Willie Randolph

Known as a stabilizing influence on a tumultuous team, Randolph’s consistency on offense earned the respect of teammates and opponents. After a 30-game stint with the Pirates in 1975, Randolph was one of three players traded to the Yankees for pitcher Doc Medich in the off-season. Randolph immediately became the starting second baseman, and stayed in that role through 13 seasons and 32 shortstops. During Randolph’s first six seasons with the Yankees, they won five division championships, four AL pennants, and World Series titles in 1977 and 1978.

During 1980, when the Yankees won 103 games, Randolph led the AL in walks with 119, the most by a Yankee since Mickey Mantle‘s 122 in 1962, and he was second in the league in on-base percentage (.429). He was named to postseason all-star teams in 1977, 1978, and 1980. He had typical Randolph years throughout the 1980s, and he established career highs in 1987 in batting average (.305) and RBI (67). Randolph, however, suffered through an injury-plagued .230 season in 1988 and was not re-signed by New York. Instead, he signed a free-agent contract with the Dodgers, spent time with the A’s and Brewers, and then finished his career with the Mets.

He left the Yankees ranking high on their star-studded all-time lists: second in stolen bases, seventh in at-bats and runs, eighth in games, tenth in hits, and ninteenth in triples. He returned after his retirement to become their third-base coach.