Graig Nettles
One of the finest defensive third baseman to ever play the position, Nettles was part of four pennant-winning Yankee teams. In 1976 he led the American League in home runs and he was a good offensive player despite his low .248 career batting average. On September 14, 1974 he and brother Jim became just the fourth set of brothers to homer in the same game.
Played For
Minnesota Twins (1967-1969)
Cleveland Indians (1970-1972)
New York Yankees (1973-1983)
San Diego Padres (1984-1986)
Atlanta Braves (1987)
Montreal Expos (1988)
All-Time Rankings
Graig Nettles ranks #14 among the Top 50 all-time at 3B. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1977
Career highs in homers (37) and RBI (107). Nettles hit .255 with a career high .496 slugging percentage. He also scored 99 runs and won his first Gold Glove.
Factoids
When he was named captain of the Yankees in 1980, Graig Nettles followed Lou Gehrig and Thurman Munson in that role.
Born
Graig Nettles was born on August 20, 1944, in San Diego, CA.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Primary Position: 3B
Primary Team: NYA
College: San Diego State
Major League Debut
September 6, 1967
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1967
Reggie Jackson
Graig Nettles
Rod Carew
Johnny Bench
Tom Seaver
Jerry Koosman
Amos Otis
Sparky Lyle
Aurelio Rodriguez
Similar Players
Darrell Evans
Related Players
Jim Nettles, Harmon Killebrew, Chris Chambliss, George Brett, Reggie Smith
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1994 |
BBWAA |
38 |
8.4% |
1995 |
BBWAA |
28 |
6.1% |
1996 |
BBWAA |
37 |
7.9% |
1997 |
BBWAA |
22 |
4.7% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1969 American League Championship Series
1976 American League Championship Series
1976 World Series
1977 World Series
1977 American League Championship Series
1978 American League Championship Series
1978 World Series
1980 American League Championship Series
1981 World Series
1981 American League Division Playoffs
1981 American League Championship Series
1984 National League Championship Series
1984 World Series
Awards and Honors
1977 AL Gold Glove
1978 AL Gold Glove
1981 AL ALCS MVP
Hitting Streaks
19 games (1971)
Transactions
Nettles tell-all book Balls did as much to hasten his exit from New York as anything. In the book he is critical of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner as well as former teammates and managers.
All-Star Selections
1975 AL
1977 AL
1978 AL
1979 AL
1980 AL
1985 NL
Best Strength as a Player
Playing third base and ability to pull the ball.
Largest Weakness as a Player
He was a streaky hitter who could go into some serious slumps at times.
Learn More about Graig Nettles
Search Amazon.com for Books about Graig Nettles ⇒
Search for Graig Nettles at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
