The top 25 New York Yankees of all time

Sabathia is not the pitcher he once was, but he’s still chugging along with the Yankees. He’s played 10 seasons for the team, and he’s not done yet, as he will only add to his legacy. Early on, though, CC made three All-Star teams, and he finished in the top four in Cy Young voting three times as well. Some other pitchers, like Roger Clemens, had higher peaks, but their runs were short-lived and mercenary. That’s not the case with Sabathia.

Stottlemyre played his entire 11-year career with the Yankees, and he had some strange years. He once lost 20 games and made the All-Star Game in the same season. That was one of his five appearances in the All-Star Game, and of course he represented the Bronx Bombers in all of them. He’s 16th in Yankees history in ERA but fourth in innings pitched, which is a winning combination.

Yes, Rizzuto’s number is retired, which is a big reason why he’s here. Additionally, he has the most defensive WAR of any Yankee ever. Hell, he was an MVP once. However, and this may seem like sacrilege, he was a bad hitter, and that puts a cap on how high he can finish in these rankings. Still, he’s a beloved Yankee, and his work with the glove matters, and so Rizzuto is still here.

Posada was one of the Yankees prospects who all came up at roughly the same time and helped turn the franchise around. Case in point: Posada was the primary catcher for four different World Series winners. He made five All-Star Games, won five Silver Sluggers and provided offense and power from the catcher position that is always a hot commodity.

Mattingly’s work with the Yankees will never overshadow the numbers he put up on the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant’s softball team, but he had a great run with the Yankees. He won MVP in 1985 and actually had arguably a better season in 1986. Mattingly also won a bunch of Gold Gloves, but his defensive prowess has been debunked by modern analytics. At the time, though, it helped make him more popular in New York. He may have not actually been good with the glove, but he is seventh in career hits with the Yankees. So clearly his bat was legitimate.

White had a solid career without a ton of moments that really stood out. He made two All-Star games and was on two title-winning teams. The only stats he ever led the league in are plate appearances, walks and sacrifice flies. However, he also played 15 seasons with the Yankees, so he’s still way up there in terms of career numbers. Fifteen years and two titles buy you a lot of love.

We all know Maris’ name because he had the home run record for so long. Sixty-one was an iconic number. He also won two MVPs with the Bronx Bombers. The only reason he’s not higher is because he played only seven seasons with the Yankees, and he missed a lot of games in his career. Maris had an extremely high peak, but other than that he didn’t light the world on fire. Still, being a top-20 Yankee is nothing to sneeze at.

Lazzeri played way back in the day, as his time with the Yankees ran from 1926 through 1937. That means he was part of the Murderer’s Row Yankees, but obviously he wasn’t one of the biggest names. Still, he did get inducted into the Hall by the Veteran’s Committee and got on base at a .380 clip. Sure, that was in a different time, but the guy had a knack for hitting the ball and a spot among many of his teammates in Cooperstown.

Reggie played only five years for the Yankees. That’s not a lot. However, what a five years they were. He was an All-Star in all those seasons, but this is really about the playoff performances. You may recall that in 1977 he hit five home runs in the World Series and was named MVP. You may also remember a nickname he received: Mr. October. That’s why he made it this high up on the list.

Guidry is yet another lifelong Yankee, as he played all 14 of his seasons with New York. This included four All-Star appearances, four Gold Gloves and one Cy Young award. In that Cy Young year, he led the majors with a 2.19 FIP. Also, in a sign of how much baseball has changed, Guidry once led the American League with 21 complete games. That’s why he’s fourth in WAR among Yankees pitchers.

Munson is a sad one, given that he died before his career was over. That left him with 11 truncated seasons, all with the Yankees. Munson backstopped some great Yankees teams and won Rookie of the Year and AL MVP from his catching position. The unfortunate nature of Munson’s career-ending death certainly colors the perception of him in Yankees lore, but his on-the-field attributes more than justify his appearance on this list.

Of the Yankees prospects that became part of the core of the teams in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, Williams is the most underrated. Williams ended up playing 16 seasons with New York, making him sixth all time in games played for the franchise. He had power and speed and also won four Gold Gloves in the outfield. Williams is in the top 10 in a ton of categories, including being fifth in hits. Not too shabby.

Randolph balances offense and defense quite nicely. He ranks 12th in offensive WAR in Yankees history, but he’s second in defensive WAR behind only Rizzuto. Despite that, he never won a Gold Glove, because Gold Gloves are kind of dumb, if we’re being honest. Randolph had no power, but his skills with his glove made him a great player nevertheless.

Pettitte was so well liked that even an HGH revelation didn’t really hinder his popularity. Though he spent three years with the Astros, Pettitte is primarily remembered as a Yankee thanks to the 15 years he played there. The guy pitched into his 40s and was actually still above average. Due to all the time he spent in pinstripes, Pettitte is tops in strikeouts in franchise history and tied for first in games started.

Like a lot of players, Dickey missed time due to military service. What was odd for Dickey is that he served in World War II in his age 37 and 38 seasons and then returned for an abbreviated season when he was 39. One of several great catchers in Yankees history, Dickey played in 11 All-Star Games and got his number retired by the Yankees, naturally. How could he not? He made the Hall of Fame back in the ‘50s and batted .313 in his career.

Once upon a time, there was a pitcher who began his career with the Red Sox and then traded to the Yankees. Then a few years after the Babe did that, so did Ruffing. Ruffing is second in wins in Yankees history, and while wins are an overrated stat in minor eyes, that still speaks to his longevity and the role he played for the franchise. He also qualified as something of a strikeout pitcher for his era. Ruffing once led the majors in strikeouts per nine innings. Sure, it was only 6.6 Ks per nine, but back then that was impressive.

Some of you are going to be irked to see A-Rod ranked this high. After all, was he really a “true Yankee?” We aren’t here to engage in such narratives. Here are some of Rodriguez’s numbers in the Bronx: 351 home runs, 152 stolen bases, a .900 OPS and two MVPs. Plus, for a guy who “couldn’t get it done” in the playoffs, in his career he slashed .259/.365/.457 in the postseason with 13 homers. Yes, there are steroid issues, but you can’t argue with his numbers.

Most relief pitchers are overrated, at least in comparison to starting pitchers. There is a collection of baseball minds who think basically no relievers should make the Hall of Fame. Rivera is the exception. He’s the best closer of all time. That’s as close to a fact as a statement like that can get. The guy pitched in over 1,000 games for the Yankees, dwarfing anybody else, and he picked up 652 saves in that time. That number happens to be a record in all of baseball. Not bad for a failed starter.

Picking between Ford and Rivera was tricky. Rivera has so much going for him, but Whitey leads the Yankees in innings pitched and wins. He was a true workhorse and put up quality with his quantity. Ford led the majors in ERA twice and won one Cy Young. On top of that, he pitched in 11 World Series, winning six, and earned one World Series MVP. Also, one time on “The Simpsons” he was pelted with pretzels until he fell unconscious. Rivera can’t say that.

Yogi is known for his strange sayings and aphorisms, but he’s also known as arguably the best catcher ever. Despite the toil playing that position has on the body, Berra managed to play 18 years with the Yankees. He was an All-Star a whopping 18 times and won three MVPs as well. If you can win three MVPs with a team, you are going to be on its top 10 players of all time list.

Was Jeter overrated by some? Sure. Was he good at defense? No, not really. Did the talk of “the captain” get excessive? You bet. In the end, Jeter is still one of the best shortstops ever and truly one of the greatest Yankees of all time. Jeter leads New York in both games played and hits, as he racked up 3,465 of the latter in his career. He’s sixth in hits in MLB history, and it will be a long time before a Yankee surpasses him.

DiMaggio will always be iconic for his 56-game hitting streak, a record that seems almost impossible to break. Joltin’ Joe was so much more than that one stretch of time, though. DiMaggio actually missed three seasons due to the war, but in his 13 seasons he never failed to make an All-Star Game. Like Berra, he won three MVPs. He once led the majors in slugging and once in batting average, and he wasn’t MVP in either of those seasons. We are in rarified air here. DiMaggio would top a lot of teams' histories. He can only make it to fourth for the Yankees.

We’ve jumped a level here. DiMaggio is fourth in career WAR for the Yankees with 78.1. Mantle is third, and he’s all the way up at 110.3. Funnily enough, he’s second in offensive war with 116.4. If only he had been a better fielder. Hey, it doesn’t matter when you could hit like this. Mantle was one of the best batters ever. The slugger hit 536 homers in 18 seasons, and his career OPS is .977. Oh, and in 12 World Series, he had a .908 OPS. That’s partially why he won six rings.

You didn’t notice Wally Pipp on this list, but here’s Gehrig. The Iron Horse ranks second in Yankees history in most offensive categories, but that’s only because of one of his old teammates. The guy is third all time in OPS and only second in New York history. Of course, and tragically, Gehrig was not quite ready to hang it up when he retired, as he was diagnosed with ALS, which has become known as Lou Gehrig disease. He was never going to become the top player for the Yankees, but he could have added to his fantastic legacy.

Who else could it be? Babe is maybe THE icon of baseball history. His numbers were staggering. For another WAR comparison, Gehrig is second with 112.4. Ruth’s WAR on the Yankees was 142.6. He could rake like nobody’s business. When hitting 20 homers was impressive, he was routinely cranking 40-plus homers a season. His .690 slugging percentage is the best of all time. Perhaps we could have just said this: For years, Yankees Stadium was known as “The House That Ruth Built.” Case closed.