New York Yankees: 10 Best Yankees of All Time

The New York Yankees are a dynasty that have had some of the greatest players to ever set foot on a baseball field. Growing up in the Bronx, I watched many great Yankees, such as Tino Martinez, David Cone, Roger Clemens and of course, the Core Four.

But, some of the players that I grew up idolizing are not in the top 10 greatest Yankees of all time. With that said, who could be the top 10 greatest Yankees of all time?

Number 10: Andy Pettitte

Andy Pettitte was one of the more clutch pitchers in the majors, especially in the postseason, like in 2009 when he won series ending games.

Throughout his career, he went 240-128 with a 3.88 ERA. Although his stats may not look top 10 worthy, Pettitte has been the Yankees most clutch player of all time. In 2001, he was awarded the ALCS MVP award, and he has won very big games, such as the clinching postseason games in 1996 and 2000. 

Number 9: Reggie "Mr. October" Jackson

In his time with the Yankees, Reggie "Mr. October" Jackson helped the Yankees to two World Series titles.

Jackson spent five years with the Yankees and in that time helped them win two World Series, three pennants and four divisional titles. His claim to fame was the three home run game he had on Oct. 18, 1977 against the Dodgers.

During the postseason, Reggie batted .400 with eight home runs and 17 RBI's, giving him the nickname Mr. October.

Number 8: Derek Jeter

The captain, Derek Jeter, has more hits that any Yankee in the history of the franchise.

He has won five World Series titles and has made many great plays to help the Yankees get to the World Series, such as the "flip play" against the Oakland Athletics in the 2001 ALCS.

During the postseason, Jeter is batting .313 with 20 home runs. He has earned many nicknames, such as the Captain and Mr. November.

He was the first rookie to be a starting shortstop since Tom Tresh in 1962 and won the Rookie of the Year award, was the World Series MVP in 2000 and has won four gold gloves at shortstop. 

Number 7: Whitey Ford

Whitey Ford was one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. Since 1920, nobody has had a lower ERA or a higher winning percentage.

Ford's winning percentage is .690, went 236-106 and had a 2.75 ERA.

He was the Yankees ace for 15 years and in the 1960 World Series against the Pirates, he pitched two shutouts. In 1961, he won the Cy Young award after winning 20 games that year.

During his career, he recorded 45 shutouts and struck out 1,956 batters. When he retired, he was put into the famous Monument Park in Yankee stadium.

Number 6: Mickey Mantle

When you talk about people who have it all, you had to talk about Mickey Mantle, he had the five tools.

During the 1961 season, he and Roger Maris were going for the prestigious record that Babe Ruth set, hitting 60 home runs in a single season. Sadly, he was not so healthy and he got hurt toward the end of the season. But in his 18 seasons, he hit 536 home runs, drove in 1,509 runners on base, had 153 stolen bases and batted nearly .300.

When he retired, he was put into Monument Park and was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame.

Number 5: Yogi Berra

Nobody in the history of the sport has more World Series rings than Yogi Berra, who won 10 during his time with the Yankees.

Berra was one of the best catchers in the game, he batted .285 and hit 300 home runs. He won three straight MVP awards and some people call him the best catcher of all time.

In 1950, he drove in 124 runs and hit 28 home runs, had a .322 batting average and a .915 OPS. Throughout that whole season, he struck out only 12 times. 

Number 4: Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera is not like every other closer because he has more saves than any other closer in the majors, with 603.

He has a 2.21 ERA, but in the postseason he has a 0.74 ERA, which is ridiculous considering that he has made 96 appearances.

When the opposing team hears "Enter Sandman" by Metallica, they know that the best in the business is coming in to close the game. Rivera is the best at what he does.

Number 3: Lou Gehrig

Henry Louis Gehrig was hated by nobody, even his opponents had to respect the Iron Horse.

In 1927, Gehrig drove in 175 runs, which is unheard of now. During his career, he batted .340 with a .447 OBP.

Sadly, his career ended due to the disease ALS, also known now as Lou Gehrig's disease. But, he didn't leave without giving one of the most inspirational speeches in Yankee stadium. His famous Farewell Speech had everybody in tears because they knew that they were losing one of the best players in history.

He was given the nickname the Iron Horse because he played 2,130 consecutive games before he took himself out of the lineup because of ALS. To this day, he is mentioned as one of the best players in the game of baseball.

Number Two: Joe DiMaggio

Joe DiMaggio has one of the most impressive hitting streaks in the game of baseball, hitting in 56 consecutive games.

His statistics speak for itself, bating .325, hitting 361 home runs and he was also outstanding in center field. In 1939, DiMaggio batted .381 during the season, which is something to mention.

Another mentionable stat occurred in 1948, when he drove in 155 runs and hit 39 home runs. When he retired he was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame and is in Memorial Park.

Joe DiMaggio is a Yankee icon.

Number One: Babe Ruth

Thanks to a Broadway play, the Yankees acquired George Herman Ruth from the Red Sox.

Since then, the Yankees have won more World Series than any other sports franchise.

Ruth lead the league in runs scored seven times, hit 107 triples, 130 RBI's in eight seasons and of course, he had the record of hitting 60 home runs in a single season and 700 in a career. He also batted .342 throughout his career.

Yankee Stadium is nicknamed the House that Ruth Built because he is the greatest Yankee of all time.