Joel Sherman

Joel Sherman

MLB

Showalter: You’ll never see another Core Four

BALTIMORE — What Buck Showalter saw first was Mariano Rivera’s stat line, Andy Pettitte’s waistline and Derek Jeter’s bottom line.

Just transitioning from minor league manager to major league coach himself in 1990, Showalter still had development as his passion and pored over organizational stats. He noticed 58 strikeouts and seven walks in 52 innings, even if it was only at rookie ball, and figured it was a prospect to watch.

“And then I heard what they would do to break up the monotony on Sunday and they would let the pitchers hit and field, and I put the stats with the guy they told me was the best center fielder on the team,” Showalter said. “That was Mariano.”
After the 1992 season, now the Yankee manager, Showalter was asked by then Yankees bullpen coach Tony Cloninger to have a heart-to-heart at Instructional League with a pitcher who had just completed Low-A ball that Cloninger had taken a liking to, a pitcher he thought needed to get into better shape.

So behind a protective screen in short center field in Fort Lauderdale Stadium, Showalter discussed conditioning with Andy Pettitte by telling him, “Don’t let anything get in the way of your success besides the hitters.”

That same year Showalter met the Yankees’ first-round draft pick, sixth overall, and what stood out — even with the teenaged Derek Jeter — “was that he had real alert eyes,” Showalter said. “You knew he could play point guard. Nothing would go on in his environment that he did not see — he would see all the cutters. He was sharp, aware of his environment, in control.”

Three years later, in what would be his final year as Yankees manager, Showalter would guide the major league debuts of Rivera, Pettitte and Jeter. Eighteen years ago, 19 seasons. A long time and an eye blink.

Even now, Pettitte could remember in the spring of 1995 it was still a time for rookies to be seen not heard. That Showalter didn’t even make eye contact with him. With camp nearly ready to break, and the traveling secretary nagging him about whether to ship his car to Triple-A Columbus or New York, Pettitte finally worked up the nerve to walk into the manager’s office, explain the situation and ask for some insight.

“Send your car to New York,” Showalter said.

And the Core Four was off. Rivera and Jeter would both show up in May, bounce back and forth to Triple-A. Jorge Posada came in September. All but Jeter were on the Division Series roster, Rivera moved from starter to reliever, Posada — of all things — around as mainly a pinch-runner. Showalter asked the organization to let Jeter travel with the team sensing it would be a good learning experience for someone who would be vital for the future.

Showalter would not be part of that Yankee future. But here he was, across the field yesterday as the Orioles’ manager, a guy there at the beginning, watching the end. Rivera is in his waning days before retirement, and as I wrote in Monday’s Post there are now scenarios emerging in which Jeter and Pettitte exit, as well.

“And you won’t see anything like this happen again,” Showalter said.

He meant the idea four players could show up in one place at one time and play to the high level for as long as that quartet (Posada retired after the 2011 season). Depending on how you feel about Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi, you can argue that the four best players to debut in 1995 were Jeter, Rivera, Pettitte and Posada.

If you were drawing up a blueprint for long-time contention, how different would it be than beginning with a dynamic catcher, shortstop, lefty starter and closer? There are many reasons the Yankees have been great for two decades. Nothing more meaningful than that cornerstone.

“There are too many variables for that to ever happen again,” Showalter said of the moons aligning for that talent group to show up collectively for one organization and have such longevity. “And what you have to remember is the makeup of those guys. The common thread was their agenda. They didn’t branch off. They didn’t want to disappoint each other. They were guys who never wanted to let their teammates down.“

You know how hard it is to make as many good decisions on and off the field that those guys made for as long as they made them while playing in New York? They all had grips on realities at a young age in New York City. We just won’t see that again.”

Showalter’s right. Even fading, we should try to soak up and enjoy what remains for Rivera, Jeter and Pettitte. We will never see it again.