By Paul Semendinger
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The following, exclusive to SSTN (because I just created this), is a complete list of all the players who appeared as a third baseman for the Yankees in the 1980’s:
Mike Pagliarulo – 684 games
Graig Nettles – 424 games
Roy Smalley – 114 games
Toby Harrah – 74 games
Aurelio Rodriguez – 69 games
Dale Berra – 59 games
Tom Brookens – 51 games
Wayne Tolleson – 48 games
Randy Velarde – 38 games
Eric Soderholm – 37 games
Andre Robertson – 35 games
Luis Aguayo – 33 games
Bert Campaneris – 24 games
Mike Blowers – 13 games
Jerry Royster – 13 games
Lenn Sakata – 12 games
Fred Stanley – 12 games
Tim Foli – 10 games
Larry Milbourne – 10 games
Bobby Meacham – 9 games
Hensley Meulens – 8 games
Leo Hernandez – 7 games
Barry Evans – 6 games
Steve Kiefer – 5 games
and then the list gets into the bizarre…
Don Mattingly (a left-handed first baseman) – 3 games
Jeff Moronko – 3 games
Gary Roenicke (an outfielder) – 3 games
Brian Doyle – 2 games
Gary Ward (an outfielder) – 2 games
Dave Winfield (an outfielder) – 2 games
Juan Bonilla – 1 game
Rick Cerone (a catcher) – 1 game
Mike O’Berry (a catcher) – 1 game
Dennis Werth – 1 game
Paul Zuvella – 1 game
In total, the Yankees had 35 different players man third base in the 1980’s. That list includes a Hall-of-Fame outfielder and an All-Star first baseman along with two catchers.
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Butch Hobson was a Major League third baseman for many years.
Butch Hobson played in 651 games at third base for the Red Sox between 1975 and 1980.
In 1981, Butch Hobson played 83 games at third for the California Angels.
In 1982, Butch Hobson was a Yankee from April 24 through August 3…
In 1983, while playing for the Yankees’ AAA team, the Columbus Clippers, Butch Hobson played third base in 95 games.
But, while a Yankee, Butch Hobson played exactly no games at third base. He played in zero games at third base. Not for one inning did Hobson play the hot corner for the Yankees. Not once. He never did it.
While playing for the Red Sox and the Angles from 1975 through 1981, Butch Hobson played in 708 big league games. In that time, over that entire period, he never, ever, not once, played first base. He played zero games at first base. Not even for one inning did Butch Hobson play first base for either of those teams. Not once. He never did it.
In 1982, Butch Hobson played in 11 games for the Yankees as a first baseman. (He also tried his hand at DH, a position he had played before.)
Wherever he played, it didn’t really work out for Butch Hobson in the Bronx (or on the road).
As a Yankee, Butch Hobson hit .172 with no homers and 3 RBI’s.
And the end came quickly.
Butch Hobson started as the DH for the Yankees on August 3, 1982. He batted twice against Steve Trout of the White Sox. He struck out both times to end his big league career.
One of the players on that list of players who have played 3B at some point for the Yankees in the 1980's is Eric Soderholm. He came up with the Texas Rangers, but played the bulk of his career with the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox before his brief time with the Yankees where he served primarily as a DH, since Graig Nettles was still the regular Third Baseman at the time.
What intrigued me about Eric Soderholm, is that he had his own hypnotist. Every time he would get into a slump, he would have his hypnotist put him into a trance, and while in the trance, he would be taken back to a time when h…
When Butch Hobson was the manager of the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons (Phillies affiliate at the time), when his team was in Pawtucket to play the PawSox, he was arrested in his hotel room on a felony charge of cocaine possession. Approximately 2.6 grams of cocaine (about $120 in value) were alleged to have been found in Hobson’s shaving kit. He was fired by the Phillies as a result of that, but he was given another chance by the Red Sox organization, where he resurfaced and had some success managing in their farm system.