Thought This Yankee was a role player with several memorable moments, and he was also the subject of one of Brian Cashman’s most (in)famous quotes.
Born Richard Stephen Crosby, the nickname “Bubba” came about because his older sister, then 15 months old, couldn’t say “brother” when he was born, and it stuck. “I tried to change it in school, call myself Richard, but kids would call for me and ask for Richard, and my parents would burst out laughing and say, ‘You mean Bubba?'” he told Gary Miller in 2004.
Crosby won a Texas state championship while at Bellaire High School and he was a monster at Rice. He hit .394/.504/.828 with 25 home runs in 58 games as a junior in 1998, and he still ranks second in school history in homers (59, eight behind Lance Berkman), total bases (499, 73 behind Berkman), and RBI (243, 29 behind Berkman). Who knew?
That performance made Crosby a first round pick in 1998. The Dodgers selected him with the No. 23 pick, four picks after Cleveland took CC Sabathia. Despite his pedigree, Crosby didn’t didn’t do much in the minors, hitting .216/.274/.278 in 56 High-A games in his pro debut. He didn’t reach Double-A until 2001 and he didn’t reach the big leagues until 2003.
“(He) has shown nothing to merit his $995,000 signing bonus,” wrote Baseball America in a scathing 2001 scouting report. “The Dodgers have been patient with Crosby and admit he hasn’t been a complete flop.”
Crosby made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in May 2003 and went 1-for-12 (.083) in nine games. He was sent back to Triple-A about a week later, after Los Angeles signed 44-year-old Rickey Henderson to be their extra outfielder behind Dave Roberts, Shawn Green, and Brian Jordan. They also added Jeromy Burnitz at the deadline. Crosby wasn’t cracking that outfield.
“Even though Rickey Henderson is one of the greatest baseball players ever, it was still, to me, kind of a slap in my face that I didn’t get an opportunity,” Crosby told Tyler Kepner in 2005. “I was a Dodger, and in that organization, that’s all they talk about: breeding young talent, moving through the organization. It was kind of like, what else do I need to do?”
The Yankees acquired Crosby at the 2003 trade deadline along with Scott Proctor in exchange for Robin Ventura. Ventura became expendable after the Yankees added Aaron Boone, and Cashman was looking to shed money and add depth to the organization. Crosby spent the rest of 2003 with Triple-A Columbus, hitting .302/.366/.460 with two homers in 16 games.
“He did a tremendous job as a Yankee. I can’t say enough about what Robin was here for us, and how he was in the clubhouse as well,” Cashman told George King after the trade. “… When Aaron Boone became available, we felt it was one of those rare opportunities, and one of those opportunities we couldn’t pass up.”
An excellent Spring Training (.385 with two homers) earned Crosby, then 27, a spot on the 2004 Opening Day roster even though the Yankees had three big name veteran outfielders (Gary Sheffield, Bernie Williams, Kenny Lofton) plus reigning AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Hideki Matsui. Crosby was to be the seldom-used fifth outfielder.
It did not take Crosby long to endear himself to Yankees fans. He socked a home run in his very first at-bat as a Yankee, then he went deep again in his next game. In that game, Crosby also crashed into the wall making a catch in what would be Mike Mussina’s 200th career win. “I have a feeling you haven’t seen the last of him,” then-manager Joe Torre told Jack Curry after the game.
Despite Torre’s quote, Crosby did not get into another game until 10 days later. He went 2-for-13 (.154) the rest of April, found himself back in Triple-A in May, then returned in June. Crosby barely played the rest of 2004, going 3-for-32 (.094) in the team’s final 112 games. He started two (!) of those 102 games and mostly replaced Sheffield for defense in the late innings.
The Yankees carried Crosby on their postseason roster that year and he appeared in three of their 11 games, twice as a pinch-runner and once as a defensive replacement. All told, he went 8-for-53 (.151) with the two home runs in 55 big league games in 2004. Another strong Spring Training landed Crosby on the 2005 Opening Day roster.
“There’s no better feeling than when you go out there and work so hard and finally win the job, because it just shows that hard work pays off,” Crosby told Kepner. He spent most of 2005 going up and down, appearing in 51 MLB games and 74 Triple-A games through the end of August. In those 51 MLB games, Crosby went 9-for-43 (.209) with no homers.
September 2005 was the best month of Crosby’s career. According to Kepner, he worked with then-hitting coach Don Mattingly to shorten his swing, and the result was a 17-for-50 (.340) run in the season’s final month. Crosby socked a walk-off home run against Orioles lefty Eric DuBose on Sept. 19th. He pimped it and got a curtain call.
“I’ve never hit a walk-off homer ever, in my whole life, not even in Little League,” Crosby told Kepner after the game. “To do it at Yankee Stadium, this time of year, when it counts, it just doesn’t get any better than this.”
Crosby hit .276/.304/.327 with one home run in 103 plate appearances during the 2005 regular season. He started three of the five ALDS games against the Angels in center field (Williams was the DH) and went 2-for-8 in the series. Most notably, Crosby crashed into Sheffield with runners on first and second with two outs in the second inning in Game 5.
“Sheff said he thought — right at the last second — that he was going to catch it, and I thought at the last second that I was going to catch it. It was perfectly placed,” Crosby told Kepner after the game. The Adam Kennedy triple turned a 2-1 Yankees lead into a 3-2 Angels lead. The Halos went on to win the game 5-3 and eliminate the Yankees.
By the 2005-06 offseason, it was abundantly clear the Yankees needed a center fielder. Bernie was nearing the end of the line and Crosby wasn’t suited for full-time duty. Johnny Damon was among the top center fielders in the game at the time and a free agent. It was a natural fit. Cashman played coy, however, and said he was comfortable with Crosby as his 2006 center fielder.
“Center field is not easy to fill,” Cashman told Kepner at the 2005 Winter Meetings. “That’s why I continue to say that Bubba Crosby could very well be that guy. I know he’s sitting at home somewhere saying, ‘I hope they don’t do anything.’”
Cashman never explicitly said “Bubba Crosby will be our center fielder” (the quote has become warped over the years) but the insinuation was the Yankees did not feel pressure to add a center fielder because they had Crosby (and plenty of offense to support him). That was silly, of course, and the Yankees signed Damon to a four-year, $52M contract right before Christmas.
“We know George Steinbrenner’s reputation. He always wants to have the best players, and I think he showed that tonight,” Damon told Kepner after agreeing to sign with the Yankees. “He and Brian Cashman came after me hard, and now I’m part of the Yankees and that great lineup, and we’re going to be tough to beat.”
The Yankees brought Williams back in addition to signing Damon, so those two went into 2006 alongside Matsui and Sheffield as the top four outfielders. They also had Melky Cabrera, who debuted in 2005, waiting in Triple-A. He was younger with much more upside than Crosby, and stepped into the starting lineup when Matsui and Sheffield got hurt early in the season.
Crosby spent 2006 as the seldom used fifth outfielder, appearing in only 65 of the team’s first 105 games, and starting only 19 times. He went 18-for-87 (.207) with a home run in those 65 games. On Aug. 5th, the Yankees designated Crosby for assignment to clear a roster spot for reliever Jose Veras at a time when the bullpen was taxed and a fresh arm was needed.
“We tried going with 11 (pitchers), but I wasn’t comfortable,” Torres told King. “(Crosby) became a luxury item.”
In parts of three seasons with the Yankees, Crosby hit .223/.263/.311 with four home runs in 196 games and 257 plate appearances. He started only 50 games in those three seasons. By WAR, Crosby is one of the worst players in franchise history. The bottom of the position player WAR leaderboard:
Enrique Wilson: -3.1 WAR in 264 games
Tony Womack: -2.2 WAR in 108 games
Bill Robinson: -2.0 WAR in 210 games
Johnny Sturm: -1.9 WAR in 124 games
Pee-Wee Wanninger: -1.9 WAR in 117 games
Curt Blefary: -1.7 WAR in 120 games
Walter Blair: -1.6 WAR in 216 games
Bubba Crosby: -1.5 WAR in 196 games
Ruben Sierra: -1.5 WAR in 383 games
Hensley Meulens: -1.9 WAR in 159 games
Crosby cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A after being designated for assignment in 2006, and he never played in the big leagues again. He became a minor league free agent after the season, signed with the Reds, was limited to 13 Triple-A games by a shoulder injury in 2007, then retired after failing a physical with the Mariners during Spring Training 2008. Not sure what he’s up to these days.the group would like this
