in right field in 1984, seeing action against left-handed pitchers. Jesse set then personal highs in doubles (14) and stolen bases (8) while leading the club with three four-hit games. He clouted five home runs in three games, July 1-6.
In 1985, Jesse set a personal high with a 16-game hitting streak from May 8-26. Among his six home runs in 10 games from May 10-21, he tied the then club mark with home runs in three consecutive games from May 19-21.
Jesse reached base safely in 24 consecutive games from August 3-27 and was named Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for August (.365, 2 HR, 17 RBI). He had seven consecutive hits and reached base nine straight times, August 8-9. Jesse set the American League record with extra-base hits in 11 consecutive games.
For the 1985 season, he was third in the American League in slugging percentage (.536), ninth in doubles (34) and 12th in game-winning RBIs (12). Jesse set then club marks in extra-hits (70) and strikeouts (143) as well as then personal highs in at-bats (539), RBIs (84), hits (156), doubles (34) and home runs (27). He was the first Blue Jay to have 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in the same season. Jesse led AL with 22 outfield assists to set the club mark. He hit safely in six of seven ALCS games.
Jesse was voted as Labatt's Blue Player of the Year and Blue Jays Player of the Year by Toronto's BBWAA.
In 1986, Jesse set a personal high with six RBIs on May 17 against Cleveland. He was Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for May (.276, 9 HR, 23 RBI), then became the first Blue Jay player to reach 100-homer mark, on June 1 off Bob James of Chicago.
Jesse's 10th career two-homer game came on July 3 against Boston, followed by his first All-Star Game appearance, going 0-for-2. He was Labatt's Blue Player of the Month for September/October (.266, 10 HR).
He led American League in home runs (40) and was among the league leaders in slugging percentage (.559, 2nd), extra-base hits (77, 2nd), total bases (329, 5th), runs (107, tied for 5th), game-winning RBIs (13, tied for 7th) and doubles (35, tied for 10th). He led the club in RBIs (108, tied with George Bell), homers, strikeouts (146) and slugging, and hit six ninth-inning home runs
Barfield led all American League outfielders with 20 assists while capturing Gold Glove honors. He won the Silver Slugger Award, was voted Blue Jays Player of the Year by Toronto's BBWAA and voted to the AP Major League All-Star team. Jesse was named to the American League All-Star team which toured Japan after the 1986 season.
Moved around in the batting order for much of 1987, Jesse's average dropped from .319 to .248 from June 10-August 26. His seventh career four-hit game came on June 16 against Detroit, followed by his eighth career four-hit game on July 16 against Milwaukee. Barfield's home run against Texas on July 23 ended a drought of 22 games, and his sacrifice hit on August 14 was his first since June 24, 1984. He delivered a pinch hit against New York on September 12, his first since September 29, 1984. His third and fourth four-hit games of the year came on September 14 against Baltimore and September 26 against Detroit. He hit no home runs in his last 21 games.
Jesse placed fifth in the AL in games (159) and at-bats (590), and tied Ruben Sierra for the league lead in assists and won his second consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award for defensive excellence. He underwent surgery on his left knee and left wrist during the off-season.
He started the 1988 season going 0-for-11 from April 11-17, then hit his second career grand slam on April 19 off Kansas City's Bret Saberhagen. He left the May 14 game at Chicago with a swelling of the left wrist and was on the disabled list from May 16-31.
His solo homer off Walt Terrell of Detroit on June 18 snapped a drought of 17 homerless games, and his season high four RBIs at Detroit on June 19 was his first multiple RBI game since April 29. His third career grand slam came off Oakland's Rick Honeycutt on July 3. He tied a personal high with homers in three consecutive games from August 21-23.
Jesse played his 1,000th major league game on September 19, becoming the fourth player to reach the 1,000-game plateau in a Blue Jays uniform. His third grand slam of the season came on September 21 off Detroit's Paul Gibson. He tied a personal high with two stolen bases on October 1 against Baltimore.
His longest hit streak was five games, five times, and he homered in at least two consecutive games on three occasions. He was 16-for-47 (.340) with five home runs and 12 RBIs against the Tigers and 15-for-40 (.375) with two homers and 10 RBIs against the Royals. Jesse hit .209 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs through the break compared to .278 with 11 homers and 30 RBIs after the break. He led the team with 13 outfield assists.
Jesse attended Joliet Central High School (outside of Chicago) where former major leaguers Bill Gullickson, Larry Gura and Jack Perconte attended high school. His uncle played Negro league baseball.
Jesse enjoys basketball and ping-pong. His favorite team growing up was the Cubs and his favorite player was Ernie Banks."
-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide
Thursday, March 28, 2019
1991 Profile: Kevin Maas
"Comes off record-setting rookie campaign. After his June 28 recall, Maas needed the fewest at-bats (77) in major league history to reach 10 home runs. He tied Dave Hostetler's major league mark for most homers in 100 at-bats with 12. Maas connected as a major leaguer for the first time on July 4th, off Kansas City's Bret Saberhagen. Of his total of 21 homers, 14 were solo shots.
His progress was slowed in August of 1989 when he needed arthroscopic surgery to repair ligament damage in his right knee. Maas was the Yankees' Minor League Player of the Year in 1988, when he collected 28 home runs and 90 RBIs in stops at Prince William (A) and Albany (AA).
Born in Castro Valley, California, Maas was selected by the Yankees in the 22nd round of the 1986 draft."
-John Shea and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1991 Edition
"It's a funny thing about comparisons. Almost everyone agrees how unfair it is to compare a young player with a former one, yet it's done all the time. Take the case of lefty slugger Kevin Maas. After he became the fastest player in baseball history to hit 10 home runs (77 at-bats) and 15 home runs (133 at-bats) people started comparing him to Babe Ruth. Talk about unfair.
'I've seen most of the great Yankee hitters,' says coach Mike Ferraro, 'and this kid has a chance to be one of them.'
Maas does have a swing well-suited to Yankee Stadium. His quick and explosive bat evokes images of former Yankee power hitters who ignited droves of fans [sic] in years past.
So what if comparisons aren't fair. They sure are fun. Almost as much fun as watching Kevin Maas swing the bat."
-The New York Yankees Official 1991 Yearbook
"Maas established his mark as having a swing built for Yankee Stadium. In 1990 he finished a brilliant rookie season with a .252 batting average, 21 home runs and 41 RBIs.
He started the season in Tampa on injury rehabilitation for 1989 knee surgery, then reported to Columbus on April 29. Maas was with the Clippers until he had his contract purchased by the Yankees on June 28. At the time of his promotion he was hitting .284 with 15 doubles, 13 home runs and 38 RBIs. He had a .390 on-base percentage and a .582 slugging average.
Kevin was thrown into the lineup immediately, making his debut as a starter (designated hitter) on June 29 at Chicago. He went 1-for-3 getting his first major league hit, a single off Jack McDowell in the 4th inning. He hit safely in his first three games (3-for-10) and hit his first home run on July 4th at Kansas City off Bret Saberhagen. Kevin hit home runs in three consecutive games (July 23-25 at Texas) to become the first Yankee rookie to do so since Steve Whitaker from August 26-28, 1966.
He had four home runs over the final 12 games of July but his batting average dropped off, with Kevin going 9-for-39 (.231) over the rest of the month to bring his average to .275. He hit .270 in July with eight home runs and 15 RBIs (1 HR every 7.9 AB). He made 18 starts during the month (DH-10, 1B-8).
He had another productive month in August, hitting .260 with eight home runs (1 HR every 13 AB) and 15 RBIs and made 28 starts, all at first base. Kevin hit in five straight from July 31-August 4, going 9-for-20 (.450) and raising his batting average from .242 to .293. He hit his 12th homer on August 7 in Seattle off Erik Hanson, becoming the 21st player in Kingdome history to hit a ball into the upper deck. The ball traveled an estimated 448 feet.
He went 2-for-4 on August 11 to bring his average to .282 but hit .238 (15-for-63) over the remainder of the month. He struck out 31 times in August and had a .370 batting average (27-for-73) when he made contact.
Maas set the MAJOR LEAGUE record for fewest at-bats (77) to reach 10 home runs- the old record was held by George Scott who hit 10 in 79 at-bats for the Red Sox in 1966. He set the MAJOR LEAGUE record for fewest at-bats (110) to reach 13 home runs- the old record was held by Sam Horn who hit 13 in 123 at-bats for Boston in 1987. He set the MAJOR LEAGUE record for fewest at-bats (133) to reach 15 home runs- the old record was held by Wally Berger who hit 15 in 135 at-bats for the Boston Braves in 1930. Maas tied the MAJOR LEAGUE record for most home runs (12) in his first 100 at-bats with Dave Hostetler, who hit 12 in his first 100 for the Texas Rangers in 1982.
In September/October, Maas hit .222 with five home runs and 11 RBIs. From September 1-11 he went into a .122 skid, dropping his average 25 points to .241. He then went through the remainder of the season hitting .288 (17-for-59) with five home runs and 11 RBIs.
Maas and Mattingly started together 18 times and combined to hit .331 (45-for-136) with seven homers and 22 RBIs. Maas hit .359 (23-for-64) and Mattingly hit .306 (22-for-72). When Mattingly was active, Maas hit .283 (32-for-113) with 11 home runs and 24 RBIs and when Mattingly was on the disabled list, Maas hit .227 (32-for-141) with 10 homers and 17 RBIs. Mattingly hit .245 (79-for-322) with 'no-Maas.'
For the year, Maas started 70 games (1B-53, DH-17). He finished second in the majors for most home runs by a rookie, behind David Justice of Atlanta who hit 28, and first in the American League.
He signed a contract for the 1991 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 (36-for-101) 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 (32-for-108) 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 (27-for-111) in 31 games with 20 runs scored, six home runs and 16 RBIs (including four game-winning RBIs).
He batted .263 (98-for-372) 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.
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.
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."
-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide
"Named Eastern League Player of the Month, August 1988."
-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide
His progress was slowed in August of 1989 when he needed arthroscopic surgery to repair ligament damage in his right knee. Maas was the Yankees' Minor League Player of the Year in 1988, when he collected 28 home runs and 90 RBIs in stops at Prince William (A) and Albany (AA).
Born in Castro Valley, California, Maas was selected by the Yankees in the 22nd round of the 1986 draft."
-John Shea and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1991 Edition
"It's a funny thing about comparisons. Almost everyone agrees how unfair it is to compare a young player with a former one, yet it's done all the time. Take the case of lefty slugger Kevin Maas. After he became the fastest player in baseball history to hit 10 home runs (77 at-bats) and 15 home runs (133 at-bats) people started comparing him to Babe Ruth. Talk about unfair.
'I've seen most of the great Yankee hitters,' says coach Mike Ferraro, 'and this kid has a chance to be one of them.'
Maas does have a swing well-suited to Yankee Stadium. His quick and explosive bat evokes images of former Yankee power hitters who ignited droves of fans [sic] in years past.
So what if comparisons aren't fair. They sure are fun. Almost as much fun as watching Kevin Maas swing the bat."
-The New York Yankees Official 1991 Yearbook
"Maas established his mark as having a swing built for Yankee Stadium. In 1990 he finished a brilliant rookie season with a .252 batting average, 21 home runs and 41 RBIs.
He started the season in Tampa on injury rehabilitation for 1989 knee surgery, then reported to Columbus on April 29. Maas was with the Clippers until he had his contract purchased by the Yankees on June 28. At the time of his promotion he was hitting .284 with 15 doubles, 13 home runs and 38 RBIs. He had a .390 on-base percentage and a .582 slugging average.
Kevin was thrown into the lineup immediately, making his debut as a starter (designated hitter) on June 29 at Chicago. He went 1-for-3 getting his first major league hit, a single off Jack McDowell in the 4th inning. He hit safely in his first three games (3-for-10) and hit his first home run on July 4th at Kansas City off Bret Saberhagen. Kevin hit home runs in three consecutive games (July 23-25 at Texas) to become the first Yankee rookie to do so since Steve Whitaker from August 26-28, 1966.
He had four home runs over the final 12 games of July but his batting average dropped off, with Kevin going 9-for-39 (.231) over the rest of the month to bring his average to .275. He hit .270 in July with eight home runs and 15 RBIs (1 HR every 7.9 AB). He made 18 starts during the month (DH-10, 1B-8).
He had another productive month in August, hitting .260 with eight home runs (1 HR every 13 AB) and 15 RBIs and made 28 starts, all at first base. Kevin hit in five straight from July 31-August 4, going 9-for-20 (.450) and raising his batting average from .242 to .293. He hit his 12th homer on August 7 in Seattle off Erik Hanson, becoming the 21st player in Kingdome history to hit a ball into the upper deck. The ball traveled an estimated 448 feet.
He went 2-for-4 on August 11 to bring his average to .282 but hit .238 (15-for-63) over the remainder of the month. He struck out 31 times in August and had a .370 batting average (27-for-73) when he made contact.
Maas set the MAJOR LEAGUE record for fewest at-bats (77) to reach 10 home runs- the old record was held by George Scott who hit 10 in 79 at-bats for the Red Sox in 1966. He set the MAJOR LEAGUE record for fewest at-bats (110) to reach 13 home runs- the old record was held by Sam Horn who hit 13 in 123 at-bats for Boston in 1987. He set the MAJOR LEAGUE record for fewest at-bats (133) to reach 15 home runs- the old record was held by Wally Berger who hit 15 in 135 at-bats for the Boston Braves in 1930. Maas tied the MAJOR LEAGUE record for most home runs (12) in his first 100 at-bats with Dave Hostetler, who hit 12 in his first 100 for the Texas Rangers in 1982.
In September/October, Maas hit .222 with five home runs and 11 RBIs. From September 1-11 he went into a .122 skid, dropping his average 25 points to .241. He then went through the remainder of the season hitting .288 (17-for-59) with five home runs and 11 RBIs.
Maas and Mattingly started together 18 times and combined to hit .331 (45-for-136) with seven homers and 22 RBIs. Maas hit .359 (23-for-64) and Mattingly hit .306 (22-for-72). When Mattingly was active, Maas hit .283 (32-for-113) with 11 home runs and 24 RBIs and when Mattingly was on the disabled list, Maas hit .227 (32-for-141) with 10 homers and 17 RBIs. Mattingly hit .245 (79-for-322) with 'no-Maas.'
For the year, Maas started 70 games (1B-53, DH-17). He finished second in the majors for most home runs by a rookie, behind David Justice of Atlanta who hit 28, and first in the American League.
He signed a contract for the 1991 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 (36-for-101) 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 (32-for-108) 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 (27-for-111) in 31 games with 20 runs scored, six home runs and 16 RBIs (including four game-winning RBIs).
He batted .263 (98-for-372) 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.
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.
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."
-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide
"Named Eastern League Player of the Month, August 1988."
-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
R.I.P. Art Mazmanian
Oneonta Yankees Manager of Five Consecutive Division Champions and Four New York-Penn League Champions
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
1991 Profile: Scott Sanderson
1991 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"The Yankees purchased him from Oakland and signed him to a two-year, $4 million contract to be one of the mainstays of their rotation. The A's dealt him to avoid an arbitration hearing that would have resulted in a big contract.
Sanderson didn't pitch as well as last year's career-high 17 victories would indicate. He benefited from the superior offensive and defensive support of the A's. They chose not to give him a postseason start despite his regular-season success. Sanderson dominated the Yankees with a 3-0 mark and 0.89 ERA.
He did not make a major league appearance in 1988 until after undergoing back surgery. The operation saved his career and he has won in double figures in each of the past two seasons.
Sanderson was born in Dearborn, Michigan."
-John Shea and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1991 Edition
"It would be nice to just tell Scott Sanderson to just go out and pitch. To have fun out, and not to worry. Say what you want, but no matter you slice it, there is still a lot of pressure riding on his right arm.
He comes to the Yankees after a [purchase from] Oakland after winning 17 games in 1990. Sanderson will be expected to deliver similarly in New York on a team with less offensive flair than the A's. He comes to a team in need of consistent starting pitching and in search of an ace. And he must prove that regardless of the team, he can provide plenty of quality innings.
'Scotty can pitch,' says General Manager Gene Michael. 'Last year he was healthy for the first time in a long time, and the results were evident. He can pitch.'
The Yankees' rise from last place lies heavily on the health and ability of Scott Sanderson. No pressure."
-The New York Yankees Official 1991 Yearbook
"Sanderson was signed by Oakland as a free agent in December 1989 after spending six seasons in the Chicago Cubs organization. He pitched the entire 1990 season with Oakland where he posted a 17-11 record with a 3.88 ERA in his first season as an American Leaguer. He pitched 200-plus innings (206.1) for the first time since 1982 and third time in his career and did not miss a turn in the rotation all year. His 17 wins established a career high. Sanderson walked 66 batters while fanning 128.
He notched wins in his first two outings- on April 13 at Seattle and then on April 18 at Anaheim when he beat the Angels for career win No. 100. Scott was 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in five May starts. From May 2-15, he made three starts and was 2-0 with a streak of 18.1 consecutive scoreless innings.
He posted the first of his two complete games in the final game before the break on July 6 at Cleveland, taking the loss (8 IP, 6 ER). He was 9-5 with a 3.78 ERA at the break. Scott won his first three decisions after the break and posted a season best 10 strikeouts on July 26 against California. He was 11-6 with a 3.40 ERA through July.
His only shutout of 1990 came on August 13 against Boston as he threw a 3-hitter in a 12-0 win; it was his first shutout since April 23, 1986. Scott won his first three decisions in September, all on the road. His second-to-last start on September 22 against Detroit gave him win No. 17. He lost his final start on September 27 at Texas. He was 8-6 after the All-Star break. Scott did not pitch in the playoffs, but appeared in two World Series games, allowing two runs over 1.2 innings.
Scott was 11-4 with a 4.51 ERA on the road, 6-7, 3.17 at the Oakland Coliseum. The A's scored 113 runs (5.9 runs per start) in his 19 road games and 37 runs (2.5 per start) in his 15 home games.
He was obtained by the Yankees for a sum of cash on December 31, 1990 and signed a two-year guaranteed contract that day. The contract extends through the 1992 season.
In 1989 Sanderson was 11-9 with a 3.94 ERA over 37 appearances (24 starts). His win total was his highest since winning 12 in 1982 for the Expos. He walked 31 hitters over 146.1 innings, a ratio of 1.9 walks every nine innings.
On April 7 he fanned Andy Van Slyke of Pittsburgh for career strikeout No. 1,000. From April 30-May 23, Scott won four consecutive decisions, then on June 4 at St. Louis tossed his first complete game since 1986. From July 5-August 2, he made five starts and allowed 17 earned runs over 21 innings and went to the bullpen.
Scott made three starts over the rest of the season, pitching mostly in relief. His first relief appearance on August 6 against Pittsburgh resulted in a tough loss. Scott pitched 8.0 scoreless innings before allowing a leadoff home run to Jeff King in the 18th inning.
As a starter in 1989 he was 10-7 with a 4.06 ERA and in 14 relief appearances was 1-2 with no saves and a 3.38 ERA. Sanderson made one relief appearance in the NLCS, in Game Four at Candlestick Park (2.0 IP, 0 R).
Sanderson was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 11th round of the June 1974 free agent draft, then was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 3rd round of the June 1977 free agent draft. His first year as a pro was spent in rookie ball with West Palm Beach of the Florida State League. He pitched in the Venezuelan Winter League and was 9-2 with a 1.41 ERA and also had two wins in the Caribbean World Series.
He started the 1978 season at AA Memphis and was 5-3 in nine starts before being promoted to AAA Denver where he went 4-2. Scott was promoted to the Expos on August 1 after only 28 minor league starts. He made his major league on August 6 against Chicago and did not figure in the decision in a 4-3 loss; his first big league loss was to the Cubs on August 13 with Scott tossing seven innings in a 2-1 defeat. His first major league win came on September 2 against San Diego. Scott was 4-0 with a 2.16 ERA in September.
In 1979, his first full season with the Expos, Scott was 9-8. He earned his first professional save on August 15 against Houston. In 1980, he was 16-11 with a 3.11 ERA and had seven complete games and three shutouts. He was sixth in the league in wins and ninth in ERA. Scott was 9-7 with a 2.96 ERA in the strike-shortened season of 1981. He struck out 77 batters and walked 31 over 137.0 innings.
Scott was 12-12 in 1982 with a 3.46 ERA but finished the season on fire, going 6-1 with a 2.91 ERA in his final eight starts. In his only loss during the streak, September 16 against the Mets, he fanned a career best 11 batters over 5.0 innings; from September 11-21 he fanned 21 batters over 11.2 innings. Scott hit his first career home run on September 11, a grand slam off Chicago's Randy Martz at Wrigley Field.
He struck out 158 batters on the year, eighth-best in the NL. His totals of strikeouts and innings pitched (224.0) were career highs. Scott threw seven complete games and three shutouts and ranked ninth in the NL in ERA.
In 1983, his final season with the Expos, he posted a 6-7 record with a 4.65 ERA. He tore ligaments in his right thumb on July 4th at Wrigley Field in a baserunning accident and was placed on the disabled list. He pitched three scoreless innings on September 6 against the Cubs to pick up his second career save.
In December of 1983 Sanderson was traded with infielder Al Newman to the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitcher Gary Lucas; then on the same day, the Padres traded Sanderson to the Cubs for first baseman Carmelo Martinez, pitcher Craig Lefferts and third baseman Fritz Connally. He won four of his first five decisions of '84 and was among the league leaders in ERA before succumbing to back spasms. He went on the DL from June 1-July 5. Scott was 6-1 with a 1.63 ERA against the National League East for the division-winning Cubs. He started Game Four of the NLCS and was not involved in the decision in a 7-5 Chicago loss to San Diego.
In 1985 Scott was one of five Cubs starters to spend time on the DL. From May 11 through the All-Star break he made 11 starts and pitched seven-plus innings in ten of them. In that stretch, he was 3-3 with a 1.83 ERA over 88.1 innings. At one point he allowed just one earned run over 26.1 innings. He went on the disabled list on August 14 after partially tearing the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
Scott made a career high 37 appearances in 1986, 28 of which were starts. His only shutout as a Cub came on April 23 against St. Louis, a 5-hitter. He was in the starting rotation until September 1.
In his nine relief appearances he was 2-0 with a save and a 1.23 ERA as opposed to 7-11 with a 4.32 ERA as a starter. Scott's 37 batters walked in 169.2 innings ranked him third in the league with an average of 1.96 batters walked per 9.0 innings.
Scott opened the 1987 season on the 15-day disabled list with a tender right shoulder. He split the season between the starting rotation and the bullpen; he was 7-7 with a 4.48 ERA in 22 starts, 1-2 with two saves and a 3.27 ERA in 10 relief outings.
He hit his second career home run on May 1 off San Diego's Eric Show. Scott's longest outing was on May 11 when he pitched 8.1 innings against Los Angeles. His two saves came in back-to-back appearances, on July 9 at Los Angeles and on July 16 at San Francisco.
1988 was a lost season for Scott as he spent most of the season on the DL. On February 10 he underwent back surgery to remove a disc. He began his rehab with Peoria in the Class-A Midwest League on June 25 and made a start (5.0 IP). He was promoted to Iowa in the AAA American Association where he made three starts.
Scott joined the Cubs on August 26 in Atlanta and retired all seven batters he faced. He picked up his first victory in nearly a year on August 29 in Houston. He pitched a season high 3.0 innings on September 2 against the Reds.
Scott grew up in Northbrook, Illinois, where he played Little League, Pony League and American Legion ball. He was a catcher in Little League. He graduated from Glenbrook North High School where he played baseball, football and basketball and was all-state in baseball his junior and senior years.
He graduated from Vanderbilt University where he majored in business finance and history. He played for the US national team at the Inter-Continental Cup in Montreal in 1975 and in the Pan-American Games in 1976.
Scott enjoys golf, cross country skiing and carpentry. He grew up a Catfish Hunter fan and his favorite entertainer is Jack Nicholson."
-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide
SCOTT SANDERSON DONS THE PINSTRIPES
"He's gone from a team with the best record in baseball to a team with one of the worst. But curiously, not that much has changed for starting pitcher Scott Sanderson of the New York Yankees.
Sanderson reported to the Oakland Athletics in the spring of 1990 with a history of injury trouble and only moderate success in his past half-dozen seasons, although he had been an 11-game winner when it counted in 1989. His success was critical to the Chicago Cubs, winners of the '89 National League East title.
'My goal when I came to Oakland (as a free agent),' Sanderson said,' was to prove to the team that I was a good pitcher, to prove that I was healthy, to prove that I was worthy of wearing the Oakland A's uniform and to help them continue their dominance.
'I thought that I had accomplished all those goals, so there is some disappointment, I think natural disappointment, that Oakland did not want me back.'
The Oakland front office, on the other hand, was in the position of having to sign 27-game winner Bob Welch, the Cy Young Award winner and a free agent, to a mega-bucks contract. And so-called 'new look' free agency meant a sizable new contract for centerfielder Dave Henderson, too.
Faced with such a one-two punch for the A's wallet, Oakland General Manager Sandy Alderson decided the club could not afford to re-sign their third and fourth 'name' free agents, Sanderson and centerfielder Willie McGee.
With McGee, there was simply no room in the outfield, not even for the National League batting champ, a man who demanded to play every day and who eventually signed with the San Francisco Giants.
The case of the right-handed Sanderson, however, was more convoluted. He was coming off a 17-11 season and an almost certain contract of $2 million in today's marketplace, so there was a certain logic to Alderson's thinking. On the other hand, even with the A's potent lineup, pitchers don't win 17 games just by showing up. And there was no doubt that Sanderson liked Oakland- he agreed to salary arbitration with Oakland even after the A's made it clear they weren't going to make an attempt to sign him.
Oakland's loss became the Yankees' gain when the A's traded Sanderson to the Yankees in January. The right-hander said he's ready to do his part to forge a new, stronger Yankees starting rotation.
And he's not about to give up the goals he had when he pitched for the A's.
'My goals are exactly the same as they were,' Sanderson said. 'Part of the reason I have the goals I have is a matter of personal integrity- it's not a matter of what team I play for. I feel very strongly I owe the team the absolute best of my efforts during the season and during the off-season as far as conditioning goes.
'As players, we need to keep that in mind whether it be game by game or year by year. We always need to prove ourselves worthy to wear the uniform.'
In 1990, Sanderson proved that point over again, and not just on the field with his career-high 17 wins and a 3.88 earned run average that was his lowest in five years.
At 34, Sanderson no longer throws as hard as he did as a rookie pitching for Montreal a year and a half out of Vanderbilt University. To compensate, he has added a couple of speeds to his curve, including a slow, huge hook that would look positively inviting to enemy hitters- if it didn't flat out destroy their timing so effectively.
Perhaps a dozen times in 1990, hitters got so angry at missing Sanderson's tempting devil pitch that they slammed their bats into the ground in frustration. That pitch, plus a decent fastball and good change-up, will continue to be part of the Sanderson repertoire.
'It's wrong to change your approach when you go to a new team,' Sanderson said. 'I didn't when I went to Oakland from Chicago, and I won't now. The idea is the same- to get every hitter out. It's not like with Oakland a starting pitcher just had to throw his glove on the mound to win.
'You still can't afford to be giving up runs- no team scores that many runs that often. Not Oakland, not anyone. Winning is always a matter of getting outs, and pitchers can't afford to get away from that even for a moment.'
Perhaps the biggest personal crisis of his year with the A's came on the final road trip of the regular season when reporters learned that Sanderson was to be bypassed in the starting rotation for the playoffs. He was replaced by Mike Moore, who'd won just 13 games and had a 4.65 ERA to boot.
Sanderson hadn't been told by A's Manager Tony LaRussa about his status one way or another, and the moment he saw where the pre-game conversation was heading, he said, 'Anything I have to find out, I want to find out from my manager, not from the writers.'
During the course of the game, Sanderson was told by LaRussa that he wouldn't be starting. After the game, there were no nasty scenes from Sanderson, no yelling or recriminations, although comparing his record with Moore's, few would have blamed Sanderson if he'd taken such an approach.
But that isn't the soft-spoken, soft-throwing Sanderson's way.
'It had to be a tough decision for Tony,' he said at the time. 'During the season, you do what you can to help your team get to the playoffs. Once you're there, sometimes your role changes. All I want, all any of us want, is to do what will help the team win. If that means Mike starts and I'm in the bullpen, that's alright.'
None of that was lost on his teammates.
'That's the way Scotty is,' Oakland reliever Dennis Eckersley said. 'He's always been able to put the team ahead of himself, something that some guys just can't do. He's a great guy to have around the clubhouse, that's for sure.'
The team concept has long intrigued Sanderson. A career National Leaguer before signing with the A's, he had never been to Yankee Stadium before Oakland's first 1990 trip to the Bronx at the end of April.
'The first time I walked into the park, before I did anything else, I walked out to the (centerfield) monuments,' he said. 'Before I did anything else, I had to do that, because it really attracted me. I'm fascinated by all the history there, all the great players and all the great teams.
'I knew of it, of course, but that's not quite the same thing as being there and seeing it for yourself.'
So while pitching in Yankee Stadium this year, Sanderson would like to make a little history of his own. His two starts at Yankee Stadium with the A's were both good; a seven-inning shutout effort on May 2- the same day he visited the monuments- and a seven-inning, three-hit, two-run performance during the A's return on September 8.
'I did very well in my two starts there, but I don't know that two games makes much of a track record,' Sanderson said. 'It's really not much of a good indicator.'
As good as he was against the Yankees, Sanderson was at his best against the Red Sox. On August 13, he pitched a 4-0 shutout over Boston. It was his only complete game, and it enabled the A's to take a six-game lead over Chicago in the AL West. With the win, the A's had some breathing room for the first time all year against the pesky White Sox. For the year, Sanderson was 2-0 in three starts against the Red Sox.
It's easy to see why the Yankees were so interested in Sanderson, quite apart from his 17 wins and his 206 1/3 innings pitched. In three starts against New York, Sanderson pitched 20 1/3 innings, allowing just 14 hits and two runs. And the 206 1/3 innings are 50 more than any Yankee pitcher last year, save for Tim Leary's 208.
The general rule for baseball players and for pitchers in particular is that once past 30, injuries seem to come with greater and greater frequency. But a general rule does allow for specific exceptions, and in Sanderson, the Yankees are getting a pitcher who seems to be able to break that rule with impunity.
Five times before he turned 30, Sanderson went on the disabled list with arm, shoulder and back problems. But since he had surgery early in the 1988 season, he's been completely healthy for the longest uninterrupted stretch of his career, another factor that weighed into the thinking of the Yankees when they swung the deal for him.
'I feel that the back surgery that I had gave me a new lease on health,' Sanderson said. 'As of February, it's three years and I haven't missed a day or a game because of injuries. In all that time, I haven't been on the disabled list and I've been able to pitch on three days rest without a problem.'
Sanderson, who pitched on three days' rest five times in his career-high 34 starts in 1990, missed only one start all year, that coming on May 30, where a losing battle with a rampant flu bug caught up with him. Other than that, LaRussa was able to write Sanderson's name on his lineup card every fifth day without fail.
Still, the back injury has had a lingering effect- a positive one- on his career. He spends his off-seasons in a gym near his suburban Chicago home working out five times a week with a buddy, longtime Boston and Chicago catcher Carlton Fisk, a practice Sanderson took up around the time of his 1988 back surgery.
'I think my winter workouts are substantially different from those that a lot of other pitchers do,' Sanderson said. 'My approach is somewhat different and very intense. I try to take Sundays and Wednesdays off and we go at it hard the rest of the time. By the time spring training rolls around, I'm ready.'
But Sanderson, tall and lean at 6-5 and 200 pounds, has never been one to spend much time out of shape. When he joined the A's last spring, he became an eager proponent of Welch's every-other-day 'Wily Coyote' runs through the Arizona desert during the heat of the day. It would have been easy to dread those backbreaking runs, but Sanderson instead joined enthusiastically.
'When I first came up, I had the same kind of work habits, but I went about things differently,' he said. 'The longer I play, the more intelligent I become in how to go about workouts both in and out of season. And my intensity has increased.'
That, for one, will probably never change."
-John Hickey, Hayward Daily Review (New York Yankees 1991 Scorebook and Souvenir Program)
"The Yankees purchased him from Oakland and signed him to a two-year, $4 million contract to be one of the mainstays of their rotation. The A's dealt him to avoid an arbitration hearing that would have resulted in a big contract.
Sanderson didn't pitch as well as last year's career-high 17 victories would indicate. He benefited from the superior offensive and defensive support of the A's. They chose not to give him a postseason start despite his regular-season success. Sanderson dominated the Yankees with a 3-0 mark and 0.89 ERA.
He did not make a major league appearance in 1988 until after undergoing back surgery. The operation saved his career and he has won in double figures in each of the past two seasons.
Sanderson was born in Dearborn, Michigan."
-John Shea and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1991 Edition
"It would be nice to just tell Scott Sanderson to just go out and pitch. To have fun out, and not to worry. Say what you want, but no matter you slice it, there is still a lot of pressure riding on his right arm.
He comes to the Yankees after a [purchase from] Oakland after winning 17 games in 1990. Sanderson will be expected to deliver similarly in New York on a team with less offensive flair than the A's. He comes to a team in need of consistent starting pitching and in search of an ace. And he must prove that regardless of the team, he can provide plenty of quality innings.
'Scotty can pitch,' says General Manager Gene Michael. 'Last year he was healthy for the first time in a long time, and the results were evident. He can pitch.'
The Yankees' rise from last place lies heavily on the health and ability of Scott Sanderson. No pressure."
-The New York Yankees Official 1991 Yearbook
"Sanderson was signed by Oakland as a free agent in December 1989 after spending six seasons in the Chicago Cubs organization. He pitched the entire 1990 season with Oakland where he posted a 17-11 record with a 3.88 ERA in his first season as an American Leaguer. He pitched 200-plus innings (206.1) for the first time since 1982 and third time in his career and did not miss a turn in the rotation all year. His 17 wins established a career high. Sanderson walked 66 batters while fanning 128.
He notched wins in his first two outings- on April 13 at Seattle and then on April 18 at Anaheim when he beat the Angels for career win No. 100. Scott was 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in five May starts. From May 2-15, he made three starts and was 2-0 with a streak of 18.1 consecutive scoreless innings.
He posted the first of his two complete games in the final game before the break on July 6 at Cleveland, taking the loss (8 IP, 6 ER). He was 9-5 with a 3.78 ERA at the break. Scott won his first three decisions after the break and posted a season best 10 strikeouts on July 26 against California. He was 11-6 with a 3.40 ERA through July.
His only shutout of 1990 came on August 13 against Boston as he threw a 3-hitter in a 12-0 win; it was his first shutout since April 23, 1986. Scott won his first three decisions in September, all on the road. His second-to-last start on September 22 against Detroit gave him win No. 17. He lost his final start on September 27 at Texas. He was 8-6 after the All-Star break. Scott did not pitch in the playoffs, but appeared in two World Series games, allowing two runs over 1.2 innings.
Scott was 11-4 with a 4.51 ERA on the road, 6-7, 3.17 at the Oakland Coliseum. The A's scored 113 runs (5.9 runs per start) in his 19 road games and 37 runs (2.5 per start) in his 15 home games.
He was obtained by the Yankees for a sum of cash on December 31, 1990 and signed a two-year guaranteed contract that day. The contract extends through the 1992 season.
In 1989 Sanderson was 11-9 with a 3.94 ERA over 37 appearances (24 starts). His win total was his highest since winning 12 in 1982 for the Expos. He walked 31 hitters over 146.1 innings, a ratio of 1.9 walks every nine innings.
On April 7 he fanned Andy Van Slyke of Pittsburgh for career strikeout No. 1,000. From April 30-May 23, Scott won four consecutive decisions, then on June 4 at St. Louis tossed his first complete game since 1986. From July 5-August 2, he made five starts and allowed 17 earned runs over 21 innings and went to the bullpen.
Scott made three starts over the rest of the season, pitching mostly in relief. His first relief appearance on August 6 against Pittsburgh resulted in a tough loss. Scott pitched 8.0 scoreless innings before allowing a leadoff home run to Jeff King in the 18th inning.
As a starter in 1989 he was 10-7 with a 4.06 ERA and in 14 relief appearances was 1-2 with no saves and a 3.38 ERA. Sanderson made one relief appearance in the NLCS, in Game Four at Candlestick Park (2.0 IP, 0 R).
Sanderson was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 11th round of the June 1974 free agent draft, then was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 3rd round of the June 1977 free agent draft. His first year as a pro was spent in rookie ball with West Palm Beach of the Florida State League. He pitched in the Venezuelan Winter League and was 9-2 with a 1.41 ERA and also had two wins in the Caribbean World Series.
He started the 1978 season at AA Memphis and was 5-3 in nine starts before being promoted to AAA Denver where he went 4-2. Scott was promoted to the Expos on August 1 after only 28 minor league starts. He made his major league on August 6 against Chicago and did not figure in the decision in a 4-3 loss; his first big league loss was to the Cubs on August 13 with Scott tossing seven innings in a 2-1 defeat. His first major league win came on September 2 against San Diego. Scott was 4-0 with a 2.16 ERA in September.
In 1979, his first full season with the Expos, Scott was 9-8. He earned his first professional save on August 15 against Houston. In 1980, he was 16-11 with a 3.11 ERA and had seven complete games and three shutouts. He was sixth in the league in wins and ninth in ERA. Scott was 9-7 with a 2.96 ERA in the strike-shortened season of 1981. He struck out 77 batters and walked 31 over 137.0 innings.
Scott was 12-12 in 1982 with a 3.46 ERA but finished the season on fire, going 6-1 with a 2.91 ERA in his final eight starts. In his only loss during the streak, September 16 against the Mets, he fanned a career best 11 batters over 5.0 innings; from September 11-21 he fanned 21 batters over 11.2 innings. Scott hit his first career home run on September 11, a grand slam off Chicago's Randy Martz at Wrigley Field.
He struck out 158 batters on the year, eighth-best in the NL. His totals of strikeouts and innings pitched (224.0) were career highs. Scott threw seven complete games and three shutouts and ranked ninth in the NL in ERA.
In 1983, his final season with the Expos, he posted a 6-7 record with a 4.65 ERA. He tore ligaments in his right thumb on July 4th at Wrigley Field in a baserunning accident and was placed on the disabled list. He pitched three scoreless innings on September 6 against the Cubs to pick up his second career save.
In December of 1983 Sanderson was traded with infielder Al Newman to the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitcher Gary Lucas; then on the same day, the Padres traded Sanderson to the Cubs for first baseman Carmelo Martinez, pitcher Craig Lefferts and third baseman Fritz Connally. He won four of his first five decisions of '84 and was among the league leaders in ERA before succumbing to back spasms. He went on the DL from June 1-July 5. Scott was 6-1 with a 1.63 ERA against the National League East for the division-winning Cubs. He started Game Four of the NLCS and was not involved in the decision in a 7-5 Chicago loss to San Diego.
In 1985 Scott was one of five Cubs starters to spend time on the DL. From May 11 through the All-Star break he made 11 starts and pitched seven-plus innings in ten of them. In that stretch, he was 3-3 with a 1.83 ERA over 88.1 innings. At one point he allowed just one earned run over 26.1 innings. He went on the disabled list on August 14 after partially tearing the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
Scott made a career high 37 appearances in 1986, 28 of which were starts. His only shutout as a Cub came on April 23 against St. Louis, a 5-hitter. He was in the starting rotation until September 1.
In his nine relief appearances he was 2-0 with a save and a 1.23 ERA as opposed to 7-11 with a 4.32 ERA as a starter. Scott's 37 batters walked in 169.2 innings ranked him third in the league with an average of 1.96 batters walked per 9.0 innings.
Scott opened the 1987 season on the 15-day disabled list with a tender right shoulder. He split the season between the starting rotation and the bullpen; he was 7-7 with a 4.48 ERA in 22 starts, 1-2 with two saves and a 3.27 ERA in 10 relief outings.
He hit his second career home run on May 1 off San Diego's Eric Show. Scott's longest outing was on May 11 when he pitched 8.1 innings against Los Angeles. His two saves came in back-to-back appearances, on July 9 at Los Angeles and on July 16 at San Francisco.
1988 was a lost season for Scott as he spent most of the season on the DL. On February 10 he underwent back surgery to remove a disc. He began his rehab with Peoria in the Class-A Midwest League on June 25 and made a start (5.0 IP). He was promoted to Iowa in the AAA American Association where he made three starts.
Scott joined the Cubs on August 26 in Atlanta and retired all seven batters he faced. He picked up his first victory in nearly a year on August 29 in Houston. He pitched a season high 3.0 innings on September 2 against the Reds.
Scott grew up in Northbrook, Illinois, where he played Little League, Pony League and American Legion ball. He was a catcher in Little League. He graduated from Glenbrook North High School where he played baseball, football and basketball and was all-state in baseball his junior and senior years.
He graduated from Vanderbilt University where he majored in business finance and history. He played for the US national team at the Inter-Continental Cup in Montreal in 1975 and in the Pan-American Games in 1976.
Scott enjoys golf, cross country skiing and carpentry. He grew up a Catfish Hunter fan and his favorite entertainer is Jack Nicholson."
-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide
SCOTT SANDERSON DONS THE PINSTRIPES
"He's gone from a team with the best record in baseball to a team with one of the worst. But curiously, not that much has changed for starting pitcher Scott Sanderson of the New York Yankees.
Sanderson reported to the Oakland Athletics in the spring of 1990 with a history of injury trouble and only moderate success in his past half-dozen seasons, although he had been an 11-game winner when it counted in 1989. His success was critical to the Chicago Cubs, winners of the '89 National League East title.
'My goal when I came to Oakland (as a free agent),' Sanderson said,' was to prove to the team that I was a good pitcher, to prove that I was healthy, to prove that I was worthy of wearing the Oakland A's uniform and to help them continue their dominance.
'I thought that I had accomplished all those goals, so there is some disappointment, I think natural disappointment, that Oakland did not want me back.'
The Oakland front office, on the other hand, was in the position of having to sign 27-game winner Bob Welch, the Cy Young Award winner and a free agent, to a mega-bucks contract. And so-called 'new look' free agency meant a sizable new contract for centerfielder Dave Henderson, too.
Faced with such a one-two punch for the A's wallet, Oakland General Manager Sandy Alderson decided the club could not afford to re-sign their third and fourth 'name' free agents, Sanderson and centerfielder Willie McGee.
With McGee, there was simply no room in the outfield, not even for the National League batting champ, a man who demanded to play every day and who eventually signed with the San Francisco Giants.
The case of the right-handed Sanderson, however, was more convoluted. He was coming off a 17-11 season and an almost certain contract of $2 million in today's marketplace, so there was a certain logic to Alderson's thinking. On the other hand, even with the A's potent lineup, pitchers don't win 17 games just by showing up. And there was no doubt that Sanderson liked Oakland- he agreed to salary arbitration with Oakland even after the A's made it clear they weren't going to make an attempt to sign him.
Oakland's loss became the Yankees' gain when the A's traded Sanderson to the Yankees in January. The right-hander said he's ready to do his part to forge a new, stronger Yankees starting rotation.
And he's not about to give up the goals he had when he pitched for the A's.
'My goals are exactly the same as they were,' Sanderson said. 'Part of the reason I have the goals I have is a matter of personal integrity- it's not a matter of what team I play for. I feel very strongly I owe the team the absolute best of my efforts during the season and during the off-season as far as conditioning goes.
'As players, we need to keep that in mind whether it be game by game or year by year. We always need to prove ourselves worthy to wear the uniform.'
In 1990, Sanderson proved that point over again, and not just on the field with his career-high 17 wins and a 3.88 earned run average that was his lowest in five years.
At 34, Sanderson no longer throws as hard as he did as a rookie pitching for Montreal a year and a half out of Vanderbilt University. To compensate, he has added a couple of speeds to his curve, including a slow, huge hook that would look positively inviting to enemy hitters- if it didn't flat out destroy their timing so effectively.
Perhaps a dozen times in 1990, hitters got so angry at missing Sanderson's tempting devil pitch that they slammed their bats into the ground in frustration. That pitch, plus a decent fastball and good change-up, will continue to be part of the Sanderson repertoire.
'It's wrong to change your approach when you go to a new team,' Sanderson said. 'I didn't when I went to Oakland from Chicago, and I won't now. The idea is the same- to get every hitter out. It's not like with Oakland a starting pitcher just had to throw his glove on the mound to win.
'You still can't afford to be giving up runs- no team scores that many runs that often. Not Oakland, not anyone. Winning is always a matter of getting outs, and pitchers can't afford to get away from that even for a moment.'
Perhaps the biggest personal crisis of his year with the A's came on the final road trip of the regular season when reporters learned that Sanderson was to be bypassed in the starting rotation for the playoffs. He was replaced by Mike Moore, who'd won just 13 games and had a 4.65 ERA to boot.
Sanderson hadn't been told by A's Manager Tony LaRussa about his status one way or another, and the moment he saw where the pre-game conversation was heading, he said, 'Anything I have to find out, I want to find out from my manager, not from the writers.'
During the course of the game, Sanderson was told by LaRussa that he wouldn't be starting. After the game, there were no nasty scenes from Sanderson, no yelling or recriminations, although comparing his record with Moore's, few would have blamed Sanderson if he'd taken such an approach.
But that isn't the soft-spoken, soft-throwing Sanderson's way.
'It had to be a tough decision for Tony,' he said at the time. 'During the season, you do what you can to help your team get to the playoffs. Once you're there, sometimes your role changes. All I want, all any of us want, is to do what will help the team win. If that means Mike starts and I'm in the bullpen, that's alright.'
None of that was lost on his teammates.
'That's the way Scotty is,' Oakland reliever Dennis Eckersley said. 'He's always been able to put the team ahead of himself, something that some guys just can't do. He's a great guy to have around the clubhouse, that's for sure.'
The team concept has long intrigued Sanderson. A career National Leaguer before signing with the A's, he had never been to Yankee Stadium before Oakland's first 1990 trip to the Bronx at the end of April.
'The first time I walked into the park, before I did anything else, I walked out to the (centerfield) monuments,' he said. 'Before I did anything else, I had to do that, because it really attracted me. I'm fascinated by all the history there, all the great players and all the great teams.
'I knew of it, of course, but that's not quite the same thing as being there and seeing it for yourself.'
So while pitching in Yankee Stadium this year, Sanderson would like to make a little history of his own. His two starts at Yankee Stadium with the A's were both good; a seven-inning shutout effort on May 2- the same day he visited the monuments- and a seven-inning, three-hit, two-run performance during the A's return on September 8.
'I did very well in my two starts there, but I don't know that two games makes much of a track record,' Sanderson said. 'It's really not much of a good indicator.'
As good as he was against the Yankees, Sanderson was at his best against the Red Sox. On August 13, he pitched a 4-0 shutout over Boston. It was his only complete game, and it enabled the A's to take a six-game lead over Chicago in the AL West. With the win, the A's had some breathing room for the first time all year against the pesky White Sox. For the year, Sanderson was 2-0 in three starts against the Red Sox.
It's easy to see why the Yankees were so interested in Sanderson, quite apart from his 17 wins and his 206 1/3 innings pitched. In three starts against New York, Sanderson pitched 20 1/3 innings, allowing just 14 hits and two runs. And the 206 1/3 innings are 50 more than any Yankee pitcher last year, save for Tim Leary's 208.
The general rule for baseball players and for pitchers in particular is that once past 30, injuries seem to come with greater and greater frequency. But a general rule does allow for specific exceptions, and in Sanderson, the Yankees are getting a pitcher who seems to be able to break that rule with impunity.
Five times before he turned 30, Sanderson went on the disabled list with arm, shoulder and back problems. But since he had surgery early in the 1988 season, he's been completely healthy for the longest uninterrupted stretch of his career, another factor that weighed into the thinking of the Yankees when they swung the deal for him.
'I feel that the back surgery that I had gave me a new lease on health,' Sanderson said. 'As of February, it's three years and I haven't missed a day or a game because of injuries. In all that time, I haven't been on the disabled list and I've been able to pitch on three days rest without a problem.'
Sanderson, who pitched on three days' rest five times in his career-high 34 starts in 1990, missed only one start all year, that coming on May 30, where a losing battle with a rampant flu bug caught up with him. Other than that, LaRussa was able to write Sanderson's name on his lineup card every fifth day without fail.
Still, the back injury has had a lingering effect- a positive one- on his career. He spends his off-seasons in a gym near his suburban Chicago home working out five times a week with a buddy, longtime Boston and Chicago catcher Carlton Fisk, a practice Sanderson took up around the time of his 1988 back surgery.
'I think my winter workouts are substantially different from those that a lot of other pitchers do,' Sanderson said. 'My approach is somewhat different and very intense. I try to take Sundays and Wednesdays off and we go at it hard the rest of the time. By the time spring training rolls around, I'm ready.'
But Sanderson, tall and lean at 6-5 and 200 pounds, has never been one to spend much time out of shape. When he joined the A's last spring, he became an eager proponent of Welch's every-other-day 'Wily Coyote' runs through the Arizona desert during the heat of the day. It would have been easy to dread those backbreaking runs, but Sanderson instead joined enthusiastically.
'When I first came up, I had the same kind of work habits, but I went about things differently,' he said. 'The longer I play, the more intelligent I become in how to go about workouts both in and out of season. And my intensity has increased.'
That, for one, will probably never change."
-John Hickey, Hayward Daily Review (New York Yankees 1991 Scorebook and Souvenir Program)
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