Lefty swinging Greg Nettles was a power hitting 3B who was known for his mitt more than his bat in N.Y. His best season in the Bronx came back in 1977. Nettles played in 158 games for the Yankees in 1977 and he was 150 for 589 (.255 avg, .829 OPS) with 99 runs scored, 37 homers, 107 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He was fifth in the voting for the MVP award in 1977 while making the All-Star team and winning a Gold Glove award. Nettles played in 1,535 games in his 11 years with the Yankees and he was 1,396 of 5,519 (.253 avg, .762 OPS) with 750 runs scored, 250 homers, 834 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. Nettles made it to five All-Star teams while playing with the Yankees and he also won 2 Gold Gloves (he should have probably had more). Nettles is still #9 in Yankees’ history in homers with 250 of them. Nettles was one of the best all-around 3B of his generation.

Lefty reliever Sparky Lyle was a solid closer for the New York Yankees. He won the A.L. Cy Young Award in 1977 for the Yankees. He pitched in 72 games (0 starts) in 1977 for the Yankees and he was 13-5 with 26 saves, a 2.17 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP in an amazing 137 innings pitched. He pitched 7 years with with Yanks and he worked in 420 games (0 starts) in which he was 57-40 with 141 saves, a 2.41 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He made three All-Star teams in his 7 years with the Yankees. Lyle is #3 in Yankees’ history in saves (141), #6 in games pitched (420) and #3 in ERA (2.41).

Lefty Jim Kaat might already be in Baseball’s Hall of Fame if he just pitched a little better in his two years with the Yankees. Kaat pitched with the Yankees in 1979 and 1980. He worked in 44 games (1 start) in his two years with the Yankees, and Kaat was 2-4 with 2 saves,a 4.12 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Kaat finished his major league career (25 years) with 283 career wins, so he didn’t get an automatic punch into the Hall of Fame. Maybe if he pitched better with the Yankees, he would have made it.

Rich “Goose” Gossage reminded me of a very nasty version of Mariano Rivera when he was with the Yankees. He burst onto the scene with the Yankees in 1978. Gossage pitched in 63 games (0 starts) for the Yankees in 1978 and he was 10-11 with 27 saves, a 2.01 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. The Goose only gave up 87 hits in an amazing 134 1/3 innings for the Yanks back in 1978 as he was nearly unhittable. Gossage pitched in 319 games (0 starts) in his seven years with the Yankees and he was 42-28 with 151 saves, a 2.14 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He only gave up 390 hits in 533 innings for the Yankees while whiffing 512 batters. Gossage is the Yankees’ all-time leader in ERA (2.14). He is also #3 in saves (151) and #2 in WHIP (1.08) in team history. The Goose made it to 4 All-Star Teams with the Yankees and he also was elected into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2008.

Don Mattingly might be the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers but when he was a player he had few peers, at least for a few years with the Yankees when he was healthy. Mattingly was part of an era when the Yankees weren’t a dominating team. That didn’t stop him from winning the A.L. MVP Award in 1985. In 1985, Mattingly played in 159 games for the Yankees in which he was 211 of 652 (.324 avg, .939 OPS) with 107 runs scored, 35 homers and a major league leading 145 RBIs. Mattingly was a wizard with the bat that year as he only struck out 41 times while walking 56 times, showing just what kind of eye he had at the plate. Mattingly followed up his 1985 season with another great year in 1986. In 1986, Mattingly had 238 hits and 53 doubles which are still all-time high marks in New York Yankees’ history. Mattingly played in 1,785 games in his 14 years with the Yankees and he is 2,153 of 7,003 (.307 avg, .830 OPS) with 1,007 runs scored, 222 homers, 1,099 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. He only whiffed 444 times with the Yankees while walking 588 times showing his plate discipline. Mattingly is #9 in Yankees’ history in games played (1,785), #7 in hits (2,153), #10 in batting average (.307), #10 in runs scored (1,007), #10 in RBIs (1,099) and he’s #4 in doubles (442). Mattingly was an All-Star six times for the Yankees and he won 9 Gold Gloves showing that he was much more than just a hitter. Those numbers likely aren’t good enough to get Mattingly in the Hall of Fame, but if he never hurt his back he would have with little doubt made it to Cooperstown.