New York Yankees: Power Ranking Derek Jeter and the Top 5 Shortstops of All Time

Since 1913 when New York adopted the "Yankees" moniker, dozens of players have appeared at shortstop wearing the pinstripes.

Some left an indelible mark on the game, the franchise and the fans. Others, not so much.

Who was the best of them all?

Derek Jeter.

Sorry to ruin the ending of the story for you, but you knew that going in.

You're here to see who made the cut. After the jump, we try to make sense of the rest.

5. Frankie Crosetti

Years With Yankees: 1932-1948

Stats: .245 BA, .341 OBP, .354 SLG, 98 HR, 649 RBI, 113 SB

Yes, I know who Frankie Crosetti was.

A World Series champion seven times and twice an All-Star, Crosetti spent his entire 17-year playing career as a member of the New York Yankees—11 of those years as the Opening Day starter at SS. (Crosetti would also start Opening Day of 1942 as the Yankees 3B.)

Not known for his offensive production, Crosetti would have four consecutive seasons (1936-1939) where he scored more than 100 runs.

His first All-Star appearance came in 1936, which also happened to be his most productive season with the bat: .288 BA, .387 OBP, .437 SLG, 15 HR, 78 RBI, 18 SB.

After his playing days were over, "The Crow" went on to serve as the Yankees' third base coach from 1948-1968.

Between his seven World Series titles won as a player and his years as a coach, Crosetti has 17 World Series championships under his belt and appeared in 23 World Series overall.

Both are individual records not soon to be broken.

4. Tony Kubek

Years With Yankees: 1957-1965

Stats: .266 BA, .303 OBP, .364 SLG, 57 HR, 373 RBI, 29 SB

Tony Kubek had a short, yet productive career as a baseball player, spending all nine years with the Yankees.

Six of those nine years he played in the World Series, where he would be crowned champion three times. A three-time All-Star, Kubek won the 1957 AL Rookie of the Year Award, putting up his best numbers: .297 BA, .335 OBP, .381 SLG, 3 HR, 39 RBI.

His 38 doubles in 1961 was the single-season record for Yankees shortstops until Derek Jeter hit 44 in 2004.

After retiring from baseball, Kubek would go on to have a long, distinguished career as a baseball announcer, culminating in his receiving of the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.

He called more than a dozen World Series games and paired with Bob Costas on NBC's Game of the Week, calling the last-ever airing of the program. After NBC lost their rights to broadcast MLB games, Kubek joined the MSG Network, calling Yankees games from 1990-1994.

Unfortunately, the players' strike in 1994 robbed Kubek of his passion for the game, and he abruptly retired from broadcasting:

"

"More than once, people have said, ‘You must hate baseball,’ but I never said that because I don’t. I didn’t like some of the things I saw. I’m not averse to either side making money, but money was becoming more important than the game itself.”

"

Right on, Tony.

3. Mark Koenig

Years With Yankees: 1925-1930

Stats: .285 BA, .327 OBP, .382 SLG, 15 HR, 241 RBI

A slap-hitter who found himself on a team with two of the greatest players to ever live, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, Mark Koenig didn't exactly fit in.

Koenig was the unsung hero of the 1927 World Series, one that saw the Yankees become the first AL team to sweep an NL team, disposing of the Pittsburgh Pirates in four games.

Batting second behind CF Earle Combs, Koenig would have a World Series to remember: .500 BA (9-18), 5 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B.

Koenig was a fantastic storyteller. As the last surviving member of "Murderer's Row,"—Koenig passed away in 1997—Koenig recalled in a 1987 interview how he once brawled with Babe Ruth, who had the locker next to him up until that point, when Miller Huggins banished Koenig to another part of the clubhouse.

Check that interview out if you get a chance. It is a great read and gives some fantastic insight into what the Yankees were like in Babe Ruth's day.

2. Phil Rizzuto

Years With Yankees: 1941-1942, 1946-1956

Stats: .273 BA, .351 OBP, .355 SLG, 38 HR, 563 RBI, 149 SB

Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto is possibly the most beloved Yankee of all time.

One generation of fans came to know and love him for his play on the field.

Another generation came to know and love him as the voice of the Yankees, first on radio and later TV, as he paired with some of the legends of broadcasting—Mel Allen, Joe Garagiola, Jerry Coleman—and my personal favorite, his long-time partner in the WPIX television booth, former National League President Bill White.

On the field, "Scooter" was known for his clutch, unselfish hitting; from 1942-1952, he led the league in sacrifice hits.

Rizzuto also played excellent defense. 1950 saw him break two defensive records for shortstops, only one of which has since been broken—58 consecutive games at SS without an error, which was broken by Ed Brinkman in 1972 when he went, you guessed it, 72 games without making an error.

Rizzuto's 238 consecutive fielding chances without an error is the all-time mark for shortstops and still stands.

Scooter was a five-time All-Star, seven-time World Series champion and won the 1950 AL MVP award with what was his most productive season: .324 BA, .419 OBP, .439 SLG, 7 HR, 66 RBI, and a remarkable 92 BB against only 39 K.

For his career, Scooter walked nearly 300 times more than he struck out (651 to 398).

Signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1937 through his final retirement from broadcasting following the 1996 season, Phil Rizzuto spent nearly 60 years as part of the Yankees.

Holy Cow!

*Phil Rizzuto retired mid-season in 1995 as well, a decision related largely in part to the death of his dear friend and teammate, Mickey Mantle.

As the story goes, the day of Mantle's funeral—August 15, 1995, the Yankees had a game against the Boston Red Sox. Scooter assumed he would be excused from his color-commentary duties that night and allowed to attend the Mick's funeral.

WPIX-TV refused to let Scooter miss the game, claiming that they had nobody else who could take his place in the booth. Scooter, visibly upset at the start of the game, became more and more emotional as the game unfolded, finally reaching his breaking point and walking out of the booth mid-broadcast. Not long afterwards, he would announce his retirement, though the Yankees convinced him to come back for a final season in 1996—a season that saw him call Derek Jeter's first career home run.

1. Derek Jeter

Years With Yankees: 1995-Present

Stats: .313 BA, .383 OBP, .450 SLG, 237 HR, 1,159 RBI, 331 SB, 3,004 H

I'm not sure what I can say about Derek Jeter that hasn't already been said here—go ahead, click on the link. We'll wait for you.

Pretty good read, right?

Anyway, Jeter is undoubtedly the greatest thing to happen to shortstop at Yankee Stadium since, well, ever.

Jeter has played the position with dignity, class and skill. When his career is over, we will see his number retired, a monument erected for him in Monument Park and first-ballot induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

"Captain Clutch" already holds three Yankees records—most at-bats, most hits and most stolen bases.

Mickey Mantle has a 39-game lead over Jeter for most games played as a Yankee with 2,401—a milestone Jeter will break, you figure, somewhere around the middle of August 2011.

Congrats to the Captain on a career well played, and here's looking forward to more memorable Jeter moments.

Closing Thoughts and Honorable Mentions

Apologies to Bucky Dent, Gene Michael, Bill Peckinpaugh and Gil McDougald, all who were under consideration as well.

Selfishly, I wanted to be able to include Andy Stankiewicz, but his 1992 season simply was not as impressive as my 15-year-old self thought it was when it happened.

Think I was a little shortsighted?

Think I gave someone the short end of the stick?

Are you calling me short?

Let's hear your thoughts in comments below.