Owner: George Steinbrenner
The epitome of evil. The “Darth Vader of Baseball”. Hell on legs. Oh, and he put his money where his mouth was and at least tried to buy success. He might not be your cup of tea, but heck, the Yanks wouldn’t be the Yanks without him.
Manager: Joe Torre
Listen, Casey Stengal could make the list, but Joe Torre won four World Series in five years. Sure, he had more money than God doing it, but so what? Success is success, after all. I always liked Torre was his (generally) calm demeanour and the fact that players were willing to leave when Torre finally departed. And I too was sickened when he left for the Dodgers.
Leadoff/Shorstop: Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter (generally) has never been an out-and-out lead-off hitter. Normally it’s gone to the likes of Knoblauch and now Johnny Damon. Having said that, why wouldn’t have a player who has a career average of .315 with over 200 home runs and nearly 1,000 RBIs. Oh, and he’s got 270 career steals with the Yanks too. Not bad eh?
First baseman: Lou Gehrig
A Yankee lifer, “The Iron Horse” is in the Hall of Fame. With a quiet demeanour and a loud bat, he was a favourite with all and part of the all-conquering “Murderer’s Row” teams. He also had a lifetime average of .340.
Third baseman: Alex Rodriguez
Not a ‘true Yankee’ by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s one of the best hitters of our time – and any time, for that matter. It might be only a matter of time before he passes Barry Bonds for the all-time home run record…and it’ll probably be in a Yankee jersey.
Second baseman: Tony Lazzeri
Sure, Robinson Cano might be on this list in a few year’s time, but when it’s all-time great Yankee seasons, then Tony Lazzeri’s got four out of the top 10. Lifetime batting average of .292 with 17 home runs, Lazzeri is still the best of the best.
Outfield: Babe Ruth
Need I say more?
Outfield: Joe DiMaggio
56-game hitting streak or "The Streak", as I like to call it. A marriage to Marilyn Monroe. Over 1,000 RBIs and 2,200 hits. One of the best of all time? You betcha!
Outfield: Mickey Mantle
Mantle’s blasts were as magnificent in the 50s and 60s as Mark McGwire’s were in the late 1990s, and the only thing Mantle had to wire him up was a good eye and boatloads of whiskey. A .298 might be a little on the low side for this bunch of Yankees, but 536 home runs and over 1,500 runs batted in isn’t. I wish I’d seen him play.
Designated Hitter: Reggie Jackson
One of the undisputed kings of the World Series, Reggie Jackson’s five home runs in the 1977 World Series—and his constant battle with George Steinbrenner and the rest of his pissed-off teammates in 1978 one made him nothing but memorable.
Catcher: Yogi Berra
I’d just like to mention that Joe Girardi and Jorge Posada both get honourable mentions for this position. But although he couldn’t seem to make sense when he was speaking (his ‘Yogi-isms’ will forever go down in history), his hitting certainly did. His average (.258) wasn’t great, but his home runs (358), and RBIs (1,430) and the fact he was a TEN TIME World Series Champion are the sort of things that’ll get a man in the Hall of Fame. Which it did.
Starting Rotation:
Don Laursen
Pitching a perfect game in the World Series isn’t a bad thing when you’re thinking of great Yankee pitching.
Andy Pettitte
Sure, he went off to Houston during his twilight years, but there was no-one with a pick-off move like Andy Pettitte. A lifetime 213-122 win/loss ratio will get him into the Hall—even if his fastball sometimes gets him put out the park. Can we now forget the 2001 World Series and his awful performance against the Diamondbacks?
Whitey Ford
236-106 all-time with a 2.75 ERA, was absolutely brilliant during the World Series. He still owns the most WS strikeouts in the history of the Fall Classic.
Lefty Gomez
The man who dominated the years 1930-42 for the Bronx Bombers, Gomez still has the best season in Yankees’ pitching history.
Ron Guidry
When people talk about Guidry, they use the word: “legend”. Sure, his pitching career’s a lot better than his coaching one, but he’s still a Hall of Famer.
CLOSER
Mariano Rivera
Enter The Sandman, and it’s virtually game over.
comments (11) write a comment »
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2 months ago
Nice list. Can't argue. A-Rod will pass Bonds and unless Cuban buys the Cubs, no one will ever be able to afford Alex's contract. He is a Yankee until he retires, bottom line. Also, I wish I could of seen Mickey play too. The stories I hear always make me smile. Ill settle for A-Rod though, haha.
2 months ago
Geat list alex, could you imagine that team today?
I don't blamr Torre for leaving the Yanks, the pressure's incredible there, you lose one playoff series and they want you in the guillotine, and he wasn't even the one playing the game.
from 2 months ago
No, but he was the one destroying relievers' arms with overuse and he was the one who refused to bunt, steal or hit and run enough to get the Yankees enough runs to win those playoff games.
2 months ago
We have the same lineup but I have to disagree with some of your other choices. Don Larsen's perfect game was a great moment in Yankee history but he wasn't a good pitcher. In fact, he had a career losing record (81-91).
And there's no way Joe Torre is the greatest Yankee manager of all time. He's not even number two. You said "Casey Stengal could make the list, but Joe Torre won four World Series in five years." Stengel won FIVE in five years between 1949 and 1953. He also had a better winning percentage with the Yanks than Torre (.623 to .605), won three more World Series and four more pennants. Joe McCarthy also had a higher winning percentage than Torre (.627), won three more World Series and two more pennants.
2 months ago
That's the great thing about differences.
And I think Joe Torre is the greatest Yankee manager of all time. That's the great thing about this site - you can have opinions.....
from 2 months ago
It's fine if you think Torre is the greatest Yankee manager of all time but you have to back it up with more than just "he won four World Series in five years" because Stengel and McCarthy did that too and then they went out and won even more World Series, something that Torre didn't do.
2 months ago
I'm staying with the: he won four World Series in five years. You could also add that he was unfortunate not to win one against the Diamondbacks, and should have been in another when the Sox broke my heart in 2004. Oh, and they weren't great against Florida, either.
Anyways, thanks for protesting my list and can't we simply get back to supporting the team we love instead?
from 2 months ago
I'm not protesting, Alex. I just disagreed with two of your choices. The site is supposed to create debate. Don't take it personally.
2 months ago
I'm not actually taking it personally. Go Yankees. BTW, think we'll beat Texas tonight?
from 2 months ago
I think they will beat Texas with Moose on the mound... I agree with all of these.. I would have liked to see Mickey Rivers in the leadoff spot though... By the way... you said Joe D had a 55 game "winning" streak instead of a 56 game hitting streak.
from 2 months ago
Scott Feldman held the Yanks to just one run on five hits over 5.2 innings in a 2-1 Texas win on June 30, but that was against a lineup that included Brett Gardner. I hope that seeing him for the second time this year plus the addition of Xavier Nady will lead to more offense out of New York tonight. A few runs should be enough for Mike Mussina who pitched well in his last start against the Angels after a terrible outing against Baltimore. So, yeah, I think the Yanks will win tonight. They better because a 3-1 series loss to Texas would be terrible at this point in the season.
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