New York Yankees: Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano Are Homegrown Heroes

The New York Yankees are often accused of buying success. In fact, when other teams spend big money on star players, the Yankees' name will often be invoked.

However, the late George Steinbrenner and his New York Yankees don't get enough credit for the players who have come up through the farm system.

Think of the stars of the Yankees' last few seasons: Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes, Brett Gardner, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada.

Think of the Hall of Famers who spent their entire careers in the pinstripes: Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra.

Clearly, the key to the Yankees' 27 World Series championships is not only their ability to buy the best players, which they often do. Rather, the Yankees boast one of the greatest homegrown histories of all time.

Andy Pettitte announced his retirement last month and Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera (the only trio to play on the same team for 16 seasons) aren't getting any younger, so the Yankees will have to find some outstanding young talent in the next few years.

Thankfully, the Yanks boast four of the top 50 prospects, according to Baseball America, including No. 3 Jesus Montero, the heir-apparent to Jorge Posada.

Fellow catcher Gary Sanchez came in at No. 30 while southpaw Manny Banuelos was No. 41 and righty Dellin Betances was No. 43.

These young stars-to-be could be the next pinstriped champions, and Montero and Banuelos have played well so far in spring training. Betances has already earned a spot on the 40-man roster.

So next time you want to knock the "Evil Empire" for simply buying their way to the top, think of all the players who have been loyal to the pinstripes and have represented the Yankees from the beginning.