Old Timers Day 2018 Official Roster Reveal

This may be a day or two late and a dollar or three short, story of my life, but here is the official roster for the Yankees annual Old-Timer’s Game inside Yankee Stadium. The Yankees 72^nd annual Old-Timer’s Day will be held on June 17, inside Yankee Stadium and there will be a couple first timer’s attending the game.

(*first-time Old-Timer)

Jesse Barfield

Ron Blomberg

Brian Boehringer

*Aaron Boone

Jim Bouton

Scott Bradley

Dr. Bobby Brown

Homer Bush

David Cone

Johnny Damon

Ron Davis

Bucky Dent

Al Downing

Brian Doyle

Mariano Duncan

John Flaherty

Whitey Ford

*Jason Giambi

Ron Guidry

Charlie Hayes

Arlene Howard (widow)

Helen Hunter (widow)

Reggie Jackson

*Dion James

Jay Johnstone

Scott Kamieniecki

Don Larsen

Graeme Lloyd

Hector Lopez

Jill Martin (widow)

Lee Mazzilli

Ramiro Mendoza

Gene Monahan (trainer)

Diana Munson (widow)

Kay Murcer (widow)

Jeff Nelson

Paul O'Neill

*Andy Pettitte

Lou Piniella

Willie Randolph

Bobby Richardson

Mickey Rivers

*Nick Swisher

Frank Tepedino

Marcus Thames

Roy White

Fans are asked to be in their seats by 11:30 am ET for introductions with the game to follow. Gates open at 10:00 am ET before the Yankees play host to the Tampa Bay Rays at 2:05 pm ET. Enjoy the game, old-timer’s.

ARTICLE REVISIT: Where in the World in Roy White Day at Yankee Stadium?

Every time the New York Yankees organization holds a “day” at Yankee Stadium, Derek Jeter Day being the most recent ceremony in the Bronx of course, there is also a clamoring from the fans for a day for this player or that player from the past. No player is brought up more so than Roy White and he was brought up again on the blog this past week by one of the members of the Greedy Pinstripes family, Rev LGMofield, and I have to say that I 100% absolutely and completely agree with his post. His comment was that if the Yankees can hold a Tino Martinez Day and a Paul O’Neill Day that they should be able to have a Roy White Day and Mr. Mofield couldn’t be more correct in that statement. Here’s just a few of the reasons why Mr. White has been snubbed in my opinion.

Tino Martinez played a whole seven seasons for the Yankees amassing 1,054 games and 4,244 plate appearances for the pinstripes. Tino slashed .276/.347/.484/.831 during that time with 192 home runs and 739 RBI. Tino had a 16.6 WAR while with the New York Yankees but most importantly he replaced a legend and fan favorite in Don Mattingly.

Paul O’Neill meanwhile played a whole nine seasons in the Bronx which included 1,254 games and 5,368 plate appearances. During his tenure as the Yankees right fielder O’Neill slashed .303/.377/.492/.869 with 185 home runs and 858 RBI. O’Neill had an amazing 26.6 WAR during his time with New York and quickly became one of the most beloved Yankees during the dynasty era. Remember him walking off the field in Yankee Stadium during the 2001 World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks? Just thinking about that crowd chanting his name gives me chills and it’s been 16 years later now.

Roy White on the other hand played his entire 15- season career with the Yankees from 1965 to 1979 appearing in 1,881 games while taking 7,735 chances at the plate for the Yankees. White hit 160 home runs in an era where there wasn’t many hitting 30 home runs a season let alone more, unlike the time that both O’Neill and Martinez played, and drove in 758 RBI while slashing .271/.360/.404/.764. It’s nearly impossible, and a bit redundant in my opinion, to compare eras and the game of baseball 30 seasons later but that stat line looks an awful lot like Tino Martinez’s stat line, doesn’t it? Well until you look at WAR and see that White had a 46.7 WAR in his 15 seasons. One could argue he was more valuable than both O’Neill and Martinez combined, he just didn’t have the help behind him and beside him that the other two did.

Now I get the whole sentiment that both Martinez and O’Neill were part of the “Dynasty Years” that brought the Yankees four World Series championships and such but are the Yankees using Monument Park to honor and commemorate the player or the team? Because if it is the player then White is getting the short end of the stick here by the Yankees. White cannot help the fact that he played with the Yankees during 60’s and 70’s when the Yankees were terrible, that’s on management and ownership and namely George Steinbrenner. When White did make the postseason (1976, 1977 and 1978) he did slash .278/.387/.430/.817 reaching the World Series in all three seasons and winning two of them alongside Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson and others.

Tino Martinez Yankees Stat Line:

Year	Age	G	PA	R	H	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
1996	28	155	671	82	174	25	117	.292	.364	.466	.830	108
1997	29	158	685	96	176	44	141	.296	.371	.577	.948	143
1998	30	142	608	92	149	28	123	.281	.355	.505	.860	124
1999	31	159	665	95	155	28	105	.263	.341	.458	.800	104
2000	32	155	632	69	147	16	91	.258	.328	.422	.749	89
2001	33	154	635	89	165	34	113	.280	.329	.501	.830	114
2005	37	131	348	43	73	17	49	.241	.328	.439	.767	104
NYY	NYY	1054	4244	566	1039	192	739	.276	.347	.484	.831	113

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Paul O’Neill Yankees Stat Line:

Year	Age	G	PA	R	H	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
1993	30	141	547	71	155	20	75	.311	.367	.504	.871	136
1994	31	103	443	68	132	21	83	.359	.460	.603	1.064	177
1995	32	127	543	82	138	22	96	.300	.387	.526	.913	137
1996	33	150	660	89	165	19	91	.302	.411	.474	.885	123
1997	34	149	637	89	179	21	117	.324	.399	.514	.912	137
1998	35	152	672	95	191	24	116	.317	.372	.510	.882	130
1999	36	153	675	70	170	19	110	.285	.353	.459	.812	107
2000	37	142	628	79	160	18	100	.283	.336	.424	.760	92
2001	38	137	563	77	136	21	70	.267	.330	.459	.789	105
		G	PA	R	H	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
NYY	NYY	1254	5368	720	1426	185	858	.303	.377	.492	.869	125

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Roy White Yankees Stat Line:

Year	Age	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
1965	21	14	47	7	14	2	0	3	.333	.404	.381	.785	126
1966	22	115	356	39	71	13	7	20	.225	.308	.345	.653	92
1967	23	70	238	22	48	8	2	18	.224	.287	.290	.577	75
1968	24	159	660	89	154	20	17	62	.267	.350	.414	.764	137
1969	25	130	542	55	130	30	7	74	.290	.392	.426	.818	133
1970	26	162	712	109	180	30	22	94	.296	.387	.473	.860	142
1971	27	147	634	86	153	22	19	84	.292	.388	.469	.857	149
1972	28	155	666	76	150	29	10	54	.270	.384	.376	.760	130
1973	29	162	723	88	157	22	18	60	.246	.329	.374	.703	102
1974	30	136	556	68	130	19	7	43	.275	.367	.393	.761	121
1975	31	148	636	81	161	32	12	59	.290	.372	.430	.802	128
1976	32	156	728	104	179	29	14	65	.286	.365	.409	.774	128
1977	33	143	606	72	139	25	14	52	.268	.358	.405	.762	109
1978	34	103	395	44	93	13	8	43	.269	.349	.393	.742	112
1979	35	81	236	24	44	6	3	27	.215	.290	.288	.578	59
15 Y	15 Y	1881	7735	964	1803	300	160	758	.271	.360	.404	.764	121
162	162	162	666	83	155	26	14	65	.271	.360	.404	.764	121

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Now while I understand that this goes far beyond just a simple look at the stats. I know it has a lot to do with what the player did for the team and what the team meant to the game at the time and all that but still, the stats go hand-in-hand with that in my opinion. You have to be a big part of the city and the team on and off the field in my opinion to find yourself in Monument Park, and honestly I wasn’t alive when Roy White was in his prime so I don’t know what kind of character he was in the clubhouse and on the field, but the stats back up the claims.

Now where’s my Roy White Day at the Stadium?

Again, a big shout out to Rev LGMofield for the idea for the article and the great comment. Enjoy the day.

*stats and stat lines courtesy of Baseball Reference

My Thoughts on Todd Frazier Wearing the #21

So if you’ve been living under a rock for the past week you probably missed the blockbuster trade between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox earlier in the week. Actually, I take that back. WIFI reaches about everywhere these days, even under rocks, so you have no excuse. Shame on you. Anyway, I digress. As I tuned into the game on Wednesday, a day game between the Yankees and the Minnesota Twins, I heard that Todd Frazier was wanting to wear the #21 as he made his Yankee Stadium debut. My initial thought was that of shock because that’s Paul O’Neill’s number so I immediately went to Twitter to see if our followers shared the same sentiments and it seemed like they were just as shocked as I was. Now with a day or two to digest the fact that the #21 may be back back in circulation here are my thoughts on Frazier potentially wearing O’Neill’s old number.

Personally I think the whole retiring numbers thing is getting a bit watered down. I know that’s not a popular opinion amongst Yankees fans but it’s mine. Sure, you retire the numbers of Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle and the other Yankees legends but there are a few numbers I simply have a problem with. I won’t name Reggie Jackson’s name but there are a few names you could really make an argument against, and for probably as well. Roy White I’m looking at you and the need for a Roy White Day here at Yankee Stadium. The fact that O’Neill’s number hasn’t been retired by now though and the fact that the team held a Paul O’Neill Day at Yankee Stadium suggests that it’s time for the number to be put back into circulation.

O’Neill walked off the Yankee Stadium field during the 2001 World Series never to be seen again in New York as a player, it’s been 16 years folks. O’Neill finished the World Series in Arizona during that season and retired. The Yankees haven’t retired the number and they have given him his plaque in Monument Park. O’Neill was tremendous for the Yankees and was a huge part of the dynasty that brought New York four World Series championships in five years and nothing can take away from that but I reiterate… it’s been 16 years and the number hasn’t been retired. Give it to someone.

So that’s what the Yankees did. If Todd Frazier wears the #21 for the remainder of the 2017 season I’m okay with that. I’m borderline indifferent to be completely honest. It doesn’t bother me to see anyone wear Tino Martinez’s #24 uniform and he was my favorite player growing up so it shouldn’t and won’t bother me to see anyone wear O’Neill’s #21. I’m sorry but it doesn’t. I know, again, that’s not the popular opinion around these parts but, again, that’s mine and only my opinion.  ---

Frankly I’m happy to see the number potentially back in circulation as I have quite a few #21 jersey’s hanging in my closet somewhere that can now be put to good use again. So Todd, talk to O’Neill before heading back to Yankee Stadium like you intend to and enjoy the number if you get his okay. Either way you’ll make us proud.