Tuesday, June 8, 2010

1982 New York Yankees



This is the first team that finished with a below .500 record in 1982. For the Yankees, this is also their first losing season since 1973. This team started a 13 season stretch where the Yankees didn't make the playoffs, the worst run for the Yankees since they became a team back in 1903 and didn't reach a World Series until 1921.

The Yankees get a lot of heat for buying their way into the playoffs. Funny thing is, looking at this roster, they largely bought this team and it got them nowhere. John Mayberry, Roy Smalley, Dave Winfield, Jerry Mumphrey, Ken Griffey, Dave Collins, and Butch Wynegar were all big names on other teams brought in and didn't do a whole lot to help the Yankees. In fact it wasn't until they started building a team from within in the early 1990s that they would right the ship again and get back into the playoffs.

MVP
Dave Winfield led this team in home runs and RBI, was 1 behind the team leader in runs scored and second on the team in batting average. Honorable mention goes to Willie Randolph.

Cy Young
Another hall-of-famer gets the nod here, closer Rich Gossage. Although he had a 4-5 record, he had 30 saves to go with a 2.23 ERA.

Rookie Card of the Year
Dave Righetti won the AL Rookie of the Year in 1981 and would take over for the above mentioned Rich Gossage as the closer for the team in 1984. He would be the Yankees closer through the 1990 season before he left as a free agent to sign with the Giants. He has cards in all three of the sets.

Most Interesting Non-Topps Card
George Steinbrenner was in prime form in 1982, going through 3 managers. The Yankees had 10 managers between 1974 when Bill Virdon was hired on and 1991 when Stump Merrill was let go to make room for Buck Showalter. That may not seem like that many, but there were several managers who had multiple stints, including Billy Martin who had 5 different stints as Yankee manager.

Bob Lemon was another of those managers with multiple stints. He led the team in the 2nd half of 1978 and the early half of 1979 only to be let go, but was brought back at the tail end of the 1981 season leading the Yankees into the World Series in 1981. Bob Lemon started out 1982, but was let go after 2 weeks, with a not that terrible 6-8 record. Must've had a bad spring training. Lemon is the only one of the three Yankee managers of 1982 to have a card in any of the 1982 sets.

Starters
__ TO 45 C Rick Cerone NYY
__ TT 67 1B John Mayberry NYY
__ TO 569 2B Willie Randolph NYY
__ TO 505 3B Graig Nettles NYY
__ TT 107 SS Roy Smalley NYY
__ TO 600 LF Dave Winfield NYY
__ TO 175 CF Jerry Mumphrey NYY
__ TT 40 RF Ken Griffey NYY
__ TO 472 DH Oscar Gamble NYY
__ TT 20 UT Dave Collins NYY
__ TO 538 UT Lou Piniella NYY
__ TT 131 C Butch Wynegar NYY

Starting Pitchers
__ TO 9 SP Ron Guidry NYY
__ TO 75 SP Tommy John NYY
__ TO 439 SP Dave Righetti NYY
__

SP Mike Morgan

Relief Pitchers
__ TO 770 CL Rich Gossage NYY
__ TT 95 RP Shane Rawley NYY
__ TO 735 RP Rudy May NYY
__ TO 349 RP George Frazier NYY
__ TO 142 RP Dave LaRoche NYY
__ TT 30 SP Roger Erickson NYY
__ TT 1 SP Doyle Alexander NYY

Other Players
__ TO 240 SS Bucky Dent NYY
__ TO 208 DH Bobby Murcer NYY
__ TO 465 1B Lee Mazzilli NYM
__

SS Andre Robertson
__

1B Steve Balboni
__ TO 357 DH Butch Hobson CAL
__ TO 706 C Barry Foote NYY
__

1B Dave Revering
__ TO 541 IF Barry Evans SDP
__ TO 259 MI Rodney Scott MON
__

IF Larry Milbourne
__ TO 275 UT Bob Watson NYY
__

UT Mike Patterson
__

UT Don Mattingly
__ TO 354 C Bobby Ramos MON
__

2B Edwin Rodriguez
__

C Juan Espino
__

DH Dave Stegman
__

SP Jay Howell
__

RP John Pacella
__

RP Curt Kaufman
__ TO 85 RP Lynn McGlothen CHW
__

SP Stefan Wever
__

RP Jim Lewis

Minor Leagues
__ TO 405 MN Rick Reuschel NYY
__ TO 694 MN Dave Wehrmeister NYY

Manager/Coaches
__ DO 635 MG Bob Lemon NYY
__

MG Gene Michael
__

MG Clyde King
__ DO 387 CO Yogi Berra NYY

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