I recently noticed, in Baseball America, that Mike Griffin is the pitching coach for the Orioles Double-A team in Bowie. Remember Mike Griffin?
Griffin was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 3rd round of the 1976 amateur draft. Two years later he was part of a huge trade between the Rangers and the Yankees. Here’s the details:
On November 10, 1978, the Rangers sent Mike Griffin, Greg Jemison, Juan Beniquez, Paul Mirabella, and Dave Righetti to the Yankees for Domingo Ramos, Mike Heath, Sparky Lyle, Larry McCall, Dave Rajsich, and cash.
Ten months later, at the age of 22, Griffin made his big league debut with the Yankees.
What’s Mike Griffin’s place in Yankees history? It’s a classic Big Stein quote.
During a spring training game against the Mets, in 1981, Griffin did not do well. Afterwards, this is what George Steinbrenner had to say:
“We found out about Mike Griffin today. You say you can’t tell from one outing. The hell you can’t. Mike Griffin has fooled us long enough.”
And, in August of 1981, Mike Griffin was sent to the Chicago Cubs, as a player to be named later, to complete a trade in June where the Yankees had picked up Rick Reuschel.
It’s interesting that Griffin went on to be a pitching coach. So, many of those failed Steinbrenner young guns went into coaching: Mike Griffin, Dave Eiland, Gil Patterson…and I missing any others?
10 Responses to “Mike Griffin”
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June 5th, 2008 at 10:31 am
What the Yankees did to Gil Patterson was a crime.
He had potential, and they simply destroyed him.
He wound up becoming a mentor of sorts for Al Leiter.
Its strange but you got to wonder how many of these guys became coaches to keep what happened to them from happening to other players.
June 5th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I’m re-reading “Damned Yankees” these past few weeks. Interesting parallels, but also makes you realize how the current situation isn’t nearly as nuts as it was under George.
The chapter on the “Misfits” is especially intriguing… I forgot how bad things were for guys like Trout, Whitson, Meacham, etc.
June 5th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
You missed Righetti who has been a pitching coach in the big leagues for almost 10 years now.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I don’t consider Rags to be a “failed Steinbrenner young guns.”
He had a nice career.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I don’t consider Rags to be a “failed Steinbrenner young guns.” He had a nice career.
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Good point. I didn’t see the word “failed” in there. Rags was most certainly not a failure.
June 5th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Amen. The guy never amounted to shit anyway.
Joba would still be part of a dominating back-end of the pen if he was still around.
I miss the Old Man.
June 5th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
I enjoyed the Bob Shirley part (I think it was in the survivor chapter, or something to that extent) in Damned Yankees.
Vapor Man… LOL
June 5th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Patterson wrecked his shoulder, rotator cuff. Best pitching prospect I ever saw the Yankees have.
June 5th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Does Brad Arnsberg count?
April 18th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
[...] this point, New York should send down Anthony “Mike Griffin” Claggett and send Wang to the pen to be their last/long man – to pitch in blow-outs until he [...]