Graig Nettles was a 3B who played for the New York Yankees from 1973-1983. Career stats: .253 batting average, 250 home runs, 834 RBI.
title: "Graig Nettles" slug: "graig-nettles" era: "Bronx Zoo" position: "3B" bats: "Left" throws: "Right" born: "1944-08-20" birthplace: "San Diego, CA" debut: "1967-09-06" retired: "1988"
Graig Nettles spent eleven seasons as the New York Yankees' third baseman, hit 250 home runs in pinstripes, won two Gold Gloves, and was named team captain. He's also the guy who, asked about playing for the Yankees under George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin, said: "When I was a little boy, I wanted to be a baseball player and join the circus. With the Yankees, I have accomplished both." That quote tells you everything you need to know about the man.
The Trade That Built a Dynasty
The Yankees got Nettles from Cleveland on November 27, 1972, at the Winter Meetings. New York sent four players -- John Ellis, Charlie Spikes, Rusty Torres, and Jerry Kenney -- to the Indians. Cleveland threw in backup catcher Jerry Moses alongside Nettles.
Nettles became the cornerstone of two World Series champions. The four players Cleveland received mostly disappeared into obscurity. It's one of the most lopsided trades in Yankees history, and the Yankees have made some very good trades.
(Nettles had feuded with Cleveland manager Ken Aspromonte, which made Cleveland eager to move him. Their loss, our gain. Sometimes the other team's dysfunction is your best recruiting tool.)
The Offense People Underrate
Ask casual fans what Nettles was known for and they'll say defense. Fair enough -- more on that in a minute. But the man could hit. In the 1976 season, he led the entire American League with 32 home runs. The following year was his best: .255, 37 home runs, 107 RBI in the 1977 championship season. He finished fifth in AL MVP voting, won his first Gold Glove, and helped the Yankees to their first title in 15 years. In 1978 he hit .276 with 27 home runs and 93 RBI -- and he was still the second-most-talked-about Yankee on defense that October.
Over eleven seasons, he was a six-time All-Star and the AL's all-time leader in home runs by a third baseman with 319 in the American League. The number doesn't get enough attention.
| Yankees Games | 1,535 |
| Yankees BA | .253 |
| Yankees HR | 250 |
| Yankees RBI | 834 |
| Career HR | 390 |
| Career WAR | 68.0 (bWAR) |
| Gold Gloves | 2 (1977, 1978) |
| All-Star Selections | 6 |
| AL record | 319 HR by a 3B in the AL |
October 13, 1978
The Dodgers came to Yankee Stadium for Game 3 of the 1978 World Series leading the series two games to none. The Yankees had to win to stay alive. Ron Guidry was on the mound.
What happened in the third, fifth, and sixth innings is what people mean when they talk about historic postseason defense. The Dodgers kept hitting rockets to third base. Reggie Smith hit a screamer in the third -- Nettles dove to his right, gloved it, scrambled up, and threw Smith out at first. In the fifth, Steve Garvey lined one hard; Nettles backhanded it from his knees, spun, and threw to second for an inning-ending force out. Davey Lopes then loaded the bases in the sixth with two outs and drilled one toward third. Nettles stopped it and forced another runner. Five assists. At least four runs saved.
The Yankees won 5-1. Then won three more in a row. Champions.
Sportswriters immediately compared it to Brooks Robinson's 1970 World Series performance -- the highest possible defensive compliment in baseball. Nettles brushed it off the way he brushed everything off. That was his style. (A lesser man would've called a press conference.)
The more we lose, the more Steinbrenner will fly in. And the more he flies, the better the chance there will be a plane crash.
The Trade
The Yankees acquire Nettles from Cleveland for four players -- one of the most one-sided trades in franchise history. He'll spend the next eleven seasons in pinstripes.
AL Home Run Leader
Nettles leads the American League with 32 home runs -- the best power season by any Yankee that year. The Yankees win the pennant but lose the World Series to Cincinnati.
The Game 3 Performance
Nettles makes five legendary defensive plays in Game 3 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, saving at least four runs. The Yankees win 5-1 and go on to take four straight from Los Angeles.
ALCS MVP -- Then a Broken Thumb
Nettles goes .500 with a home run and 9 RBI as the Yankees sweep Oakland for the AL pennant, winning ALCS MVP. Days later, he breaks his left thumb diving for a ball in Game 2 of the World Series. Misses three games. The Yankees lose four straight to the Dodgers.
Named Yankees Captain
Steinbrenner names Nettles team captain -- the first since Thurman Munson's death in August 1979. Nettles holds the title through the 1983 season.
Traded to San Diego
The Yankees send Nettles to his hometown Padres for pitcher Dennis Rasmussen. The trade comes as Steinbrenner sees advance promotion of Nettles' tell-all book "Balls." Nettles had 10-and-5 rights and could've blocked it. He approved -- he wanted to go home. The Padres reach the World Series that fall.
The Bronx Zoo, in Full
Nettles wasn't just a player on the Bronx Zoo Yankees -- he was one of its central characters. In 1981, after the Yankees swept Oakland in the ALCS and Nettles was named series MVP, the team held a celebration dinner. By the end of the night, Reggie Jackson's associates had been rude to Nettles' wife Ginger -- reportedly asking her to leave her seat. Jackson knocked a beer out of Nettles' hand. Nettles punched him. Days after winning ALCS MVP.
This is the team Thurman Munson held together by sheer force of personality while he was alive. This is the team Billy Martin somehow managed between firings. Nettles watched all of it with one eyebrow raised and a one-liner ready. His nickname was "Puff" -- earned in Cleveland for his habit of vanishing from postgame parties like smoke after pulling some mischief. Fitting.
The "Balls" book (1984, written with Peter Golenbock) was the natural endpoint of the whole thing. Nettles had spent eleven years keeping score, and when he finally wrote it down, Steinbrenner packed him off to San Diego before spring training ended. Nettles had signed off on the trade. He wanted to go home. And then he helped the Padres to their first World Series appearance. (The Yankees finished third.)
The Hall of Fame Debate Nobody Has Enough Times
Nettles isn't in the Hall of Fame. His 68.0 career bWAR is in the same conversation as players who are in. His 20.9 defensive bWAR alone would've been remarkable for many careers. The AL record for home runs by a third baseman held for decades. Six All-Star selections, two championships, ALCS MVP.
The .248 career batting average is what voters see first. That's their first and last argument. They're wrong, but it's a losing fight.
He's been eligible for the Classic Baseball Era Committee. He should be in Cooperstown. He isn't. The circus didn't give him the ending he deserved.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many home runs did Graig Nettles hit for the Yankees?
Nettles hit 250 home runs in 1,535 games as a Yankee from 1973 to 1983. He led the American League in home runs in 1976 with 32, and his career best was 37 in 1977. Over his full career, he hit 390 home runs -- setting the AL record for career home runs by a third baseman with 319 in the American League.
What is Graig Nettles famous for?
Nettles is best remembered for his defensive performance in Game 3 of the 1978 World Series, when he made five legendary plays at third base -- diving stops, backhanded grabs, and force outs -- saving at least four runs and helping the Yankees win 5-1 en route to their second straight championship. The performance was immediately compared to Brooks Robinson's legendary 1970 World Series defense.
Did Graig Nettles make the Hall of Fame?
No. Despite a 68.0 career bWAR, two Gold Gloves, six All-Star selections, the AL record for home runs by a third baseman, and a World Series ring, Nettles hasn't been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He's been eligible for the Classic Baseball Era Committee. His .248 career batting average is the primary argument against him -- and the most reductive one possible for a player whose defensive value was elite by any measure.
Was Graig Nettles the Yankees captain?
Yes. On January 29, 1982, Steinbrenner named Nettles team captain -- the first Yankee captain since Thurman Munson, who had died in a plane crash in August 1979. Nettles held the captaincy through the 1983 season before being traded to San Diego on March 30, 1984.
Why was Graig Nettles traded to the San Diego Padres?
Nettles was traded on March 30, 1984, for pitcher Dennis Rasmussen, as Steinbrenner saw advance promotion of Nettles' tell-all book "Balls" -- which sharply criticized the Yankees' owner. Nettles had 10-and-5 rights and could have blocked the trade, but he approved it because he wanted to play in his hometown of San Diego. The Padres went to the World Series that fall. The Yankees finished third.
Career Stats
Regular Season
| Year | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 145 | 521 | 71 | 132 | 15 | 1 | 20 | 73 | 59 | 53 | 1 | .253 | .325 | .401 | .726 |
| 1980 | 89 | 324 | 52 | 79 | 14 | 0 | 16 | 45 | 42 | 42 | 0 | .244 | .331 | .435 | .766 |
| 1981 | 103 | 349 | 46 | 85 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 46 | 47 | 49 | 0 | .244 | .333 | .398 | .731 |
| 1982 | 122 | 405 | 47 | 94 | 11 | 2 | 18 | 55 | 51 | 49 | 1 | .232 | .317 | .402 | .719 |
| 1983 | 129 | 462 | 56 | 123 | 17 | 3 | 20 | 75 | 51 | 65 | 0 | .266 | .341 | .446 | .787 |
| Career | 1535 | 5518 | 750 | 1396 | 202 | 20 | 250 | 834 | 627 | 739 | 18 | .253 | .329 | .433 | .762 |
Career-best seasons highlighted in gold. Stats via Retrosheet.
Postseason
| Year | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 9 | 29 | -- | 7 | -- | -- | 2 | 6 | -- | -- | -- | .241 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1977 | 11 | 41 | -- | 7 | -- | -- | 0 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | .171 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1978 | 10 | 40 | -- | 9 | -- | -- | 1 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | .225 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1980 | 2 | 6 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | .167 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1981 | 11 | 39 | -- | 11 | -- | -- | 1 | 10 | -- | -- | -- | .282 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 43 | 155 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .226 | .226 | .323 | .548 |