Dave Winfield signed with New York Yankees as a free agent on Dec. 15, 1980. The Kansas City Royals had swept the Yankees in the playoffs a few months before, prompting Yankees’ owner George Steinbrenner to strengthen his team, which he believed getting Winfield would accomplish. Dave Winfield played for the Yankees from 1981 until May 11, 1990, when he was traded to the Angels for right handed pitcher Mike Witt. He missed the entire 1989 season due to back surgery, so his Yankees’ career really ended after the 1988 season.
Where Does Winfield Rank Among Yankees’ Outfielders?
Dave Winfield played all three outfield positions for the Yankees. He played mostly in left field his first two seasons in New York and was the right fielder the remainder of his Yankees’ career. Where does Dave Winfield rank among all time great Yankees’ outfielders?
In his eight seasons with the Yankees, Winfield batted .291 with .358 on base average, a .497 slugging average and about 25 home runs and 102 RBIs a season. He was an outstanding defensive outfielder with an excellent throwing arm. He finished his career with 3,110 hits and 465 home runs and became a Hall of Fame member in 2001.
Ruth, DiMaggio, and Mantle
Babe Ruth heads the list. He played right field, but when the Yankees visited their friends in Boston, Babe usually played left field because right field was the sun field in Fenway Park, and Babe never wanted to become too familiar with the sun. Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle played center field, but Mickey was a right fielder when he arrived in 1951 because Joe played center field. During his career, Mickey played all three outfield positions, and in 1965, he was exclusively a left fielder. There is no question that Ruth, DiMaggio, and Mantle finish ahead of Winfield as Yankees, but the Yankees have had two other center fielders who certainly had better Yankees’ careers than Winfield, and who even might be considered to have been greater players.
Earle Combs
Earle Combs had a short career, playing for the Yankee from 1924-1935, but he was an outstanding defensive outfielder who had some great years. Combs had seasons in which he hit .342, .356, .345. .344, and .321. He had a life time batting average of .325, which only Babe Ruth (.342) and Lou Gehrig (.340) topped as Yankees, and which was 0.0002 points higher than Joe DiMaggio’s. Combs had a .397 on base average, and although he didn’t hit many home runs, his slugging average was .462, thanks to his doubles and triples. Earle played for the World Champion 1927, 1928, and 1932 teams. For their careers, Winfield was probably better than Combs, but he wasn’t better than Earle as a Yankee.
Bernie Williams Had a Better Career With the Yankees
Another great center fielder who played his entire career for the Yankees was Bernie Williams. Bernie won the 1998 American League batting title with a .339 average. He has or had (is he retired?) a .297 life time average, which is higher than Winfield’s .291 as a Yankee, and .283 for his career. Bernie’s on base average is .381, compared to Winfield’s .353, and Bernie’s slugging average is .477, compared to Dave’s .475. Williams was an excellent defensive outfielder the first part of his career, but he was not as good as Winfield and he certainly didn’t have as good a throwing arm as Dave. Bernie was not a home run hitter, but he had good power, averaging 22 home runs a season compared to Winfield’s 25 home runs a season. For their careers, Winfield might have been better than Bernie, but upon close scrutiny, perhaps Bernie was a good as Dave. He certainly had a better Yankees career than Dave.
Who Said Reggie, Rickey, Roger, and Paul?
Dave Winfield was a fine player whom many Yankees’ fans did not appreciate when he played for teams that never won the World Series. He certainly deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and is among the better outfielders who have been Yankees, but there is no question that for their careers, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle were greater players. Earle Combs and Bernie Williams had better careers as Yankees. Did anyone just mention Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson,Roger Maris and Paul O’Neill?
References:
Baseball-Reference
Dave Winfield
