Randy Velarde was born on Saturday, November 24, 1962, in Midland, Texas. Velarde was 24 years old when he broke into the big leagues on August 20, 1987, with the New York Yankees. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Randy Velarde baseball stats page.
"With runners on first and second and a full count on Shane Spencer in the sixth inning, Yankees manager Joe Torre sent the runners in motion, and Spencer hit a line drive to Velarde's right. 'He made his mark today on a losing team,' Torre said. 'It was good managing. Start the runners and get something exciting to happen.' That it did. Velarde caught the ball, tagged out Jorge Posada running from first base and stepped on second to complete the play on Tino Martinez, who had headed toward third. 'I had it played perfectly,' Velarde said. 'Both guys took off, it was a soft liner. I caught it. Tag, tag, that's it.'" - Associated Press Wire (The Miami Herald, 05/29/2000, 'Velarde turns unassisted triple play', Sports 4A)
Randy VelardeRandy Velarde Autograph on a 1991 Score Baseball Card (#134 | Checklist) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Randy VelardeRandy Velarde Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
- | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
Randy VelardeRandy Velarde Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1987 | 25 | Yankees | 8 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .182 | .182 | .182 |
1988 | 26 | Yankees | 48 | 115 | 18 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .174 | .240 | .357 |
1989 | 27 | Yankees | 33 | 100 | 12 | 34 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .340 | .389 | .480 |
1990 | 28 | Yankees | 95 | 229 | 21 | 48 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 20 | 0 | 53 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | .210 | .275 | .319 |
1991 | 29 | Yankees | 80 | 184 | 19 | 45 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 18 | 0 | 43 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 6 | .245 | .322 | .332 |
1992 | 30 | Yankees | 121 | 412 | 57 | 112 | 24 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 46 | 38 | 1 | 78 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 13 | .272 | .333 | .386 |
1993 | 31 | Yankees | 85 | 226 | 28 | 68 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 24 | 18 | 2 | 39 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 12 | .301 | .360 | .469 |
1994 | 32 | Yankees | 77 | 280 | 47 | 78 | 16 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 34 | 22 | 0 | 61 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | .279 | .338 | .439 |
1995 | 33 | Yankees | 111 | 367 | 60 | 102 | 19 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 46 | 55 | 0 | 64 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | .278 | .375 | .392 |
1996 | 34 | Angels | 136 | 530 | 82 | 151 | 27 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 54 | 70 | 0 | 118 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 | .285 | .372 | .426 |
1997 | 35 | Angels | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1998 | 36 | Angels | 51 | 188 | 29 | 49 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 34 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | .261 | .375 | .404 |
1999 | 37 | Angels | 95 | 376 | 57 | 115 | 15 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 48 | 43 | 1 | 56 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | .306 | .383 | .439 |
1999 | 37 | Athletics | 61 | 255 | 48 | 85 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 28 | 27 | 1 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11 | .333 | .401 | .478 |
2000 | 38 | Athletics | 122 | 485 | 82 | 135 | 23 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 41 | 54 | 0 | 95 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 15 | .278 | .354 | .400 |
2001 | 39 | Rangers | 78 | 296 | 46 | 88 | 16 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 31 | 29 | 0 | 73 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 8 | .297 | .369 | .456 |
2001 | 39 | Yankees | 15 | 46 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .152 | .278 | .217 |
2002 | 40 | Athletics | 56 | 133 | 22 | 30 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | .226 | .325 | .331 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
16 Years | 1,273 | 4,244 | 633 | 1,171 | 214 | 23 | 100 | 1 | 445 | 463 | 6 | 853 | 38 | 19 | 49 | 118 | .276 | .352 | .408 |
Randy VelardeRandy Velarde Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1987 Yankees | SS | 8 | 6 | 174 | 30 | 3.8 | 28 | 8 | 20 | 2 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .933 | 4.34 |
1988 Yankees | 2B | 24 | 21 | 552 | 123 | 5.1 | 119 | 54 | 65 | 4 | 24 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .967 | 5.82 |
1988 Yankees | 3B | 11 | 8 | 216 | 25 | 2.3 | 22 | 4 | 18 | 3 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .880 | 2.75 |
1988 Yankees | SS | 14 | 4 | 156 | 30 | 2.1 | 29 | 14 | 15 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .967 | 5.02 |
1989 Yankees | 3B | 27 | 25 | 657 | 65 | 2.4 | 62 | 18 | 44 | 3 | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .954 | 2.55 |
1989 Yankees | SS | 9 | 4 | 123 | 26 | 2.9 | 25 | 8 | 17 | 1 | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .962 | 5.49 |
1990 Yankees | 2B | 3 | 1 | 30 | 6 | 2.0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .833 | 4.50 |
1990 Yankees | 3B | 74 | 53 | 1,473 | 181 | 2.4 | 171 | 43 | 128 | 10 | 11 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .945 | 3.13 |
1990 Yankees | LF | 5 | 3 | 60 | 8 | 1.6 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.60 |
1990 Yankees | SS | 15 | 8 | 219 | 48 | 3.2 | 47 | 21 | 26 | 1 | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .979 | 5.79 |
1991 Yankees | 3B | 50 | 33 | 963 | 124 | 2.5 | 116 | 31 | 85 | 8 | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .935 | 3.25 |
1991 Yankees | LF | 2 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.50 |
1991 Yankees | SS | 31 | 17 | 492 | 102 | 3.3 | 95 | 32 | 63 | 7 | 16 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .931 | 5.21 |
1992 Yankees | 2B | 3 | 2 | 54 | 13 | 4.3 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .923 | 6.00 |
1992 Yankees | 3B | 26 | 23 | 657 | 54 | 2.1 | 49 | 14 | 35 | 5 | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .907 | 2.01 |
1992 Yankees | CF | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
1992 Yankees | LF | 14 | 11 | 279 | 23 | 1.6 | 23 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.23 |
1992 Yankees | RF | 7 | 5 | 114 | 11 | 1.6 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.61 |
1992 Yankees | SS | 75 | 68 | 1,818 | 350 | 4.7 | 341 | 129 | 212 | 9 | 42 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .974 | 5.06 |
1993 Yankees | 3B | 16 | 5 | 174 | 22 | 1.4 | 21 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .955 | 3.26 |
1993 Yankees | CF | 2 | 2 | 24 | 4 | 2.0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .750 | 3.38 |
1993 Yankees | LF | 48 | 30 | 804 | 69 | 1.4 | 65 | 63 | 2 | 4 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .942 | 2.18 |
1993 Yankees | SS | 26 | 24 | 606 | 108 | 4.2 | 105 | 31 | 74 | 3 | 18 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .972 | 4.68 |
1994 Yankees | 2B | 5 | 5 | 123 | 34 | 6.8 | 32 | 14 | 18 | 2 | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .941 | 7.02 |
1994 Yankees | 3B | 27 | 22 | 585 | 61 | 2.3 | 55 | 12 | 43 | 6 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .902 | 2.54 |
1994 Yankees | LF | 6 | 6 | 138 | 10 | 1.7 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.96 |
1994 Yankees | RF | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
1994 Yankees | SS | 49 | 36 | 1,005 | 195 | 4.0 | 184 | 58 | 126 | 11 | 27 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .944 | 4.94 |
1995 Yankees | 2B | 62 | 53 | 1,416 | 248 | 4.0 | 242 | 102 | 140 | 6 | 25 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .976 | 4.61 |
1995 Yankees | 3B | 19 | 13 | 366 | 36 | 1.9 | 36 | 6 | 30 | 0 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.66 |
1995 Yankees | LF | 20 | 14 | 324 | 26 | 1.3 | 25 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .962 | 2.08 |
1995 Yankees | RF | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
1995 Yankees | SS | 28 | 24 | 651 | 127 | 4.5 | 124 | 37 | 87 | 3 | 21 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .976 | 5.14 |
1996 Angels | 2B | 114 | 109 | 2,904 | 497 | 4.4 | 488 | 236 | 252 | 9 | 80 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .982 | 4.54 |
1996 Angels | 3B | 28 | 20 | 558 | 64 | 2.3 | 58 | 13 | 45 | 6 | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .906 | 2.81 |
1996 Angels | SS | 7 | 3 | 93 | 16 | 2.3 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .938 | 4.35 |
1998 Angels | 2B | 51 | 50 | 1,308 | 224 | 4.4 | 220 | 88 | 132 | 4 | 25 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .982 | 4.54 |
1999 Angels | 2B | 95 | 95 | 2,484 | 505 | 5.3 | 498 | 191 | 307 | 7 | 61 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .986 | 5.41 |
1999 Athletics | 2B | 61 | 61 | 1,587 | 300 | 4.9 | 293 | 107 | 186 | 7 | 43 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .977 | 4.98 |
2000 Athletics | 2B | 122 | 119 | 3,096 | 655 | 5.4 | 643 | 243 | 400 | 12 | 94 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .982 | 5.61 |
2001 Rangers | 1B | 9 | 8 | 219 | 72 | 8.0 | 72 | 70 | 2 | 0 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 8.88 |
2001 Rangers | 2B | 52 | 49 | 1,302 | 248 | 4.8 | 245 | 110 | 135 | 3 | 38 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .988 | 5.08 |
2001 Rangers | 3B | 7 | 5 | 144 | 15 | 2.1 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .933 | 2.63 |
2001 Rangers | RF | 2 | 1 | 27 | 2 | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.00 |
2001 Yankees | 1B | 1 | 1 | 18 | 11 | 11.0 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 16.50 |
2001 Yankees | 3B | 7 | 6 | 156 | 21 | 3.0 | 20 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .952 | 3.46 |
2001 Yankees | LF | 2 | 2 | 51 | 4 | 2.0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.12 |
2001 Yankees | RF | 1 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.13 |
2002 Athletics | 1B | 5 | 3 | 78 | 26 | 5.2 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .962 | 8.65 |
2002 Athletics | 2B | 38 | 28 | 780 | 161 | 4.2 | 158 | 70 | 88 | 3 | 22 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .981 | 5.47 |
2002 Athletics | 3B | 1 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.00 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
2B Totals | 630 | 593 | 15,636 | 3,014 | 4.8 | 2,955 | 1,218 | 1,737 | 59 | 422 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .980 | 5.10 | |
3B Totals | 293 | 214 | 5,976 | 669 | 2.3 | 625 | 155 | 470 | 44 | 48 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .934 | 2.82 | |
SS Totals | 262 | 194 | 5,337 | 1,032 | 3.9 | 993 | 344 | 649 | 39 | 145 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .962 | 5.02 | |
LF Totals | 97 | 66 | 1,674 | 141 | 1.5 | 136 | 131 | 5 | 5 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .965 | 2.19 | |
1B Totals | 15 | 12 | 315 | 109 | 7.3 | 108 | 104 | 4 | 1 | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .991 | 9.26 | |
RF Totals | 12 | 7 | 171 | 14 | 1.2 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.21 | |
CF Totals | 4 | 2 | 27 | 4 | 1.0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .750 | 3.00 | |
15 Years | 1,313 | 1,088 | 29,136 | 4,983 | 3.8 | 4,834 | 1,969 | 2,865 | 149 | 622 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .970 | 4.48 |
Randy VelardeRandy Velarde Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1987 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 22.0 | - | - | - |
1988 Yankees | 1 | 1 | .500 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 23.0 | 4.8 | 9.6 | - | - | - |
1989 Yankees | 0 | 3 | .000 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 50.0 | 7.1 | 9.1 | - | - | - |
1990 Yankees | 0 | 3 | .000 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 45.8 | 4.3 | 12.1 | - | - | - |
1991 Yankees | 3 | 1 | .750 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 184.0 | 4.3 | 12.3 | - | - | - |
1992 Yankees | 7 | 2 | .778 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 58.9 | 5.3 | 9.0 | - | - | - |
1993 Yankees | 2 | 2 | .500 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 32.3 | 5.8 | 9.4 | - | - | - |
1994 Yankees | 4 | 2 | .667 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31.1 | 4.6 | 8.2 | - | - | - |
1995 Yankees | 5 | 1 | .833 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 52.4 | 5.7 | 8.0 | - | - | - |
1996 Angels | 7 | 7 | .500 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 37.9 | 4.5 | 9.8 | - | - | - |
1997 Angels | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | - | - |
1998 Angels | 7 | 2 | .778 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 47.0 | 4.5 | 7.2 | - | - | - |
1999 Angels | 13 | 4 | .765 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41.8 | 6.7 | 7.8 | - | - | - |
1999 Athletics | 11 | 4 | .733 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36.4 | 6.1 | 9.1 | - | - | - |
2000 Athletics | 9 | 3 | .750 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40.4 | 5.1 | 11.8 | - | - | - |
2001 Rangers | 4 | 2 | .667 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 32.9 | 4.1 | 9.5 | - | - | - |
2001 Yankees | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0.0 | 3.5 | 46.0 | - | - | - |
2002 Athletics | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 66.5 | 4.2 | 16.6 | - | - | - |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
16 Years | 78 | 37 | .678 | 63 | 30 | 18 | 42.4 | 5.0 | 9.5 | - | - | - |
Randy VelardeRandy Velarde Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1987 New York Yankees | 29 | $62,500.00 | - | - |
1988 New York Yankees | 29, 46 | $64,600.00 | - | - |
1989 New York Yankees | 18 | $72,500.00 | - | - |
1990 New York Yankees | 18 | $136,500.00 | - | - |
1991 New York Yankees | 18 | $145,000.00 | - | - |
1992 New York Yankees | 18 | $360,000.00 | - | - |
1993 New York Yankees | 18 | $1,050,000.00 | - | - |
1994 New York Yankees | 18 | $1,125,000.00 | - | n/a |
1995 New York Yankees | 18 | $500,000.00 | - | - |
1996 California Angels | 18 | $800,000.00 | - | - |
1997 Anaheim Angels | 18 | $800,000.00 | - | - |
1998 Anaheim Angels | 18 | $850,000.00 | - | - |
1999 Anaheim Angels | 18 | $1,600,000.00 | - | - |
1999 Oakland Athletics | 8 | " " | - | - |
2000 Oakland Athletics | 8 | $3,050,000.00 | - | - |
2001 Texas Rangers | 18 | $3,150,000.00 | - | - |
2001 New York Yankees | 25 | " " | - | Stats |
2002 Oakland Athletics | 8 | $1,000,000.00 | - | - |
Randy Velarde Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Did you know that Randy Velarde was only the second American League second-baseman in baseball history to turn an unassisted triple play, accomplishing the fielding feat on May 29, 2000? Bill Wambsganss, on October 10, 1920, was the first, turning it with the Cleveland Indians, and Mickey Morandini was the first second-bagger in senior circuit history, turning his unassisted triple play with the Philadelphia Phillies on September 20, 1992.
Randy Velarde | Unassisted Triple Play Ticket | May 29, 2000Baseball Almanac Research Library
Did you know that Randy Velarde (California) and Joey Cora (Seattle) each hit a leadoff home run in the same game on September 25, 1996? It was only the sixteenth time in baseball history where each team had a leadoff home run in the same game, and the first time where the teams were the Angels versus the Mariners.
Did you know that Randy Velarde and Terrance Long each led off the game with back-to-back home runs on May 16, 2000? The duo were the first two batters of the game and entered the Oakland Athletics record book with their feat, joining Rickey Henderson & Mike Davis (September 9, 1983) and Rickey Henderson & Craig Paquette (June 12, 1993).
Did you know that Randy Velarde is included in The Mitchell Report (aka the Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball) on page 137 which says in full, "Randy Velarde admitted to us, through his lawyer, that he had used performance enhancing substances he obtained from Greg Anderson. According to his lawyer, if interviewed Velarde would have told us he received the 'cream' and the 'clear' from Anderson in a transaction that occurred in a parking lot during spring training in 2003. Velarde was playing for the Oakland Athletics at the time, was near the end of his career and was attempting to play for another year to support his family."
Randy Velarde was a free agent at the end of the 1993 season, the second-longest tenured player on the New York Yankees behind Don Mattingly, and chose to stay with the Yankees even though he was offered high contracts from other teams. New York Yankees Manager (1992-1995) Buck Showalter described Velarde saying, "he's the epitome of a team player." When Velarde was released, New York Daily News Staff Writer John Harper wrote:
ANOTHER DAY AND ANOTHER tough, loyal, classy Yankee has departed. Yesterday it was Randy Velarde following Don Mattingly and Mike Stanley out the door, taking with him the qualities that George Steinbrenner doesn't seem to understand made the Yankees special under Buck Showalter. Velarde didn't get the Stanley treatment. He wasn't completely ignored. But when the Yankees refused to give the 32-year-old a three-year contract, he also walked away reluctantly, signing a three-year deal with the Angels worth $2.45 million.
"It's hard to leave," said Velarde yesterday. "It's like something has been ripped away from me. I was always a Yankee. "You figure you give them everything you have, and then some, they'd be willing to give you something in return. It's too bad. I really wanted to come back."
What a week. Maybe Steinbrenner's new National League regime will put a contender on the field; maybe it won't. But it's hard to believe the Yankees will put together the kind of chemistry that made the Showalter Yankees so admirable. They weren't colorful. Often the mood seemed a little too grim. But they cared about all the right things, they put the team first, and they played the game the way fans expect major leaguers to play.
Mattingly and Stanley and Velarde were a big part of it, setting a tone of professionalism. They played hurt, they played hard, they yearned to win. Now all three are gone, along with Showalter, and as Velarde said, "I still think the Yankees are going to be very competitive, but I've gotta believe the chemistry will be a question mark.
Source: New York Daily News. John Harper. November 23, 1995. 'RANDY LEAVES WITH LAST OF YANK CLASS OF '95. Link.
Moose Solters | 1934 Diamond Stads (#85)Baseball Almanac Research Library
Why is there a Moose Solters baseball card on Randy Velarde's page? Solters had 201 hits in 1935, while playing with two different teams that same season - the first time any American League player split time between two teams and still managed a 200+ hit season. Sixty-four years later, in 1999, Randy Velarde had 115 hits with the Angels and 85 hits with the Athletics, the second 200-hit season by a player who split time between teams.