Offseason Recap & 1936 Season Preview: One big name out, one big name in....
Hall Of Fame Inductees: OF Edd Roush, OF Benny Kauf, 2B Dave Bancroft
I'll start with Bancroft since he was a Yankee his whole career. After the draft in the fall I decided to release Bancroft as I had picked up a young 2nd baseman in the draft. It wasn't surprising that he then retired on January 1st. Bancroft played 21 seasons for the Yankees. He got 2,482 hits, 292 doubles, 90 triples, 77 homers, 970 RBI, and a .280 lifetime average. He wouldn't be a HoF worthy player had it not been for the 7 Gold Gloves, and you could make the argument that he's still not good enough. But I want him in, so he's in. If you remember correctly, I felt he should have won at least 2 or 3 more Gold Gloves when he was in his prime.
Benny Kauf played 23 seasons for the Pirates, Red Sox, Cardinals, & Tigers. He had 2,935 hits and a career .336 batting average. He was a 2 time MVP and won a Gold Glove. Spending most of his career in Pittsburgh, Kauf was one of the best hitters in the National League for 15 years.
Edd Roush played 22 seasons for 8 different teams. He had 2,944 hits and a .304 career hitter. Roush won Rookie of the Year in 1914 and 2 Gold Gloves.
Yankees 1935 Award Winners: Lou Gehrig won his 4th straight and 6th career MVP award. Chet Brewer won his 2nd career Most Valuable Pitcher award. Bill DeLancey won his 2nd career Gold Glove. Lonny Frey won his 1st career Gold Glove.
The big "award" for Gehrig though was that he became the first player in MLB history to hit 400 home runs (forgot to mention that last time). At just 32 years old he's already hit 424 homers.
Draft Recap: Some HUGE names in this draft, plus a couple of Negro League home run hitters. Selected 1st overall by the Philadelphia Athletics was Ted Williams. Negro League slugger Willard Brown went 2nd to the Dodgers. Bob Feller was picked 4th by the Red Sox. And the Dodgers also got Negro League slugger Luke Easter in the 2nd round. At the end of the 2nd round the Yankees got 2B Stu Martin, which was the catalyst in the decision to release Dave Bancroft.
Notable Offseason Transactions:
October 8, 1935: Cool Papa Bell opted out of his contract
I tried to offer Bell a new deal by doubling his salary. He wanted almost as much as Gehrig, which I was not willing to pay. So Cool Papa Bell has moved on to Cleveland.
November 26, 1935: Signed free agents 3B Les Bell & CF Joe Watwood
Bell is a backup. Watwood will serve as the starting center fielder for now.
January 5, 1936: Traded RF Enos Slaughter, P Charlie Perkins, & P Leroy Herrmann to the St. Louis Cardinals for P Johnny Vander Meer
It was appropriate that Slaughter play for the Cards, and I needed a young starting pitcher.
Strengths: We have one of the best power hitting lineups in baseball. I think our pitching is improving.
Weaknesses: Loosing Cool Papa Bell obviously leaves a void in center field.
Projected Record: The Yanks won 93 last year. I think the Vander Meer acquisition offsets the Bell loss. So I'm going to say 90 wins this year and another American League pennant.
1936 Budget: $1,294,215 (#1 in the league)
1936 Payroll: $831,861 (#6 in the league)
1936 Opening Day Roster:
