THE long-time No. 3 batter, a lefty-swinging midwesterner considered one of the best hitters in Yankee history, was not producing impact akin to his past.
There was an option, a lefty-swinging midwesterner leading the AL in hitting. So on July 20, 1994, Paul O’Neill of Ohio replaced Don Mattingly of Indiana as the No. 3 batter.
Today, O’Neill is not producing with the impact akin to his past. There is an option, a midwesterner close to the AL-hitting lead. We are nearing the time when Derek Jeter of Michigan should be handed the most illustrious spot in the Yankee order.
The Yanks can only hope the transition goes as smoothly and successfully as the last time.
”When you deal with a guy like Donnie, there has to be a really big chasm because Donnie was so important to the club beyond the mere statistics that you could have the other players pull away if they think the move is unwarranted,” said then Yankee skipper and current Arizona manager Buck Showalter by phone. ”But Paul had blossomed into a No. 3 hitter and Donnie had no ego. That made it possible.”
Mattingly had been the Yanks’ primary No. 3 hitter for a decade. But at the time of the change, he was batting .301 with just five homers (none in the previous month) and 43 RBIs compared to O’Neill, who was at .383 with 17 homers and 69 RBIs, plus .444 with runners in scoring position.
Still, only Mattingly’s willingness made the move possible. O’Neill treated Mattingly with such great deference – he still refers to him as ”Cap” (captain) – that had Mattingly not endorsed the transition, it would not have worked. In 1989, Bucky Dent put Mattingly into the No. 2 hole in his first game as manager to bat Roberto Kelly third, and Mattingly reacted with a protest bunt in his first at-bat.
Unlike then, Mattingly felt there was a better man for the job and said, ”It’s never difficult for me to take it when it’s what is good for the club. Times are changing. I don’t take this as a putdown. If I was making the decision, I would have made it a long time ago.”
When asked recently about lineup switches, both O’Neill and Jeter said they don’t think about such things. O’Neill said ”no doubt about it” when asked if he envisions Jeter ultimately becoming a No. 3 hitter.
Generally, about his place in the lineup, O’Neill said, ”I don’t think lineups mean as much as they used to when you consider our No. 9 hitter is Scott Brosius, who can drive in 100 runs. It used to be 1-4 set everything up and the rest of the guys played defense. I’m hitting No. 3 to balance the lineup. It’s certainly not the way I’m swinging the bat.”
O’Neill is batting .259 with four homers and 24 RBIs, plus just .200 with men in scoring position. Jeter is at .359 with eight homers and 26 RBIs, plus a .290 average with men in scoring position.
But why make the move? The Yankee offense has been inconsistent and a flip-flopping of Jeter and O’Neill in the 2-3 holes can help in two key ways:
1. O’Neill spoke of lineup balance. He is hitting just .163 vs. lefties. Late in games, opponents have unleashed southpaw specialist to go after O’Neill, switch-hitter Bernie Williams and Tino Martinez. If O’Neill were hitting second, an opponent would have a tougher decision whether to bring in a lefty to face O’Neill and keep him in for Jeter (even though he also was struggling vs. lefties, .200) and Williams before getting to the next pure lefty, Martinez.
2. Through 39 games last year, the Yanks had 46 more runs than this season. One reason was they had 26 more steals than at the corresponding point this season. The Yanks must get leadoff man Chuck Knoblauch (two steals in the last month) running. O’Neill is a patient hitter. He is a lefty hitter, offering a little more obstruction to a throwing catcher.
Showalter said that from a distance he still thinks ”O’Neill has a lot of time left as a three-hole hitter.” But he added, ”It’s not easy to make the change. Don’t confuse change for lack of respect. But there comes a time you have to do what is best for the team.”
There should be no lack of respect toward O’Neill, who went on to capture the AL batting title in the strike-abbreviated ’94 season and has been the No. 3 hitter on four straight playoff teams since, including two champions.
That is why Joe Torre has as strong an emotional bond to O’Neill as Showalter did to Mattingly. But the tactful Torre has proven the ability to navigate tough issues. And his return could smooth the transition. Ultimately, the No. 3 spot is reserved for a team’s best hitter.
That honor now belongs to Jeter as sure it once did to O’Neill and before him Mattingly.
