REMEMBERING THE BUZZ ABOUT JACK CLARK

 

In the mid-1980s, Jack Clark was a name synonymous with power hitting and fierce competitiveness. Known for his formidable presence at the plate, Clark drew significant attention from several teams, including the New York Yankees. The Yankees, under the leadership of the notoriously demanding owner George Steinbrenner, were always in search of players who could bring immediate impact, and Clark fit the bill perfectly.  The Yankees' interest in Clark intensified in the winter of 1987. George Steinbrenner, never one to shy away from making bold moves, was vocal about his desire to bring Clark to the Bronx. Steinbrenner was quoted saying, "Jack Clark is the kind of player who can change the dynamic of our lineup. He's a proven power hitter and a fierce competitor. That's exactly what we need." (New York Times, 1987).

The meetings between Clark's representatives and the Yankees were intense. Reports from that period indicate that Steinbrenner was personally involved in the negotiations, a testament to how highly he regarded Clark. The Yankees were eager to bolster their lineup with Clark's power, hoping it would be the missing piece to reclaiming their dominance in the American League.

Jack Clark officially joined the New York Yankees on January 6, 1988, signing a two-year contract worth $3 million. The signing was met with considerable excitement and high expectations. Steinbrenner remarked, "With Jack in our lineup, we're going to be a force to be reckoned with. He brings power, experience, and a winning mentality".

Clark's tenure with the Yankees, however, was mixed. In the 1988 season, he played 150 games, hitting .242 with 27 home runs and 93 RBIs. While these numbers were respectable, they fell short of the astronomical expectations placed upon him. Clark's presence in the lineup did provide some much-needed power, but it was not enough to lead the Yankees to postseason success. Injuries also plagued him during his time in New York, limiting his overall effectiveness.

The Yankees sought Jack Clark to address their need for a power hitter who could provide protection in the lineup and drive in runs. At the time, the Yankees were struggling to find consistent power and production, and Clark was seen as a solution. "We needed someone who could drive in runs and make pitchers think twice," said then-Yankees manager Billy Martin.

Jack Clark's stint with the Yankees was short-lived. After the 1988 season, he was traded to the San Diego Padres in a multi-player deal. The move was partly due to financial considerations and partly due to the Yankees' shifting priorities. Steinbrenner, reflecting on the trade, commented, "We had high hopes for Jack, but sometimes things don't work out as planned. We wish him all the best in San Diego." 

After leaving the Yankees, Clark continued to play in the majors until 1992, with stops in San Diego and Boston. His post-Yankees career saw a decline in his power numbers, but he remained a respected veteran presence.

Clark himself had mixed feelings about his time with the Yankees. In a later interview, he stated, "Playing in New York is like nowhere else. The expectations are sky-high, and the pressure is immense. I enjoyed my time there, but it was challenging. The fans are passionate, and George Steinbrenner is a unique character. He always wanted the best, and sometimes that made things tough." 

Jack Clark's tenure with the Yankees may not have lived up to the grand expectations, but it remains a notable chapter in both his career and the Yankees' history. The buzz surrounding his arrival, the high hopes of Steinbrenner, and the subsequent ups and downs of his performance highlight the unpredictable nature of baseball and the pressures of playing in New York.

--Alvin Izzo

BYB Yankee History Contributor

KENDRYS MORALES IS A YANKEE!

The Yanks are just making moves and so far this season every single one of them has worked out perfectly. I wonder how it works out with Kendrys Morales. That's right... he's a Yankee now.

CBS Sports writes:

"The Yankees on Tuesday announced that they've acquired DH Kendrys Morales from the Athletics in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named. The Yankees were in need of help at DH after Miguel Andujar was placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury. 

Andujar could be facing season-ending surgery, but even if isn't the Yankees will need a bat at DH.

Morales becomes the bat. Now 35, Morales this season has struggled after 34 games in Oakland with a slash line of .204/.310/.259. Last season, however, he out up an OPS+ of 113 and hit 21 home runs in 130 games for the Blue Jays."

There's no question Morales can help, he's got a big bat. But the fact of the matter is you just don't know what you're gonna get.

Will he turn into that Jack Clark or Ken Phelps or Lance Berkman move that just becomes a big name but is kind of stale... or will he flourish with an already talented, young team.  Let's hope he flourishes.

I've always admired that Morales just kept hanging on in the Majors.  His bat is a huge reason why.

Welcome and good luck Kendrys.

THE GRASS ISN'T ALWAYS GREENER: PART 2

I recently wrote an article titled THE GRASS ISN'T ALWAYS GREENER regarding the Yankees’ - as well as some of their fans - habit of looking at what other teams have as being better.  My argument was that we have some in-house proven talent that can fit the holes we are looking to shore up if just given the chance.

Greg Bird, Luis Severino, Rob Refsnyder, and Slade Heathcott were examples of that last season.  To some extent, so was the recently departed (traded) John Ryan Murphy.  All came up through our organization and all were successful not only in the spring, but when given their opportunities in the Bronx; either via injury or just plain necessity.

It could be argued that only Severino was a planned introduction to the big leagues.

Those who do read my articles know my opinion of GM Brian Cashman’s idea on how to build a winning team.  He employs a strategy similar to that of the 1980’s George Steinbrenner; acquire once-proven veterans either via free agency or through trade – using the minor league system stars as bartering chips.

(In Photo: Jack Clark)
As I watch Cashman every off-season exercise a worn business model that yields 85 – 87 wins per season and only teases us with memories of players never to again see their peak, I can’t help but remember names like Jack Clark (signed in 1988 at age 32, hit .242 and was traded to Padres at end of season), Rick Rhoden (acquired in trade from Pittsburgh in 1987 at age 35 – for 24 year old Doug Drabek who would go on to win a Cy Young in 1990.

(In Photo: Doug Drabek)
Rhoden would go 28 – 22 with a 4.09 ERA and allow 42 HR in 2 seasons with Yankees), or Rafael Santana (30 year old shortstop acquired in trade from Mets, hit .240 in 1988 and then released the next season).  While only a small representative sample, they characterized Yankee clubs that averaged a little more than 82 wins per season and never finished above 4th place in the A.L. East.

(In Photo: Derek Jeter, 1996)
It wasn’t until young, home-grown players like Don Mattingly and Bernie Williams came onto the scene – to be followed by Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte – that the Bombers emerged from that “dark period” of their history.

Cashman’s line of thinking has only worked once over the past 15 seasons – in 2009 – and the club has played just one playoff game (last season’s loss to the Astros in the Wild card game) over the past three.  At what point does the recent success of the Royals and Giants - teams laden with young, home-grown stars given their chance on an everyday basis – finally sink in?

Lately, there have persistent rumblings about opportunities to fill second base (yet again) with either a position-transplant from another team (Castro of the Cubs – bumped from his starting spot at shortstop by Addison Russell, or a 30-something veteran (Kinsler from the Tigers).  These rumors persist seemingly oblivious to what the Yankees had in the Ackley / Refsnyder combo over the final crucial weeks of 2015.

 As I wrote in my first THE GRASS ISN'T ALWAYS GREENER article:

“Only, what they seem to overlook is that once Drew was out of the picture, the team’s forced reliance upon Dustin Ackley and Rob Refsnyder created a productive combo at second.  From September 16th (when Drew stopped playing on regular basis) until the end of the season, the two “replacements” for WHSBIYH (Worst Hitting Second Baseman In Yankees History) hit a combined .303 with 4 HR, 11 RBI and 6 runs scored.”

The Yankees went from ranking dead last at second base to top 5 at the position simply by going with what they had on hand to replace Drew.

My point of all of this is that, sure Kinsler might be an upgrade at second base, but not a significant one and he is an older player with a much larger contract to eat.  Castro is young, but he isn’t a natural second baseman (Refsnyder, long criticized regarding his fielding, actually had a higher fielding percentage at the position and had no errors down the stretch when the Yankees needed him the most), and he has a large contract to boot (8 year contract through 2019, $60 million).  We have more pressing issues at other positions (starting pitching in particular) than to worry about second base (now that the stiff Drew is gone).

My esteemed colleague, and BYB Founder, Robert Casey wrote articles about both Castro and Kinsler that are well worth their read (you can get them Here and Here).  Along with what I’ve said above, he makes the point that – in the words of Lloyd Dobler from the iconic movie “Say Anything” - “You…Must…Chill! “.  Look at what we already have and relax.

Stephen Drew can’t burn us anymore (unless “Dimwit” brings him back again, which I am certain he doesn’t want to bring that upon himself for another season) and we have capable hands already under contract to adequately represent the position. Let’s let Ackley and Refsnyder grow at second base.  They’ve given us a pretty nice glimpse into what they are capable of providing.  After all, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side – or in this case – with the other options.


    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1


    

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YOU CAN'T FIX AN OLD LINEUP WITH MORE OLD PLAYERS

I admire Joel Sherman of the New York Post, and he writes a great column today where he basically suggests that he doesn't believe his source in the organization that they are done signing big contracts and they've decided to be more conservative by their spending.  Well, I'm with Joel, I don't believe them either.  His column today is If the Yankees must spend, then spend on Victor Martinez. You read that right...VICTOR MARTINEZ.  And that's where he loses me.

Joel writes: "Thus, if told I must double down, my recommendation would be to sign Victor Martinez, despite the recklessness of doing just that. He turns 36 in December. He is mainly a DH and it is possible that slot is going to be needed for two expensive pieces already gone wrong for the Yanks — Beltran and Alex Rodriguez.

Because he is a year-and-a-half younger than Beltran and is having a superior walk year, Martinez can expect more than the three years at $45 million Beltran received last offseason."

I know... you grimaced just like me. I see what Sherman's doing.  He's being provocative and sucking in the Yankee fan, like you, like me, who are looking for answers to our team that we built this offseason with superstars like Jacoby Ellsbury and Masahiro Tanaka. 

Guys like Brian McCann and Beltran.  Guys that were supposed to help this club win.  Those three hitters right there alone look great on paper, don't they?  Offensively, mixing them in with guys like Derek Jeter and Brett Gardner... we have a new, hungry club.  But we aren't.

Here's the problem though.  Now, in the desperation of all of this, do we really want to continue to "go old"? Victor Martinez is 36 years old.  We've tried that. We've tried it many times.  Can't we attempt to get some young bats in there? Come on! Sprinkle in the youth with the old. What do you say?

Yes, it's true, Martinez is having the season of his life. 30 home runs, .333 average.  He's the exact player we want, no question about it.  Here's my worry... how do we know that will translate to the New York Yankees?  We've been burned before.  It goes back to the days of Jack Clark. 

Sure, we don't know until we try, but we have to somehow stop throwing money at everyone who has 1 good season.  We need to stay inside the family.  Last time we did that Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams happened.

The idea of Victor Martinez in pinstripes with 30+ home runs and a productive bat would be glorious, but let's face it, we've had high expectations for guys like Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran too.  It hasn't happened.

Look, I don't know what the Yankees will do.  I do know that if the Yankees don't make the playoffs this year, there will be hell to pay, and there should be.  But what happens next is anyone's guess... including Joel Sherman, including you and me.

Joel Sherman ladies and gentlemen... always provocative... but I'm just afraid the signing of Martinez could be reckless and desperate.

Stay tuned.

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NOT ANOTHER "PHELPS" DEAL!

It is being reported that the Mariners were scouting David Phelps’ spring start on Tuesday.   Speculation has begun that given the Yankees need for infield help and the Mariners need for starting pitching (they have two starters injured), a deal might be in the works.

I couldn’t help but hearken back to the last time a Yankees/Mariners trade involved someone named “Phelps”.

The year was 1988 and George Steinbrenner was running the show for our Bombers.  At the time, we had a young, powerful outfielder coming up through the ranks named Jay Buhner.  He had played in just 7 games in 1987 and hit a paltry .227.  In ’88 he put 25 games under his belt and his average remained low (.188), but he did manage to hit three home runs and drive in 13.  Still, he was only 23 and his ceiling remained high.

On the other side of the continent, the Mariners had a 33-year-old first baseman/designated hitter that had never played in more than 101 games for any of the three teams he had been associated with.  Ken Phelps batting average to that point had never gone above .259, but he displayed decent power in hitting 51 home runs during the 1986 and 1987 seasons.  As a left-handed hitter, his power-stroke seemed like it might translate well in Yankee Stadium.

Timing is everything, and Phelps slugging percentage (.547) through the first 72 games of the 1988 season was the highest he’d ever had.  He was well on his way to another 25+ home run season and our owner was itching to make his team better.

With George “being George”, the Yankees owner looked past the fact that the team already had Don Mattingly manning first base and Jack Clark hitting in the DH spot, and dealt Buhner to Seattle for Phelps.

BYB writer Ike Dimitriadis wrote this article last June about the deal and I recommend giving it a read...  "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU TRADE JAY BUHNER FOR?" It accurately portrays the atmosphere and attitude of that time in the Bronx.

Needless to say, Buhner would go on to become a Mariners’ legend, hitting 307 home runs in a 14 year career on the west coast.  Phelps would become the poster-child for the failed Yankee clubs of the 1980’s, lasting a little more than one season with the team and hitting just 17 home runs in 131 games.

For Yankees fans (like myself) that remember that particular dark period of our franchise, we cannot help but feel the hairs on the backs of our necks stand straight up when we hear about another potential “Phelps” deal with the Mariners.

Even if all this much ado is about nothing, I’d prefer that any trade involving someone named “Phelps” occur with a team not named the “Mariners”.


    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

   

 
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PASSION-BASED BASEBALL: THE SECRET TO SUCCESS

With the Core Four down to one, I ask you all to think long and hard about what you would like to see in your 2014 team. Leadership? Absolutely! Innovation? For sure! How about passion? How about that? Who is the heart and soul of the new Yankees? And with this heart and soul, who will lead the Yankees to a championship? The only two guys that have the heart for it are on the auction-block with another outfielder added to the roster! Ichiro Suzuki and Brett Gardner are our quiet champions; they play hard, give it everything they have and if we give them up, then who has the heart to lead and strengthen this team?

The Cano debacle is still haunting me. Money flaunting, only doing what's necessary with no additional effort- Robbie Cano! Don't ya know we were counting on you? You break my heart Robbie! Would your name-sake do the same? What would Jackie say?

OK, back to passion: Brett Gardner, the young, spry, center field bleeds Yankee blue and we have him hanging on a limb like bait on a hook. And Ichiro who always wanted to be a Yankee, the ultimate professional, let's throw him out to the trash too! Really? Did we really need Carlos Beltran if that means we need to give up Gardy and Ichiro?

Dick Vitale, who I admire for his passionate calls and undying enthusiasm for college basketball, tweeted this today:

Yes, if we give up another young player, we could make that B.S. statement a reality. "Or are the Yankees of this decade just going to be a better and far more expensive version of the Yankees of the 1980s, another time when they wandered aimlessly from plan to plan and brought in Jack Clark and Ed Whitson and Dave Collins and Ken Griffey and, well, Yankee fans know that’s the short list," according to the Mike Lupica in the New York Daily News on Sunday.

Did we overpay for Jacoby Ellsbury at the expense of Gardy? I think so. Remember Jacoby started in the Red Sox organization just like Gardy. And he doesn't have even a quarter of the passion that Gardy does! And Beltran was always whining and crying in New York while he was with the Mets. Have you heard even a peep from Ichiro?

To say I'm disgusted would be an understatement. I suggest you read Lupica's column in The Daily News today and re-read our posts on passion and teamwork because that's what's missing and taking out Gardy and Ichiro is going to kill our chemistry completely. I expect more vision in our front office and less cherry-picking. The secret of success is in the makeup of your team, which includes passion-based ball playing. Let's hold onto what's left of that and seek out those that fit that profile for the sake of our future.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof





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IF YOU HAVE AN ARGUMENT FOR SIGNING BELTRAN... THEN MAKE IT

The voting came down in our BYB poll with a very simple question… Would you sign Carlos Beltran, Yes or No?  Simple enough.  Guess what? Yankee fans, or should I say, Bleeding Yankee Blue readers do DO want Carlos Beltran... but it was very close.

In our poll taken, 61 People voted and 30, or 49% said you didn’t want him on the Yankees. 31 said you did! It’s interesting but I can only imagine the reason why was age. It was very close though, I can appreciate that.  Fans make their argument simple. Breaking it down one can assume you are content with the outfielders we have already in Ichiro, Alfonso Soriano, Brett Gardner and Vernon Wells.

You might be content with the minor league youth that's coming up in Zoilo Almonte or the like. Combine that with the fact that you just don't think Carlos is cut out for being a Yankee... am I right? Maybe some of you just want a "big name" and are willing to roll the dice and spend alittle money on Carlos.  Others may have figured in his age and that besides the post-season, what else has Beltran really been clutch in?  All of it reminds me of a post I saw from YESNetwork.com last week.  Let’s just say, it surprised me.

I found it alittle strange that a post on Yesnetwork.com titled,Yankees would be wise to pursue Beltran gave me absolutely no big reason for why the Yankees should sign Beltran, other than he'd make a great outfielder and could DH on his "outfield rest days." Seriously, that's all I took from it...opinion.  I have to tell you, the title was deceiving, and after reading it, I felt like I got ripped off… my opinion of course.

This was their only argument to why Beltran needed to be a New York Yankee, “Beltran is 36, but is also very productive and hit .296/.339/.491 with 24 home runs last season. He's a switch hitter and a good defensive outfielder, but with his age, he could benefit from the DH spot a few times a week. For that reason, it's smart for Beltran to consider ANY American League team"

Now, besides the .296 average, we have the power already, and we have good defense and we have 4 outfielders... one of which could be a DH, OR, rotate our guys.  The point is, there really isn't an outstanding reason the Yankees SHOULD get Beltran, unless we want to roll the dice and just see what we get.  Granted, we could be pleasantly surprised, but let's face it, no one liked the idea of Lyle Overbay when we picked him up and he turned out to be one of the best pick-ups on 2013 for the Yanks.

(In Photo: Jack Clark)
Look, we’ve seen plenty of big named players that were sold to us as “sure things” over the years. It goes back to Jack Clark and is as recent as Rondell White.  No one truly knows if 36 year old Carlos Beltran will be a good fit on the Yankees until he’s here, not even Doug Williams on Yesnetwork.com.  And yes, while Beltran's reputation in the post-season is outstanding, his season numbers have never jumped out at me. 

Look, I’m willing to take a chance on Beltran, but don’t replace my Ichiro Suzuki.  I wrote this about Suzuki on Twitter the other day:

@NYFanRant Ichiro has never been a problem for me. Be sure to vote on http://t.co/LkjiAGYT9p
— Bleeding Yankee Blue (@BleednYankeeBlu) October 17, 2013

I mean it! Ichiro needs to be our rightfielder and sure, Beltran could platoon with him some days if he was ever to come to the Bronx, but I wasn’t exactly “wowed” by Doug Williams' “anaylsis” of why Beltran should be in pinstripes.  I'm not so sure he does, you lost me there….

Anyway... I'm rambling now... thanks for voting in our poll... we'll have more soon!

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WHY WE NEVER GIVE UP ON OUR YANKEES

(photo: NY Daily News)
There are plenty of things that happen around Opening Day. Raw fan emotion for 1. For 2, raw player emotion, yes, it's just a job to them, but they still want to win.

For the fan watching, we anaylze very simply. We look at the at bats for instance. In 4 or 5 plate appearances, us Yankee fans get a batch report of what a player may or may not do that season. Yes, it's a small batch, but put simply, this is where fans gauge players. It's not fair, but that's how our minds work.

The reality is, anything can happen after Opening Day, but comfort level of an individual player is tested and the fan knows that. Butterflies are in everyone's stomach on Opening Day, and as days move on into weeks, comfort becomes dominant in a player's psyche. That confidence at the plate usually will translate to the fan, hence, jersey's are purchased, kids formulate who their favorite player is, females want to marry that player.

Sometimes as the season progresses, certain players can't get that confidence. The mind doesn't sync up with the body, they're slow at the plate, they're booed at the plate. Fans leave, and no one's asking for autographs anymore. Bottom line, you see that happening a mile away, the player knows too, but sometimes you have to just chalk it up as a slump.

One thing I've noticed as a Yankee fan though, We never give up on our guys, EVER. Yes, we get hasty, we want the big hit, but we never ever desert our players. We love our Yankees. I've seen crappy players come and go but whenever they come back, Opening Day or Old Timer's Day, there's alwayshuge applause.Look, I rooted for the Yanks when Bobby Meacham and Dale Berra were the left side of the infield. Those were dark days. But no one faults a bad Yankee player. They may be bad sometimes, but he was qualified to wear the pinstripes, so over time, he's embraced. We, the fans love our Yankees and if you wear the pinstripes and get out there and do all you can do, we salute them... Why? Because Yankees keep fighting, no matter what.I joked about how bad Sergio Mitre was for us. Well, he was, but he gave it his all, it just turned out, he wasn't terribly good, but he never gave up. Remember Kevin Maas? He was crushing homeruns early on in his career, then, once teams figured out he couldn't hit anything but fastballs, he eventually vanished, but he never gave up. And still, to this day everyone remembers Maas, and if he showed up at Yankee Stadium, people would love to see him.

How about Glennallen Hill, or Jack Clark... maybe Matt Nokes. All these guys were Yankees, all had flashes of greatness for the Yanks, but none of them panned out the way we wanted, yet, Yankee fans know those players, and we love our Yankees. Why? Because they never gave up.
There's something that happens to players when they put on the pinstripes. They become super heroes to us all. They are leaders, they walk with pride, they never stop fighting. That's what I grew up watching. Today, nothing's changed, except of course the athletes themselves. At the end of the day, It's the unique history and a unique pattern. Yes, it's great to win every year, but year after year we remember every player good or bad who ran out on the field as a New York Yankee. Because when you wear the pinstripes, you never give up and the fans never give up on you.

Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.