What's going on everybody? BT unleashed a special version,
a little special edition. It's cold outside, it's snowing.
So I'm going to warm things up here with some new content.
I'm going to do the all time my old time New York Yankee lineup
from 1984. Two stipulations, obviously, one
of which I just said you had to play for the Yankees from 1980
or beyond and you had to play for at least one year at for
more than one year. So Juan Soto not eligible.
All right, that's the objective there.
One through 9 take you around the diamond, we've got ADH and
obviously I'm going to try to get the best combination of
hitting prowess and speed and IQ and try to really get this to
mesh defensively as well. So with that being said, if
you're looking for a lead off hitter for my post 1980s old
time Yankee lineup, why not start with the greatest lead off
hitter in the history of baseball?
There's no other way to go. I don't care what team you
doing. I don't care what you talking
about what generation. The answer obviously is Ricky
Henderson. Ricky Henderson's my lead off
guy. So what I'm going to do for each
one of the these players, I, I went back and I picked their
best year with the Yankees. So as I look at Ricky, and of
course we all know Ricky, you know, just a broad snapshot.
Greatest lead off hitter, 1,000,000 steals power.
But I'm going to actually go to Ricky's 85 season with the
Yankees, his first year with the pinstripers, right third of the
MVP voting. 9.9 WAR, stole any bases, had 146 runs scored, many
of which, by the way, came from Don Mattingly.
We'll see if Donnie gets any love here.
I'm pretty sure that he will. 314 batting average Ricky, he
had and he also had 24 home runs.
So while Ricky was looking to get on base and he obviously
with that Crouch and that that really tough, tough stance that
was hard on pitchers to manipulate the strike zone.
He was he was cool taking his walks.
But with that power, you know, you leave something over the
heart of the plate and Ricky jumps on it.
Ricky had that pop to send the deep as well.
So five years with the Yankees, 85, just about 585 through most
of 1989. Greatest little pitter of all
time sets the tone. So now the questions.
We move from the lead off man to the number two spot and what am
I looking for? I'm looking for a high contact
rate. I'm looking for a high average.
I'm looking for somebody who can run.
I'm looking for somebody whose clutch.
I'm looking for somebody who has a propensity to go the other way
to set up those first and 3rd situations.
That somebody, of course, the great Derek Jeter #2 plain
shortstop right there. So with Jeter, I'm going to go
to 1999 and take that season where Derek finished sixth in
the MVP, had a healthy WAR of 8, banged out 219 hits, batted 349.
Derek Jeter did with a 990 OPS and scored 134 runs.
Hall of Famer, rookie of the year, 1414 time All Star.
And you look at I mean, it's it's it's really amazing if you
think about trying to navigate these first time, these first
two spots in the order you got Ricky.
We know what Ricky represents now.
You got Jeter with basically 3500 hits and his clutch and his
solid. He could even drop down a bun.
Obviously hit the other way, as I said, which sets up the Table
4, the number 3 hitter, and I'm looking for somebody with juice.
Obviously somebody's not going to strike out a ton.
And you know it's going to be my guy #23 vintage, healthy, pre
back injury, that guy, Donnie Baseball and what now?
I could have gone it with 86 when Mattingly should have won
the MVP and he finished second to Rodger Clemens.
I could have got 84. His first real full season when
he won the batting title. I'm going to settle on 1985 when
he won the MVP and he had a WAR over six, won his first Gold
Glove, had 211 hits. And by the way, look at this.
Mattingly led the league, right, 48 double SA, 145 RB is and also
led the league in 370 total bases.
Oh yeah, by the way, if you try to get cute with Donnie, there's
35 home runs for you, 324 average.
And just, I mean, the thing that makes this incredible for me is
that in 1985, Mattingly struck out 41 times.
So you got Ricky on base running wild.
You got Jeter getting fastballs cuz they're trying to throw
Ricky out stealing and Derek do whatever he does.
And then when that doesn't really work out, you have a guy,
you know, pre back injury coming up, basically a modern stand
usual with one or two guys on the palm getting fastballs.
Don Mattingly #3 Ricky Jeter, Mattingly, which now sets it up
too. And this is the easiest call of
the day for me. I said, well, Ricky's pretty
easy as well #4 the great Aaron Judge.
So Ricky, let's deal with that. Let's, you know, let's deal with
Jeets, let's deal with vintage Mattingly.
And Oh yeah, by the way, now you have to feed Judge fastballs
because there's everybody on base.
And I'm going to go with Aaron's 2022 season where you had a WAR
of 10.8 and he won the MVP. We all know that, right?
But listen to these categories that he led the league in runs,
home runs, RBISOPS plus was 210, which is freakishly good. 391
total bases, 111 walks. Obviously a Canon in right
field, A+ defender. So we will just very seamlessly
go from Ricky to Jeter to Mattingly to Aaron Judge.
Three time MVP could have had a fourth that the Astros didn't
cheat. I'm sure he's going to get
another one before it's all said and done.
Now we've got the 1st 4 hitters set up for my all time 19 post
1980s Yankees lineup. What about the five spot?
And it's funny, I thought about this.
I'm like, OK, I, I know the, I know this guy's on my team.
I know he's going to be prominently featuring the order.
I thought around, I thought, and I thought, maybe mess around and
put this guy #2 instead and maybe put Jeter at the bottom,
kind of have a second lead off hitter.
Instead, I'm going a rob number 5 right behind Aaron Judge,
third base. Alex Rodriguez.
Let's go back to the 2007 season.
Alex led the league in WAR runs, homers, ribbies also at 24
steals had 376 total bases OPS. Think about think about this.
He had 54 home runs and 156 RBI's and his OPS plus was 176.
Think about the OPS plus number I just gave you for Aaron Judge
210. I mean think about that also
Alex did hit 314 that year three time MVP.
Obviously I had some issues with the with the with the steroids,
but Alex to me behind Aaron Judge, but he was still can move
a little bit still, you know, fairly young ball player Alex
Rodriguez in the number 5 spot. Now.
I'm not, it's changed over the years.
I don't get overly worked up with like, you know, you can
have two or three lefties in a row.
I don't really believe in that. Especially somebody like
Mattingly who's not going to strike out at all, guys like
that. But if I could find a switch
hitter who obviously fits the criteria to supplement and
compliment this entire lineup here, well, to me, I found one
batting 6 playing center field #51 let's give it up.
Bernie Williams is my number six hitter and I'm going to go back
to Bernie's 1999 season where he had a WAR of over 5, scored 116
runs, banged out 200 plus hits, 25 home runs, 115 ribbies, A342
average, a Gold Glove and an OPS of 970.
So if there's anything like a couple of guys on base and maybe
you pitch around there and judge well, you better make sure
you've got the the proper lefty or righty in there.
And even if you do, Bernie flips around, he is from the other
side, very circular lineup, which what I'm looking for.
Bernie can obviously run. And that's the other thing too,
before I get to my 789 bottom third.
Might be some prizes there for you, some surprises for you when
you think about Ricky Flu, Jeter plus B Donnie couldn't run.
But I mean, obviously Arrow judge is a is a semi plus,
right? Getting older now, but still a
fairly plus runner. And you get to the 5 hole with a
rod who can run and and Bernie who was a gazelle in the sixth
spot. You got a bunch of dudes that
can run a lot of guys who put the bat on the ball lower
strikeout raids power. They beat you every which way up
and down the line of gold Glovers monstrous OPS.
Now this one. I will admit this ones tricky.
I'm going to right off the bat, Reggie not on my team.
Reggie Jackson is not on my team.
And I think that that's going to really 'cause some, you know, at
least consternation for some of you.
Now, Reggie did most of his magic. 7778, obviously was here
in 79, was with the Yankees in 80, with the short strike of the
the shortened season in 1981, five years.
Then he bounced out and went to the Angels in 82.
And I don't have anything against Reggie, but Reggie was
not a a good fielder. So although my next my next guy
in the number seven spot is Dave Winfield.
Winfield was a better runner. And I just think that I know the
V 81 World Series was terrible. Again, I understand that this is
inviting criticism with no Reds, but you know, I'm going to go
back to Winfield's 84 season. Finished second in the batting
race behind Don Mattingly. Batted 340, runner up 5.3 WAR
scored over 100 runs. Gold Glove, by the way.
So if we got to do a little, you know, replacement or swap in the
outfit, whatever might be Winnie, unlike Reggie could go
and play pretty much anywhere but center field.
And early on, Winnie wooden Killian center, hundred RBI's,
Gold Glove out there, seven time Gold Glove winner, 22 years Hall
of Famer, nine of which came with the Yankees had almost 1900
RBI's over 3000 knocks. So I'm going from think about
this, a prime Alex Rod pretty much prime Alex Rodriguez in O 7
to absolute prime Bernie in 99 to still prime Dave Winfield in
84. I mean, that is amazing.
All right, let's get to the eight spot here.
You need a catcher. All right, so this is obviously
post 1980. Thurman Munson's not part of
that of the equation here. There's only one choice and it's
obviously the great. Wildly underrated.
Not under appreciated by Yankee fans, obviously, but underrated.
Great catcher. I just don't understand why he
didn't get any sort of love with the Hall of Fame.
Jorge Posada, Absolute motor, absolute beast.
And I'm going to go to the 2003 season for Jorge Posada.
That's the year that the Yankees lost the World Series to the
Florida Marlins. Now, what did he do that year?
Jorge finished third in the MVP. He won the Silver Slugger, had a
WAR just below 6, cranked out 30 bombs, had 101 ribbies, and Oh
yeah, by the way, for a catcher, had an OPS of 9/22/17, brilliant
years with the Yankees, four time World Series champion, 5
All Stars, 5 Silver Sluggers, over 1000 RB is and an OPS of
848. How in the world is Jorge Posada
again? You know, not to be redundant.
I just, I just don't know how he doesn't get the love on the on
the national level when you get away from the New York Yankee
bubble and how he didn't get more tracks with the Hall of
Fame. All right, we're left with one
spot. I think some of you might
protest this a little bit. Maybe could have gone Willie
Randolph, obviously a very good second baseman.
Maybe some of you would have thought Chuck Noblock that Nobby
was never even remotely in my consideration.
All due respect. And while I love Willie and I
know Willie, and Willie was a hell of a ball player, good
bunter, good fielder, champion. There's only one answer here.
Bat 9th, bottom, third round out this sick lineup.
How about Robbie Cano? What do you know?
Robbie Cano? Robinson Cano.
Now I'm going to Robbie's 2010 season.
Third in the MVP vote. Gold Glove, 914 OPS, 29 bombs,
109 ribbies, 200 hits, 41 double s.
Didn't strike out a ton. Scored over 100 runs, 17 years.
Obviously, like Alex and others in the game, tainted with some,
some steroid stuff. Nine years with the Yankees,
though, 335 home runs over 1300 RBI's.
Think about that for Robinson Cano and of course, a 2009
champion. So now we get to that's the,
that's the order one through 9 before we actually get to the
omissions and the, and the really I, I think there's
probably 3 or 4 debatable points.
Let's get the whole lineup up there and let's just rock it
down and run it through once more.
Ricky Batten first playing left. I've got Jeter again.
This is post 1980. Got Derek in the 2, obviously
playing short, healthy, vintage prime, awesome MVP Don Mattingly
batting third or first base go Glover as well in the four spot.
Future Hall of Famer, the transcendent amazing superhuman
arrow Judge in right field, bat and 4th.
How about a Rod? Couple of MVPS with the Yankees
3 and all. A 2009 champion could pick it
moving over from shortstop and still run a little bit at this
point in the sixth spot to pick up Alex.
And in the in the rare event that Alex doesn't get it done,
how about a little switch hitter with pop and with wheels?
That is the great Bernie Williams, a four time champion
himself in the seven hole DH Dave Winfield power average
finished second to Mattingly back in 84.
As I said for that batting crown and could and listen, if you do
have to do some sort of a switch here, you put Winnie in left,
you put Winnie in right, you get away with the Winfield was a
plus outfield with a cabinet like Barfield, Roberto Clemente
type of cannon behind the plate batting 8.
The switch hitting. You know, this guy's got the
juice too. He was kind of the motor for
those Yankeys teams like that, that Energizer Jorge Posada and
then to wrap it up in the ninth spot, you know, have fun deal
with Robinson Cano with over 330 lifetime home runs and over 1300
RB is as a second baseman batting 9th.
Now. I'm going to do the Mets coming
up it within the next week or so.
I'm looking at this lineup and I don't think including the
Dodgers with Otani and whatever other iteration you want to use
or the Oakland A's a couple of Bash brothers maybe throwing
Giambi later on from from those later A's teams to hotter as a
shortstop who who was tremendous.
I don't I don't know how you beat that line up.
Let's get that line up up there once more.
Look at this line up again. Hall of Famer.
Hall of Famer would have been a Hall of Famer back went out Hall
of Famer if not the greatest righty hitter and maybe the best
player ever and maybe the best Yankee ever in Aaron Judge would
have been a Hall of Famer if he didn't get wrapped up in the
steroid stuff. Bernie borderline Hall of Famer,
but a champion batting crown winner switch hitter confield
Winfield 3000 knocks Hall of Famer.
Posada should have been a Hall of Famer or at least a little
bit more love there and Robinson Cano would have been a Hall of
Famer if he didn't get wrapped up in that stuff as well.
So that's the lineup one through 9 BTS old time Yankee lineup
post 1980. All right well, if you just
TuneIn it where's Juan Soto Soto was great with Aaron Judge.
He was. And if Juan Soto would have
elected to stay with the Yankees, he would have been on
this, on this list. Not, not that I'm penalizing
him, but I didn't want a guy who was here one year, you know, to,
to be on the, you know, to be on, on that, on that list there
now have a little fun. If he was here only for the year
and I didn't have the rule that I set forth for myself, where
would Juan Soto bat? My God.
I mean, I, I don't know, but imagine if you actually threw
one Soto in there. Now.
Glaring omissions. I mentioned Reggie, all right,
7778 World Series champion, and he played two years in the 80s.
Then he bounced out to California with the Angels where
he got his 500th home run. The three names that are much
more recent than that. I thought about Paul O'Neill, I
thought about Tino Martinez, and I thought about Mark Teixeira.
In all honesty, I am probably a little slanted because Mattingly
certainly my old time favorite player, but I do believe I'm
able to and capable of of leaving bias at the door.
Like I'm not just putting Mattingly there because he's my
guy. You know, if you saw Pete
Mattingly, he really was standing mutual and his greatest
Tino was and his greatest to share was early on with the
Yankees, both champions to share a a great great switch hitting
fielding first baseman. You know, he just he just didn't
do what Donnie did back in the mid 80s.
He just didn't do it. Neither did Tino.
You know, Tino is never going to hit 3233340 with all those
ribbies and gold gloves. It was just say drop off.
Now I thought about, you know, I, I, I was trying to come up
with a configuration, OK, can I put Reggie at the DH which which
I certainly could and then what do I do?
I I thought about putting Ricky in center.
OK, then he obviously played some not a great defensive
player, but you know, good enough putting Ricky in center,
putting Winfield in right, keeping Judge in pardon me,
putting Winfield in left, keeping Judge in right and DH
and Reggie, but I just could not justify holding Bernie Williams
out of this lineup. I think he's in a good spot.
You want to tell me you want to flip Winnie 6, put Bernie seven?
I'm fine with that. You want to tell me you want to
maybe, and I thought about this for a minute, maybe drop Derek
down to that, you know, nine spot and then bump up Canoda 8
and then everybody kind of goes up one spot and maybe have a rod
in the 2. So in the 2 hole or even Aaron
Judge where he hits a lot now, or even Mattingly as a high
contact guy. There's different variations to
do it obviously, but that's what I came up with.
There were a couple of tough ones.
You know, Reggie was 1, O'Neill was the other one, Tino was the
other one, and of course Mark Teixeira as we could get that
line up down there. Hopefully you guys enjoy that.
Pretty good stuff. I've already got something
cooking for the Big East, which I will drop the day before for
the Big East tournament. I am deep into my research and
deep into my construction of my old time Mets lineup and, and
that that's it left field's a tough spot for me there.
You know, for the most part, it's it's fairly identifiable.
I think the trickiest thing with the Mets is going to be the the,
the actual, the lineup. Like where do I slot these guys?
But that's coming. I'll do a little something on
the Knicks as we get to the obviously Jets and and giant,
excuse me, Jets and Giants and some other stuff as we get a
little closer to, you know, the start of football and all that
stuff. So hopefully you guys enjoyed
this little bit of a quick hitter.
Very different from the BT Live Monday through Friday, Unleashed
live, of course, Monday through Friday at 10 AM.
Appreciate you guys checking this out like it, subscribe it,
get it out there. Let's get that social media
traction. What do you disagree with?
What do you want to push back on?
Hit the comments, bang the like button.
Let's get after it. Hey, it's snowing outside.
I figured I would this today and let everybody have a little bit
of fun and let our thoughts turn to warmer days and baseball day.
So hopefully you enjoyed this. I will catch you Monday, of
course on BT Unleash live at 10. In the meantime, have some fun
with this. It's almost baseball season and
I'll catch you soon. Thank you.